STERLING SILVER FOR TWO AUSSIE GOLDEN GIRLS

BEIJING, CHINA, August  15: Australia has won two silver medals on Day 7 action from the National Aquatics Centre, taking its overall tally of medals in the pool to 15.

World record holders Leisel Jones and Libby Trickett both had to settle for silver medals, despite leading their races under world record time.

In the women's 100m freestyle German Britta Steffen came from last to overhaul Trickett in the dying stages robbing her of the gold medal. DAVID LYALL AOC REPORTS...

Trickett led the field through the 50m turn 0.22 seconds under world record pace, but over the second lap Steffen, the former world record holder who was last at the halfway mark, began clawing back the gap, clocking 53.12 and touching out Trickett's 53.16.

It was a fine end result for the 23-year-old Trickett after only scoring a berth in the final when China's Jiaying Pang was disqualified for false starting after winning the second semi-final yesterday.

"After yesterday, I don't know what or how or why but someone was looking out for me and I was able to get the fantastic opportunity to swim the final and I am so thankful for that because in Athens I never got another opportunity," Trickett said.

Trickett set the world record at 52.88 at the Australian Olympic trials in March.

"To come out there I just really wanted to give it my absolute all. I wanted to be hurting right at the end of it and I definitely did that." American Rebecca Soni caused the upset of the Olympic Games by defeating Australian star Leisel Jones in the final of the 200 metres breaststroke.

In shades of fellow American Misty Hyman's boilover victory over Susie O'Neill and Petria Thomas at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Soni stuck it to the white hot favourite - and stole her world record in the process.

The American clocked 2:20.22, some 0.32 seconds under Jones' world mark established at the Commonwealth Games trials in 2006. The Australian won silver in 2:22.05, tiring considerably over the last 50m.

Jones had led the field through the 100m turn in 1:07.23, 1.29 seconds under world record pace, but could not keep up that pace.

The Australian has not lost a race over the distance since finishing second to American Amanda Beard at the Athens Olympic Games four years ago.

Jones now has seven medals from three Olympic appearances, moving to equal fifth on the Australian all-time Olympic medallist list with track sprinter Shirley Strickland and behind only Ian Thorpe, Dawn Fraser, Petria Thomas and Susie O'Neill.

Jones will have a chance to further add to her total - and draw level with Fraser, Thomas and O'Neill when she swims in the 4x100m medley relay final on Sunday.

Hayden Stoeckel clocked a Commonwealth record and personal best of 1:56.39 to finish sixth in the final of the 200 metres backstroke.

The big Australian came from eighth at the 150m mark and was chasing the medallists hard over the dying stages. He simply ran out of pool.

The race was won by American Ryan Lochte in a world record of 1:53.94 from compatriot and defending champion Aaron Peirsol (1:54.33) and Russian Arkay Vyatchanin (1:54.93). Vyatchanin had to survive a swim off yesterday just to make the final.

Stoeckel won a surprise bronze, dead heating for third with Vyatchanin in the 100m backstroke earlier in the program.

The 24-year-old will now play an important role in Australia's 4x100m medley relay team.

In semi final racing teenage Olympic rookies Meagen Nay and Belinda Hocking will give Australia a two-pronged attack in tomorrow's final of the 200m backstroke after qualifying third and sixth after the semi-finals.

Both new to this level of competition and long shots to shoot for a medal 12 months ago, the pair are now genuine chances of joining Australia's swimming elite by climbing onto the podium.

Nay set a Commonwealth record of 2:08.09 and Hocking posted a personal best of 2:08.80 to qualify behind Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry (2:07.76).

Australia has not won an Olympic medal in women's backstroke since Nicole Stevenson (now Livingstone) won bronze in the 200m at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

Speed king Eamon Sullivan clocked 21.75 to finish third in his heat and sixth overall to qualify for tomorrow's 50m freestyle.

The 22-year-old powered to the wall over the last 15 metres to book a spot in the gold medal decider of the swimming's shortest and fastest race, an event in which he holds the world record at 21.28.

Sullivan has already won silver in the 100m freestyle, a bronze as a member of Australia's 4x100m freestyle relay squad and twice lowered the world record for the 100m.

Fellow Australian Ashley Callus, a relay gold medallist at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and a bronze medallist with Sullivan, Andrew Lauterstein and Matt Targett in the 4x100m freestyle here, was a surprise third overall on 21.68 and will swim in his first individual Olympic final at age 29.

Lauterstein has set his second Australian record in less than 24 hours by clocking a 51.27 to qualify equal third in the 100m butterfly.

Swimming alongside Michael Phelps (50.97), Lauterstein gave every impression he will be a medal contender tomorrow morning, holding his composure in the most important race of his life.

The 21-year-old said he had no fears lining up next to the exalted American, an attitude he said head coach Alan Thompson had implored the whole Australian team to bring to Beijing.

"I wanted to come out here and stand up next to Phelps and not be afraid and I ticked that goal off as well," Lauterstein said.

"Thommo's been trying to drum that into us for a couple of years now and I think it's paid off."

Although he was over the moon with his swim, Lauterstein will now study video of his semi-final and look for areas to improve.

"To be honest I didn't think I would have gone faster than last night but I've come out here and I've raced against Phelps and I've gone a PB and an Australian record," Lauterstein said.

"I'll go back and look at the video and hopefully my start or my turn wasn't that great and then with the atmosphere of a final will hopefully get me up that 0.27 faster and I'll get under the 51 second barrier."

Lauterstein won a bronze medal on Monday swimming the second leg for Australia's 4x100m freestyle relay team.