Kenrick Monk, of Australia, claimed the first gold of the World s/c Championships in Manchester, with teammate Kirk Palmer just 0.04sec away to give the Dolphins a one-two finish to get the show under way in the 200m freestyle. The title went to Monk in 1:43.46, 0.18sec outside the championship record set by former Dolphin Ian Thorpe in 1999. The bronze went to a man with a bit of Australian in him, Italian Massimiliano Rosolino, in 1:44.23.

The Australians, in lanes 7 and 8, wiped the field out over the first 50m, turning a bodylength ahead of all but Filippo Magnini (ITA), and then hanging on (as Magnini let it slide) throughout the race, their domestic rivalry catching the field napping.

Monk and Palmer looked like they meant business from the blocks and this is how it panned out from there:

Monk: 24.26; 26.41; 26.43; 26.36.
Palmer: 24.37; 26.20; 26.61; 26.32.
Rosolino: 25.05; 26.44; 26.63; 26.11.
(5th: Magnini: 24.48; 27.00; 27.02; 25.83).

He who dares ...