Australia's Ian Thorpe won the gold medal in the men's 200 metres freestyle, dubbed the "race of the century", at the Athens Olympics yesterday.
Thorpe emerged triumphant in a time of one minute 44.71 seconds - just 0.65 outside the world record he set at the 2001 world championships - to claim his second gold in Athens after winning the 400 freestyle two days ago.
"It was tough and I did feel a bit tired," said Thorpe. "But I was able to produce a pretty good performance and I'm ecstatic about the result."
Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands, the gold medallist in Sydney four years ago, took silver in 1:45.23 while American Michael Phelps collected the bronze in 1:45.32.
China won their first gold in the Athens pool when twice world champion Luo Xuejuan, who had qualified seventh for the final, won the women's 100 breaststroke in 1:06.64 ahead of Brooke Hanson and her fellow Australian Leisel Jones, the world record holder.
The US won the other two golds on offer with victory in the two 100 backstroke finals.
Natalie Coughlin won the women's gold in 1:00.37 to add the Olympic title to the world crown she won three years ago.
Coughlin had a big lead after the first lap but had to hang on desperately to hold off Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, who won silver, and French teenager Laure Manaudou who took the bronze a day after winning gold in the 400 freestyle.
Aaron Peirsol also held on grimly to win the men's event in 54.60 from Austrian Markus Rogan and Tomomi Morita of Japan.
The 200 freestyle final lived up to all its hype when van den Hoogenband set out at a cracking pace, leading the field through the first 150 under world record pace.
He was still in front turning for home but Thorpe, who had been second all the way, mowed him down to win by half a body length.
Phelps, promised $1 million if he could win at least seven gold medals in Athens, was fourth after 50 but moved into third at the halfway stage and was not able to improve his position despite a late surge.
Thorpe, van den Hoogenband and Phelps are the three most recognisable faces in swimming and their first three-way clash was always going to be treated like a heavyweight prize-fight.
Thorpe won his first world title as a 15-year-old and won three gold two silver medals as a 17-year-old. He won a fourth gold in Athens when he successfully defended his 400 title on Saturday and his fifth makes him Australia's greatest Olympian.
He has dominated the 200 over the past four years and his only defeat came at the last Olympics when he finished second to van den Hoogenband, who also won the 100 in Sydney.
Spitz's record
Asked what he had told Thorpe when they embraced after the race, van den Hoogenband said: "I told him we were even now."
Phelps had not swum the 200 at a major international event before Athens but included it in his programme after announcing he would try and better Mark Spitz's record of winning seven gold medals at a single Olympics.
Phelps won the 400 individual medley on Saturday before settling for a bronze when the US suffered a shock loss to S. Africa in Sunday's relay.