Ian Thorpe, Jenny Thompson and Penny Heyns all set world records on a remarkable second day of competition at the Pan Pacific swimming championships at Sydney's Olympic pool yesterday.

A day after breaking the 400 metres freestyle record, Australian teenager Thorpe added the 200 metres mark with a time of one minute 46.34 seconds in one of the last major swimming meetings before the 2000 Olympics.

Already regarded as one of the most exciting prospects the sport has ever seen, the 16-year-old Thorpe again lived up to his reputation with another powerful display.

Less than 10 minutes later, Thompson erased the second oldest record on swimming's books when she clocked 57.88 seconds in the women's 100 metres butterfly final to better the previous record set by Mary T Meagher way back in 1981.

"It's a dream come true. I can't believe it. I'm so psyched," Thompson said.

Earlier South African Heyns stole a break on Thompson by lowering her own 100 metres breaststroke world record in the morning heats to pocket a $16,000 bonus as the first woman to set a long-course world record in the Sydney 2000 pool.

The dual Olympic champion had set four world records in two days at a meeting in Los Angeles and continued her amazing form when she arrived in Sydney, slicing almost half a second off her 100 metres mark with a time of 1:06.52 to set her fifth world record in as many swims.

"To be honest, I knew I was going to do it as soon as I dived in," Heyns said. "I was unshaved and untapered (unrested) when I broke the records in Los Angeles so I knew I could go quicker here, though you can never take world records for granted."