COLUMN - World records are fine but don't guarantee Olympic gold

By Julian Linden

SYDNEY (Reuters) - There's an old saying in swimming that records are meant to be broken but medals last forever. It is a mantra the clutch of swimmers who have set world records this month should bear in mind.

Fifteen world records have been set in Olympic events this year including 12 in the last two weeks, six at the European championships in the Netherlands and another six at the Australian Olympic trials in Sydney.

With the United States yet to hold their trials, more world marks are likely to tumble before the Beijing Olympics, yet none of these record-breaking swimmers will be guaranteed gold in August.

At the past five Olympics, dating back 20 years, more than half the swimmers who set world records in the months leading up to the Games did not win their events.

Six different swimmers set records before Seoul in 1988 but only one, American Janet Evans (800 metres freestyle), went on to win gold.

Poland's Artur Wojdat broke Michael Gross's 400 freestyle record but could only manage third place in the Olympic final behind East Germany's Uwe Dassler while China's 50 freestyle record holder Yang Wenji settled for second behind another East German Kristin Otto.

Russia's Igor Poliansky and American David Berkoff broke the 100 backstroke mark three times each in 1988, when the now outlawed submarine start was allowed, but it was Japan's Daichi Suzuki who reached the wall first in the Olympic final.

Canadian Allison Higson's joy at cracking the 200 breaststroke mark was soured when she finished seventh at Seoul.