Thorpe ready for heavy duty splashing

A beefier Ian Thorpe will discover if bigger is better when he tackles the weighty task of chasing an unprecedented seven gold medals at the Commonwealth Games this week.

Thorpe, who has put on nearly five kilograms after months of heavy weight training, begins his quest on Tuesday when he defends his 400 metres freestyle crown on the opening night of six days of swimming action in the Manchester Aquatics Centre.

That race might have seemed a formality for the reigning Olympic and world champion and world record holder, who became the youngest men's world champion in history when he won the 400 at the age of 15 in Perth in 1998.

But fellow Australian Grant Hackett has added spice to the occasion by breaking his own short-course world record at the distance on the eve of the squad's departure for a training camp in Sindelfingen, Germany, less than two weeks ago.

Thorpe, who did not compete in that Sydney race, has been unbeaten over the long-course 400 for over four years and must remain favourite but Hackett, the world and Olympic 1500 metres freestyle champion, is relishing the prospect of a duel with his team mate.

"I'm just looking forward to getting in there and actions will speak louder than words when it comes to that 400 metres in Manchester," Hackett said at the time.

Thorpe, who won a record six golds at last year's world long-course championships in Japan, has played down thoughts of an historic seven in Manchester to add to the four Commonwealth golds he achieved in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

"When I go and compete I try and compete as well as I can. Whether I think I'll win seven gold medals -- I don't," he said in Sindelfingen, where he revealed that he now tipped the scales at 105 kgs, having decided not to cut back on heavy weight training in the hope that the extra weight would give him more power in the sprint events.

TREBLE CHANCE

The 100 metres backstroke gold is the one most likely to elude Thorpe when he comes up against team mate Matt Welsh, the reigning world champion, in an event he says he is doing just for fun.

Away from the spotlight which always focuses on Thorpe, the big multiple event winner could turn out to be fellow Australian double world champion Petria Thomas, who tackles eight events and could well win all three butterfly titles as well as three relays.

That is assuming she does not jump into the water in premature celebration as she did at the 2001 world championships when she got her 4x200 freestyle relay team disqualified.

Thomas will also attempt to become the first woman to win three consecutive Commonwealth swimming titles in a single event, in her case the 100 metres butterfly.

England's evergreen sprinter Mark Foster, competing in his fifth Commonwealth Games at the seasoned age of 32, attempts a similar treble in the 50 metres freestyle. Australian Mike Wenden, who won the 100 freestyle in 1966, 1970 and 1974, is the only swimmer who has hitherto achieved the title hat-trick.

Australia won 23 of the 32 titles contested at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, leaving five for England, four for Canada and none for anybody else.

Six more gold medals will be up for grabs in Manchester with the introduction of 50-metre sprints in backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.

ENGLISH HOPES

Hosts England, determined to better their 1998 tally, have three defending champions in their ranks -- Foster, James Hickman in the men's 200 butterfly and Katy Sexton in the women's 200 backstroke.

Foster will also aim for gold in the 50 butterfly but faces a tough task against Australian Geoff Huegill, one of six reigning world champions in the Australian squad along with Thorpe, Hackett, Welsh, Thomas and Giaan Rooney, who won the women's 200 freestyle at the worlds but took the 100 backstroke gold in Kuala Lumpur.

England's best hopes lie with Foster, breaststroke sprinters Zoe Baker, James Gibson and Darren Mew, backstroker Sarah Price, distance freestyler Rebecca Cooke and butterfly racers Hickman and Steve Parry.

Scotland have top women's freestyle sprinter Alison Sheppard, while Canada should do well in the individual medley races, with Marianne Limpert defending her 200 crown and Curtis Myden and Brian Johns challenging for honours in the men's events.

But, inevitably, all eyes will be on the great Thorpe, who draws accolades from all, including Foster.

"He's been fantastic. He's been like a (former Olympic and world champion Alex) Popov but I think he's exceeded what Popov ever did -- and that seems a shame," Foster said with the deference due to the man he rates his toughest opponent.

"Popov was awesome -- a fantastic athlete, which he still is. But Thorpe has something untouchable about him, whereas Popov never had that. He (Popov) was always there and he did it when it counted but you'd never say he was untouchable."

As for Thorpe in Manchester: "Everyone knows what he's capable of doing and what he will do. I think he'll go away with six, I don't know if he'll get seven," Foster said.

"Personally I never race him. I wish I did race him because I know I'd kick his arse -- over one length anyway, because I don't turn round and come back again," he added with a laugh.