Rice and Seebohm break world records

By Julian Linden

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Stephanie Rice and Emily Seebohm both set world records on the opening night of the Australian Olympic trials on Saturday.

Rice demolished American Katie Hoff's 400 metres individual medley record while Seebohm broke Hayley McGregor's mark for 50 backstroke, an event not contested at the Olympics.

The 19-year-old Rice established herself as the early favourite to win gold in Beijing when she stopped the clock at four minutes 31.46 seconds, slashing 1.43 off the previous record of 4:32.89, set by Hoff at last year's world championships in Melbourne.

"This is amazing, I really didn't know I was going that fast," Rice said in a televised poolside interview.

"It's unbelievable, to break a world record has been my great goal since I was a baby."

Rice, whose boyfriend Eamon Sullivan set the 50 freestyle world record last month, burst on to the international swimming scene at the 2006 Commonwealth Games when she won the 200-400 medley double as a 17-year-old.

She finished third in both events at last year's world championships but hacked almost six seconds off her personal best to break the world record.

"I would have been happy just going to the Olympics," she said.