GOLDEN GIRLS OF THE POOL ALSO SET WORLD RECORD

BEIJING, CHINA,August 14: The Australian women's 4x200 metres freestyle relay team of Stephanie Rice, Bronte Barratt, Kylie Palmer and Linda MacKenzie has won gold at the National Aquatics Centre.

The quartet combined to clock a stunning 7:44.31, destroying the old world record of 7:50.09 held by the USA. China was second in 7:45.93 and the USA was third in 7:46.33.

It is Australia's first gold medal in the event at this level and came after the American's entered the meet as a red hot favourite, the Australians given little hope by anyone outside the tight-knit Australian camp. DAVID LYALL AOC REPORTS...

At one stage bookmakers had even offered 17-1 about the Australians while the Americans were well and truly in the red.

Rice got the Australians off to a brilliant start, touching second with a sizzling split of 1:56.60 - a time equal to Barratt's Commonwealth record that would have placed sixth in yesterday's individual final.

Barratt, who split 1:56.58, had the lead by the halfway mark of her leg and from there the Australians were never headed, at one stage leading by almost ten metres.

Palmer, who will swim the 800m freestyle heats tonight and was on her debut Olympic appearance, smoked the field, splitting 1:55.22 before MacKenzie brought them home in a courageous 1:55.91.

Not only did MacKenzie have the pressure of taking a 3.14 second lead into the last leg, she also had the weight of the Chinese crowd on her shoulders - a weight she handled seemingly with ease, focussed on the task at hand.

"I was pretty nervous but at the same time I just wanted to do my job for the relay girls and it looks like I've done it," the diminutive MacKenzie said in a huge understatement.

It has been a wonderful week for MacKenzie's coach Vince Raleigh too; this morning's gold coming after Brenton Rickard won silver in the 200m breaststroke and freestylers Pat Murphy and Nick Ffrost helped Australia to bronze in the 4x200m freestyle yesterday.

Credit too must go to the four swimmers - Felicity Galvez, Angie Bainbridge, Melanie Schlanger and Lara Davenport - that got the Australians into the final and no one in the Australian contingent was cheering harder than them.

The gold was Rice's third of the week and the 20-year-old said she was overwhelmed by her achievements over the last five days.

"I feel amazing and to finish such a great meet as a part of the Australian relay team is such a great feeling and there wasn't as much nerves coming in, just a feeling of excitement and I'm so impressed with everything that's happened," a euphoric Rice said.

Rice, Barratt and Palmer have grown up together, close friends since they began swimming competitively a decade or so ago.

The latter two trains together under John Rodgers and Barratt said the win was all the more special given their tight bond.

"I couldn't have asked for a better way to finish the meet, I'm just so excited and to be a part of the team with these girls and to smash the world record, I couldn't ask for anything more," Barratt said.

Palmer, 18, agreed but was still coming to terms with the magnitude of the upset.

"It feels pretty amazing to be part of the team to start with," Palmer said. "I've been given a great opportunity and I just wanted to do the best I could to be a part of it with three other girls. We are all from Queensland so that makes it a bit more special."

"I guess for me, because I haven't been around for too long it hasn't all sunk in yet and I don't know how big a deal it is, but just to be part of it is great."