Hackett upstages Thorpe

Grant Hackett upstaged Olympic champion Ian Thorpe by posting the fastest qualifying time for the final of the 400 metres freestyle in the opening pool session at the world championships on Sunday.

Hackett, beaten to the gold by fellow Australian Thorpe at the 1998 world championships in Perth, won his heat in three minutes 44.88 seconds.

Thorpe, who at 15 became the youngest-ever men's individual world swimming champion when he won this event in 1998, eased through the last heat in 3:45.22 to take his place in the evening's final.

Thorpe, who set a world record 3:40.59 to win the Olympic title in Sydney last September, did just enough to finish ahead of European champion Emiliano Brembilla of Italy, who clocked 3:46.45.

Massimiliano Rosolino, the Italian who took the silver medal behind Thorpe at the Olympics, won the penultimate heat in 3:47.92.

European champion Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland pulled up on the third length of her 200 metres butterfly heat after apparently swallowing water. She eventually swam on before leaving the pool in tears.

Petria Thomas took a morale-boosting first step towards succeeding fellow Australian Susie O'Neill in that event, winning her heat in a championship record 2:07.91. European short-course champion Annika Mehlhorn of Germany also looked strong in winning her heat in 2:08.37.

Double Olympic gold medallist Yana Klochkova comfortably won her heat in the women's 400 metres individual medley, settling for the fourth-fastest overall time of 4:42.52 to claim her place in the evening's final at the Marine Messe pool.

"I was second at the last world championships, so I'm really motivated to win the gold medal here," the 18-year-old Ukrainian said.

Olympic bronze medallist Beatrice Caslaru of Romania was fastest overall in 4:40.36, with American Maggie Bowen and German Olympic finalist Nicole Hetzer second and third.

HAWKE SWOOPS

Australia's Brett Hawke led the 16 semifinal qualifiers in the men's 50 metres freestyle, winning his heat in 22.18 seconds.

Anthony Ervin, who shared the Olympic title with fellow American Gary Hall, touched equal first with Australia's Ashley Callus in the last heat in 22.42, the joint sixth best time.

Dutch Olympic bronze medallist Pieter van den Hoogenband was equal third in the same heat in 22.48, while world short-course champion Mark Foster of Britain managed the overall 12th equal time of 22.51.

"Mark should win a medal from where he is. He's in a position to capitalise. He's in the right spot to do it," said Bill Sweetenham, the British team's national performance director.

Former world and Olympic champion Alexander Popov withdrew shortly before the championships because of illness, while Hall and fellow American Bill Pilczuk, who took the title from Popov in 1998, are not in the U.S. team in Fukuoka.

Eric Moussambani, "Eric the Eel" of Olympic fame, surprised his fans by showing a turn of speed which lifted him to second out of four in the opening heat in 31.88, a time faster than three of the 91 overall starters.

South Africa's Sarah Poewe led the way into the semifinals of the women's 100 metres breaststroke, winning her heat in 1:08.71.

China's Luo Xuejuan, fastest in the world this year, won her heat in the second-quickest overall time of 1:08.78 from Olympic 200 breaststroke champion Agnes Kovacs of Hungary.

Austria's Markus Rogan led semifinal qualifiers in the men's 100 metres backstroke in 55.08, while Germany's former European champion Hannah Stockbauer was top qualifier for Monday's women's 800 freestyle final in 8:31.79.