Rising swim star Kenrick Monk received another boost ahead of next year's Olympics, beating Grant Hackett in the 200m freestyle at the Australian Short Course Championships in Melbourne.

The Sydney teenager, who won the same event at the Japan Open last week, slashed a second off his personal best to finish the race in 1 minute 43.27 seconds, with Hackett close behind in 1:43.45.

Earlier in the day, Hackett recorded the second fastest 800m swim of all-time, clocking 7:27.81.

Fellow youngster Kirk Palmer also impressed in the 200m, finishing third in 1:44.17, while Grant Brits was fourth in 1:44.35.

Monk's time was the third fastest of all time behind record holder Ian Thorpe (1:41.10) and Hackett himself (1:42.48).

"That was a massive personal best and a major confidence booster to beat Grant," said Monk, who was fourth behind Michael Phelps at this year's FINA World Championships.

"I knew Grant would come at me over the final stages he showed that in the heats so I had to be quicker through the middle 100 metres.

"I learnt in Japan that I have to swim my own races and that's what I tried to do tonight."

In the women's competition, Stephanie Rice set a Commonwealth record in the 400m individual medley with a time of 1:32.48 - her second in two weeks.

The time was a second-and-a-half faster than Lara Carroll's mark of 4:34.08 set in 2005.

Last week in Japan, Rice smashed Jennifer Reilly's Commonwealth long course record when she finished second to Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry.

Rice said while she preferred long course swimming, she was warming to short course meets.

"It's not a chore anymore, I'm learning more about short course swimming and that was actually a 10 second PB but for me long course still rules," said Rice.

In the women's 200m butterfly final Athens Olympian Felicity Galvez edged close to Chinese girl Yang Yus' world record, stopping the clock at 2:04.74 , 0.70 outside the 2004 world mark.

Galvez beat Samantha Hamill (2:07.01), while Jessicah Schipper was third in 2:07.02.

World records tumbled in the Multi Disability events with paralympians Matthew Cowdrey and Peter Leek and future Paralympian Annabelle Williams all establishing new world records in finishing first and second in the 100m freestyle.

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