Thorpe misses out
( 2001-06-14 10:07 ) (7 )

Australian Ian Thorpe missed out on breaking his own world 200 metres freestyle record on the second day of the two-day Monaco meeting in the Mare Nostrum series on Wednesday.

He clocked 1:45.75 in victory but his time was over a second outside his record.

The 18-year-old Olympic champion was expected to go close after his win in the 400 metres freestyle on Tuesday when he swam close to his world best.

"People always expect a lot from me but I'm just happy with what I did today. At Le Canet, I swam extremely fast but it is not easy to be at my best mentally and physically every race," Thorpe said.

The Australian clocked an impressive 1:44.97, just 0.28 seconds outside his world record, last week at the Canet meeting earlier in the Mare Nostrum series.

"I'm preparing for the world championships and I have a lot of homework to do. I'm just happy to swim and to build up some experience", he said.

Thorpe outclassed his opponents on Wednesday, finishing more than three seconds ahead of compatriot Bill Kirby.

He flys back to Australia on Thursday and will take part in a meeting in Melbourne this weekend.