Ian Thorpe was named Australian swimmer of the year for a record fourth time on Monday night, eclipsing retired distance great Kieren Perkins.

Only Thorpe, Perkins (3) and Susie O'Neill (2) have won multiple swimmer of the year titles.

Last week Thorpe was named world swimmer of the year for a record fourth time by Swimming World magazine to continue the 20-year-old's complete dominance of the sport since the 1998 world championships.

Thorpe won six gold medals at this year's Commonwealth Games and won five events at the Pan Pacific titles, as well as breaking his own 400m freestyle world record in Manchester.

In Manchester, he won the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle as well as playing a part in all three relay victories.

At the Pan Pacs in Yokohama, Thorpe once again won the 100m, 200m and 400m trifecta and was involved in the 4x100m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay wins.

He also set the second fastest 100m freestyle relay split in history with 47.20sec in the 4x100m medley relay in Japan.

Thorpe's former coach Doug Frost, from whom he split two months ago to join Tracey Menzies, was named coach of the year.

Thorpe also won the Telstra People's Choice award, voted for by swimming fans, while freestyle sprinter Brett Hawke was named swimmers' swimmer of the year at a function at Melbourne's Grand Hyatt Ballroom.

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