Aussie's former glamour couple chasing records

BEIJING (Reuters) - Australian swimmers Stephanie Rice and Eamon Sullivan's fledgling romance may have broken up but there is no end in sight to their mutual love for smashing world records.

The glamour couple split just before the Beijing Olympics to concentrate on their races but their separation has not slowed either of them down.

During the Australian Olympic trials in March, when they were still together and splashed across the front pages of the gossip magazines, the pair taunted each other about who could set the most world records.

They finished locked at two each after Rice broke the 200 and 400 meters individual medley records and Sullivan broke the 50 freestyle mark twice in as many days.

They have been at it again in Beijing with the pair again locked at two each halfway through the swimming program.

Rice broke the 400 medley record on Sunday but Sullivan responded by claiming the coveted 100 freestyle record the next day as the lead-off swimmer in the 4x100 relay.

Sullivan surged ahead when he lowered his record during the 100 semi-finals on Wednesday, just minutes after briefly losing it to Frenchman Alain Bernard.

Not to be outshone, Rice hopped into the pool less than an hour later to eclipse her 200 medley record, although she thinks Sullivan will end on top with his main races still to come.

"Obviously Eamon and I are great friends and I support him as much as he is supporting me," Rice said.

"I am so excited to see him do so well in his race but he's still got a long way to go in this meet. He's only just started."

Rice became the first female swimmer to win two gold medals in Beijing and is the first Australian to win two individual titles at a single Olympics since Shane Gould at Munich in 1972.

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

For more stories visit our multimedia website "2008 Summer Olympics" here; and see our blog at blogs.reuters.com/china)