The Australian Swim Team is en route to their pre-Commonwealth Games training camp in Europe today after swimming a short course Grand Prix Meet in Sydney where Grant Hackett surprised everyone with a 400 free world record.

Hackett's time of 3:34.58 broke his own record of 3:35.01 set in 1999 at World Short Course Champs in Hong Kong. Hackett's number one competition in the event, Ian Thorpe watched from the stands, deciding to save himself for Manchester.

This was the first ever world record in the Sydney Olympic pool for Hackett and the eleventh individual world record of his career. "These things happen when you least expect it and I am happy that it is my first individual record in this pool," Hackett said.

"I have done a lot of work in preparation for the games and after setting world records in training, I expected some speed in my middle distance events," Hackett added.

While Hackett misses his former training partner Dan Kowalski, who retired in May, his young teammate Stephen Penfold has been performing well in training and stepped up to the plate this weekend. Penfold failed to qualify for the Games after struggling with shoulder injuries last year, but proved he was back on track with a second place finish in the race with a 3:44.32.

On the women's side, breaststroker Brooke Hanson swam three solid races. She broke Helen Denman's Australian 50 breast short course record with a time of 30.71, broke Sam Riley's Australian All-Comers Record in the 100 breast with a time of 1:06.58, and finished with a best time in the 200 breast of 2:22.55. Not bad for two days work.

"I have only just started my taper and been training long course for the last two weeks, so to break all my short course personal bests and take the Australian record in the 50 metre last night in the semifinal was great," Hanson said. "I thought maybe I've got too much speed for the 200 metre event, but my major goal is the Comm Games and to achieve these times now is unbelievable," she said. "I am swimming the 100 and 200 metre in Manchester and my dream is to win a medal."