While
Leisel Jones today won her first FINA World Swimming Championship 100m
breaststroke gold medal, Grant Hackett’s showdown with Michael Phelps in the
200m freestyle saw the American champ prevail.

After spectacularly sinking in the heats of the 400m freestyle on
the first day, Phelps put it all together to win from the big Aussie. But it was
only the tenth fastest time in history which won’t give the absent Ian Thorpe
too many nightmares ahead of Beijing in 2008.

Hackett
in finishing second, after coming from fourth at the 100m mark, now has a world
best titles haul of 14 medals consisting of eight gold, five silver, and one
bronze from his four world championships. He’ll almost certainly add two more
gold to his tally in the 800m and 1500m freestyle events.

For
Jones who has been seen as something of a choker in big individual events in the
past, today’s win in a personal best time has helped remove that unwelcome
excess baggage.

Read
the latest news on the Aussie success at Swimming Australia’s official website
here.