JAUKOVIC FLIES TO THE BANK WITH WORLD RECORD

Sydney October 25: Australia's newest world record holder Matt Jaukovic is swimming all the way to the bank after a sizzling world record in the 50m butterfly at the Sydney FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup presented by Telstra tonight. BROOKE HANSON was poolside....

The 22-year-old took just 22.50 seconds to etch his name into the record books and earn himself a cool $US11,500 - around $US 500.00 per second in the last swim of the night.

Not a bad night's work for the battling Sydney University student, studying a double degree in economics and law.

The Steve Alderman coached Jaukovic had long touches on both the turn and the finish but still managed to take 0.10 off the world mark previously held by Brazil's Kaio Almeida at 22.60 since 2005.

Jaukovic was a finalist in the100m butterfly at this year's Olympic Trials but came to the fore at last month's Telstra Australian Short Course Championships in Melbourne when he smashed the Australian All-comers record in the 50m butterfly - just missing the world mark and also winning the 100m butterfly.

But tonight was Matt Jaukovic's night in a spectacular dash-for-cash for the boy who was born in Montenegro in 1985 and swam for his native country as a junior but decided to study in Sydney - a move that could well prove to be a major bonus for Alan Thompson's Telstra Dolphins.

On top of the $US1,500 winner's cheque Jaukovic also receives a FINA World Record Bonus cheque of $US10,000.

The swim earns him 1039 points, which puts him into the lead in the race for the men's pointscore in Sydney.

Jaukovic' has definitely thrown his name into the ring for the ultimate World Cup winner's cheque of $US100,000.He currently stands as equal leader with fellow Australian Christian Sprenger on 45 points, with the final day's racing tomorrow.

He and Sprenger will race the final four legs of the World Cup Series starting with Singapore next weekend, before moving onto Europe where he is hoping to swim even faster.

Asked about what he thought about his race and he gave a typical sprinter's response..... "Quick!"

"It was my fifth attempt at the world record, it's been a goal of mine for some time and I really can't believe I'm a world record holder," an elated Jaukovic said.

"This is my first international meet as an Aussie and I think I've done alright.....I know I will be the one that everyone wants to beat but I think I can go faster.

"I was long on both walls.... I thought I could swim 22.50 tonight, that's what I was hoping for and I finally achieved it.

"My relatives and friends are in the stands and it's great that they got to see me break a world record.

"My ultimate goal is to represent Australia at the Olympic Games and there is a lot coming up over the next few years with World Championships and Commonwealth Games but my main goal is to stay focused for the up coming World Cups."

Meanwhile Tunisia's Oussama Mellouli took his gold medal tally to 11 after chalking up three wins in the 400m freestyle and the 100 and 400m individual medleys...while South African all-rounder Katheryn Meakum chalked up wins eight and nine in the 800m freestyle and the 200m individual medley.

The most exciting swim of the night came in the men's 200m butterfly when Australian pair Christopher Wright and Nick D'Arcy dead-heated in a new Australian record time of 1:53. 37.

Brooke Hanson reviews the night one women's events........

800m FREESTYLE: The first event of the night saw South African Katheryn Meakum claim her eighth win in the World Cup Series after four wins at World Cup one in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and three wins at World Cup Two in Durban. Meakum had a great battle over the first 400m with Australian Laune Rowe leading by only .40 of a second at the half way mark. Meaklim then lifted her tempo to get ahead and take out the win in a time of 8.32.62 (882 points) ahead of Rowe 8.35.44 and Charlotte Webby (New Zealand) in 8.45.40.

200m FREESTYLE: Australian 15-year -old Ellen Fullerton led from start to finish in the women's 200m freestyle to claim her first World Cup victory. Fullerton swam the eighth fastest time by an Australian, touching the wall in a 1.56.35 (942 points) ahead of Melissa Ingram (New Zealand) 1.57.28 and Olympic Gold medallist in Australia's 4x200m freestyle relay Bronte Barratt (1.57.52).

After the race Fullerton said "This is my first ever World Cup, I'm so excited to be here, it's a new experience for me and I'm happy to swim a personal best time and get the win.

"I'm a medley swimmer but my freestyle has really improved since I started training with Denis Cotterell at the Miami Swim Club on the Gold Coast"

100m BREASTSTROKE: The current Australian champion Sarah Katsoulis took the race out hard splitting 30.94 at the 50m mark she continued to build on her lead winning in a time of 1.05.79 (961 points). Sweden's Joline Hostman 1.06.58 finished second ahead of 16-year-old Australian rising breaststroke star Samantha Marshall (1.06.67).

100m BUTTERFLY: After wining the 100m butterfly at the first two legs of the World Cup, Australia's Marieke Guehrer went out close to world record pace at the 50m mark, turning in 26.10. Guehrer maintained her lead to take out her sixth win in the World Cup Series swimming a personal best time of 56.88 (975 points) and is now the fourth fastest Australian all time in the event. Finishing second was Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom (57.52) while Brazil's Daynara De Paula finished third in a time of 58.76.

After the race Guehrer spoke about how tough the travel and racing has been, saying: "I've been a bit tired after travelling half way around the world to race but swimming a personal best time tonight really makes me happy and I'm sure it will set me up for fast swimming for the rest of the meet."

50m BACKSTROKE: Beijing Olympic gold medallist in the 4x100m medley relay 16- year-old Emily Seebohm was happy to be back racing again and she definitely had the winners grin after taking out the women's 50m backstroke in 27.21 (958 points) ahead of Fabiola Molina 27.38 and Amy Cockerton Australia 27.60.

200m INDVIDUAL MEDLEY: The race favourite, Australia's Ellen Fullerton led at the 100m turn but was overtaken in the breaststroke by South African Katheryn Meakum, who went on to win in a time of 2.10.03 (958 points) ahead of Fullerton 2.10.52 and Natalie Wiegersma New Zealand 2.12.23. After already winning the 800m freestyle earlier in the night Meakum's victory was her ninth in the World Cup series and a total prize pool of more than $US 13,000 

50m FREESTYLE: Olympic Bronze medallist Cate Campbell was all class in the two-lap dash for cash, clocking a personal best time of 23.97 (980 points) to collect the winner's cheque of $US1,500,00, ahead of the 100m butterfly winner Marieke Guehrer 24.62 and Sweden's Claire Hedenskog 24.70.

200m BACKSTROKE: New Zealand had its first win of the night thanks to Melissa Ingram when the Olympian and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist  clocked 2.04.75 to lead from start to finish to record a comfortable win over Melissa Corfe (South Africa, 2:07.09)) and Australian Olympian Belinda Hocking (2.07.90).

IAN HANSON reviews the men's events.....

100M FREESTYLE: Sweden's world record holder Stefan Nystrand out-turned a field of emerging young Australians to chalk up his second win of the Series in a time of 47.45 (938 points) with 17-year-old Australian Tommaso D'Orsogna clocking 48.36 to take second with another Australian Mitchell Patterson clocking 48.39 for third. Nystrand had earlier won the 50m freestyle in Durban in round two.

50M BREASTSTROKE: Australia's Christian Sprenger chalked up his fifth win of the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup Series, again clocking a time under 27 seconds, with his 26.93 earning him 959 points. The men's pointscore leader had to work hard to keep Olympic team mate Brenton Rickard (27.19) at bay with South Africa's William Diering (27.72) third.

400M INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY: Tunisia's Beijing Olympic golden boy Oussama Mellouli continued his dominance of the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup, chalking up his ninth victory in a world class time of 4:06.47 (957 points). As hard as Mellouli tried he couldn't quite get down to his personal best time which would have put him in front on the progressive pointscore for Sydney after three events. Australia's Stephen Parkes flew home for second from lane one in 4:14.21 with Australia's Nick Cordner hanging on for third in 4:14.36.

100M BACKSTROKE: Russia's Stanislav Donets set a cracking pace over young Australian pair Robert Hurley and Ashley Delaney, with the experienced international campaigner hanging on to take his second Series win in 50.75 (984 points) to take over the points leadership from Mellouli and ahead of Hurley who clocked a personal best of 50.82 (979) and with Delaney clocking 51.05 (966 points) for third. After four events the three backstrokers led the pointscore.

200M BUTTERFLY: Nothing separated Australian pair Christopher Wright and Nick D'Arcy who stopped the clock at 1:53.37 (948 points) to dead-heat in this event to share a new Australian record time. D'Arcy, the Australian long  course champion, is having his first swim after being dropped from the Olympic team. Completing the depth in this event in Australia were third and fourth placegetters Lachlan Staples (1:53.61) and 15-year-old Jayden Hadler (1:54.32).

400M FREESTYLE: Tunisia's Oussama Mellouli took his FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup Series earnings to $US15,000 when he chalked up his tenth Series win in the 400m freestyle in 3:40.49 (965 points), one point out of third place on the pointscore after six events. Australia's Robert Hurley grabbed second in 3:43.41, with fellow Australian Ryan Napoleon third in 3:45.17.

200M BREASTSTROKE: Australia's Christian Sprenger made it three wins form three starts in this event in this year's FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup, clocking a time of 2:06.43 (969 points) to edge his way into third place on the progressive Sydney FINA pointscore. It was Sprenger's sixth win of the Series, with William Diering (South Africa) finishing second in 2:09.70 with Australia's Craig Calder third in 2:10.11.

100M INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY: Man-of-the-moment Oussama Mellouli stretched his FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup victories to 11 and his bank balance to $US16,500 with a powerful swim in the shortest IM race on the program, clocking 53.84 (913 points) to swim away with the victory, over Australia's Leith Brodie (54.30) and Kyle Richardson (54.52)

50M BUTTERFLY: It was worth the wait until the latest event of the night when Sydney University student Matt Jaukovic blasted his way to a new world record in the 50m butterfly, clocking 22.50 - taking 0.10 off Kaio Almeida's 2005 world mark. It earned him 1039 points and if he remains the fastest swimmer of the Sydney meet he will go to Singapore this week on 45 points (25 points for his win and 20 points for his world record).