HURLEY ADDS BACK-TO-BACK WORLD RECORDS IN SYDNEY
SYDNEY, October 26: Australia has tonight unearthed another world record holder at the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup with 20-year-old AIS-based Wollongong student Robert Hurley lowering a four-year-old world short course mark in the 50 metres backstroke. IAN HANSON reports from poolside....
Hurley stepped out for the first time in the full length Speedo bodysuit and took 0.03 secs off German legend Thomas Rupprath's 2004 world mark with a time of 23.24secs (1024 FINA Points - second highest in Sydney).
Asked "where did that came from?" Hurley replied "I've got no idea...I just decided to wear the full suit for the first time...I got to the pool early because I knew it would take me 20 minutes to get the suit on, I put the headphones on and got myself prepared.
"The suit makes you feel so good under water and that's a strong part of my race and I'm just very happy."
Hurley's blinder followed hot on the trail of Matt Jaukovic's world record last night of 22.50 in the 50 metres butterfly, which saw him win the Sydney meet on 1039 FINA points.
At the end of the Sydney World Cup, presented by Telstra, Jaukovic (45 points) and Hurley (40 points) are sitting in second and third positions on the overall men's pointscore behind Series leader Christian Sprenger (55 points) who won the breaststroke treble.
Jaukovic and Hurley both received bonuses of 20 points for their world records, putting them right in the pointscore picture.
Sprenger was fifth overall in the Sydney meet for his 200m breaststroke time of 2:06.43 (969 points) which gave him 10 individual points, behind Jaukovic, Hurley, Stanislav Donets (Russia) and six-time winner in Sydney Oussama Mellouli who's 200m freestyle win saw him score 983 points.
FINA MEN'S TOP THREE:
Christian Sprenger (AUS) 55 points
Matt Jaukovic (AUS) 45 points
Robert Hurley (AUS) 40 points
In the women's events it was Australia's Marieke Guehrer who again starred, topping the pointscore with her world class 50 metres butterfly win in 25.46 (1011 points) - the fifth fastest all-time and the last of her three Sydney gold medals to increase her overall Series lead.
She now has 75 points, well clear of Therese Alshammar (Sweden) and Katheryn Meaklim (RSA) who are locked on 29 points.
Guehrer's Sydney performances take her overall Series wins to eight - three in Brazil, two in Durban and three in Sydney
FINA WOMEN'S TOP THREE:
Marieke Guehrer (AUS) 75 points
Therese Alshammar (SWE) 29 points
Katheryn Meaklim (RSA) 29 points
The Australian foursome will now embark on the next four FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cups in Singapore, Moscow, Stockholm and Berlin chasing a slice of the $US360,000 prizemoney.
The overall winner in both men and women's events will receive $US100, 000, second $US50, 000 and third $US30, 000.
Mellouli and fellow African Meaklim certainly won the hearts of the Sydney crowd - with Mellouli taking his number of World Cup wins to 14 from the first three legs after winning six gold medals in the 200, 400 and 1500m freestyle and the 100, 200m and 400m individual medleys, giving him $US23,500 in prizemoney.
Meaklim took her wins in the first three legs to 12 with five victories in Sydney in the 800m freestyle, the 200 and 400m individual medley, the 200m butterfly, the 200m breaststroke, taking her overall prizemoney to $US18,000.
Brooke Hanson reviews the women's finals....
100m FREESTYLE: Australia's World Cup racer Marieke Guehrer upset Olympic bronze medallist Cate Campbell in the 100m freestyle final. Guehrer won her seventh gold medal of the World Cup series, powering off every turn with her under water dolphin kicks she swam over the top of Campbell in the last five metres. Guehrer's time of 53.15 (959 points) ranks her as the third fastest Australian of all-time in the event. Sixteen-year-old Campbell finished second in (53.27) and Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom (54.21) finished third. After the race Guehrer spoke about her come back after taking 12 months off competitive swimming in 2006, saying: "Everyone said I could never make a successful come back and I'd like to prove them wrong, I'm enjoying swimming and my results are making me happy and that's producing fast times."
50m BREASTSTROKE: It was the battle of the Aussie breaststroke babes - all three medallists were members of the 2008 Australian World Short Course Team. The former world record holder and current Commonwealth and Australian record holder Jade Edmistone touched out last night's 100m breaststroke winner Sarah Katsoulis. Edmistone stopped the clock at 30.43 (965 points) ahead of Katsoulis (30.65) with third place going to Kristy Morrison (30.88).
400m INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY: South African Katheryn Meakum 4.31.52 (973 points) was too strong for Australian teenagers Ellen Fullerton (4.34.18) and Jackie Staples (2.09.59). After already winning the 800m freestyle and 200m Individual medley at the Sydney FINA/ARENA swimming World Cup Meakum added another gold medal making it her tenth victory in the World Cup series.
100m BACKSTROKE: Olympic gold medallist in the 4x100m medley relay team Emily Seebohm swam the third fastest time by an 
Australian leading from start to finish stopping the clock at (57.91). Second place went to Seebohm's Olympic team mate Belinda Hocking (58.69) with Brazilian Fabiola Molina in third (59.09).
200m BUTTERFLY: South African Katheryn Meakum won her fourth gold medal of the Sydney FINA/ARENA swimming World Cup and took her overall tally to 11 wins in the World Cup series. Meakum 2.08.85 (894 points) toughed out the eight-lap race winning from lane two ahead of Australians Jackie Staples (2.10.55) and Jessica Ash (2.11.29)
400m FREESTYLE: New Zealand had their second win of the Sydney FINA/ARENA World Cup thanks to Melissa Ingram (4.03.31) the Olympian won the 200m backstroke last night and swam a great race finishing ahead of Olympic gold medallist in the 4x200m freestyle relay Bronte Barratt (4.04.81) and Gold Coast teenager Ellen Fullerton (4.05.33).
200m BREASTSTROKE: South African swimming super women Katheryn Meaklim 2.23.86 (912 points) won her fifth gold medal of the Sydney FINA/ARENA World Cup winning from lane seven just touching out Sweden's Joline Hostman (2.23.99) ahead of Australia's Sarah Katsoulis (2.24.75). The win gave Meaklim her twelfth victory in the World Cup series which equates to $US 18 000.00.
100m INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY: Emily Seebohm, the Olympic gold medallist in the 4x100m medley relay won her third gold medal of the FINA/ARENA World Cup. Seebohm touched the wall in 1.00.39 (969 points) ahead of Olympic finalist in the 200m individual medley Alicia Coutts (1.01.00) and fellow Australian Ellen Fullerton (1.01.56) finished third.
50m BUTTERFLY: Australia's World Cup series overall leader Marieke Guehrer had the swim of the Sydney FINA/ARENA World Cup stopping the clock at 25.46 (1011 points) making her the female swimmer of the meet. Guehrer collected her eighth gold of the series in a time that was 0.10 faster than her swim in South Africa last week and only 0.14 off the world record. Second place was Australian teenager Emily Seebohm, (26.54) with Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom (26.57) in third.
Ian Hanson reviews the men's events...
1500M FREESTYLE: What a finish it turned out to be....after 60 laps less than a second separated the first three placegetters with the cagey Oussama Mellouli hanging on to win a smart tactical race in 15:06.23 from Australia's Cameron Smith (15:06.71) with New Zealand's Matt Woodrow third in 15:06.97. Mellouli stole a march with 300 metres to go and backed off to allow Smith and Woodrow back in towards the end - but they weren't quite ready. For Mellouli...win number 12 in the Series.
200M FREESTYLE: The big man from Tunisia Oussama Mellouli backed up less than 10 minutes after winning the 1500m freestyle to steal a march on the field to win the 200m freestyle in a great time of 1:43.05 (983 points) and win the hearts of the Sydney crowd with back-to-back wins. As hard as they tried the field led by New Zealand's Michael Jack (1:45.15) and Commonwealth Youth Games gold medallist Ryan Napoleon (1:45.43) who finished second and third. For Mellouli....win number 13.
100M BREASTSTROKE: Australia's Christian Sprenger wrapped up another impressive World Cup treble when he added the 100m breaststroke to the 50 and 200 metres, stopping the clock at 58.47 (967 points) and taking his 2008 Series wins to seven. Sprenger couldn't quite edge into the top three on the FINA Pointscore but goes to Singapore with plenty of confidence to continue his winning ways. New Zealand's Glenn Snyders (59.42) taking second and Olympic 200m breaststroke silver medallist Brenton Rickard (59.63) third.
100M BUTTERFLY: Australia's newest swim star Matt Jaukovic added the 100m butterfly to his 50m win from night one, stopping the clock at 50.50 (982) to hold off 200m butterfly winner Christopher Wright who clocked a personal best time of 50.96 to take silver from another rising star in Garth Kates (51.70).
50M BACKSTROKE: Australia unearthed another world record holder with 20-year-old AIS-based Wollongong student Robert Hurley lowering a four-year-old world mark in the 50 metres backstroke. Hurley stepped out for the first time in the full length Speedo bodysuit and took 0.03 secs off German legend Thomas Rupprath's 2004 world mark with a time of 23.24secs (1029 points). Asked "where did that came from?" Hurley replied "I've got no idea...I just decided to wear the full suit for the first time...I got to the pool early because I knew it would take me 20 minutes to get the suit on, put the headphones on and got myself prepared. "The suit makes you feel so good under water and that's a strong part of my race and I'm just very happy." Russia's 100m backstroke winner Stanislav Donets finished second in 23.63 with Beijing Olympian Ashley Delaney third in 24.04.
200M INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY: Oussama Mellouli showed his amazing versatility to out-touch Australian champion and Olympian Leith Brodie to win his sixth gold medal of the Sydney leg in the 200IM, clocking 1:56.30 (938) to Brodie's 1:56.33. It all came down to the final touch after Mellouli made his mover on the breaststroke leg before the pair went stroke-for-stroke on the final two laps - Brodie in lane three and Mellouli in lane six. Third home was Brazil's Tales Cerdeira (1:58.86). For Mellouli.....Series win number 14....and his prize total to $US23, 500.
50M FREESTYLE: Rising Australian freestyle star Kyle Richardson became the third fastest all-time Australian, clocking 21.45 seconds (952), only bettered by Eamon Sullivan (21.31) and Ashley Callus (21.32). Fellow Australian youngster Matthew Abood took the silver in 21.92 with Sweden's world record holder from the 100m freestyle Stefan Nystrand third in 22.00.
200M BACKSTROKE: World record holder from the 50 metres backstroke, Robert Hurley clocked a personal best time of 1:52.39 (942) to just hang on from a fast finishing Olympian Ashley Delaney (1:52.86) with Russia's Stanislav Donets (1:53.35). Hurley was over a second under world record pace for the first 100 metres but his early pace took its toll on the close 50 metres.