When Australia's Jodie Henry suggested in Montreal on the same day that teammate Libby Lenton clocked 1:57.06 to get Australia off to a great start in the 4x200m relay, that she was also looking to extend her race program to 200 metres, it didn't take long before the world cottoned on to what this might mean.

Already dominant over 50 and 100 metres, Australian women could, by Beijing, dominate the women's freestyle events in the same way that Thorpe and Hackett have dominated the men's freestyle events. Ceryainly, the 4x200m relay looks like an event that is due for a huge improvement in standards.

Henry will race 200 metres at the Commonwealth games trials in January and may be chasing six gold medals in Melbourne next March: over 50, 100, 200 and three relays.

In Montreal, Henry said: "I've been talking about the 200 with my coach for some time now. What Libby did out there was awsome. I'd like to think I can get down that way too. That would make the team really quick."

Henry and Lenton had worked on the "reverse" strategy of building up speed first and later moving up distance (as opposed to the traditional swim tendency to go the distance first then work on the speed later) with sports scientist Tim Kerrison. Kerrison is now working in Britain with Bill Sweetenham and a group of swimmers, many of whom are yet unknown in international waters.