SHEFFIELD. England. Feb 1: lan Thorpe, who broke a world record on his last World Cup appearance, eased through the mornings heats as the series its first European stop of the season on Tuesday, reports Reuters.

The 17-year-old Australian, the youngest men's world champion in history, led qualifiers for the evening's finals In the opening 100 metres freestyle and later cruised through the 400 metres frerstvle heats in the third-fast^i overall time.

fhorpe clocked 49.05 seconds in the 100. comfortably faster than Americans Dan Phillips and Jarod Schroeder (49 91). and settled for an unhurried three minutes 50.77 seconds in winning his heat in the 400 - more than 15 seconds slower than his best.

American Chad Carvin led the way in the 400. winning his heat in 3:46.47 from French teenager Guv-Nod Schmitt who clocked 3:49.10 for the second-quickest aggregate time.

Thorpe. Just 15 when he won the world long-course 400 metres freestyle title in Perth in January 1998. broke his own world short-course-200 metres freestyle record at the last World Cup meeting in his native Sydney last month and expectations are high whenever he hits the water.

Thorpe, one of eight Aus- 1 tralians taking part in this two-dav meeting in the Ponds Forge 25-metre pool, is competing in Bntain for the first time.

Fellow Australian Josh Watson claimed the fastest heat time of 54.40 in the men s 100 metres backstroke ahead of American world long-course champion Lenny Krayzelburg (54 69). while compatriot Dyana Calub set the pace in the women's 50 and 200 metres backstroke heats.

Britain's James Hickman posted the fastest qualifying times in both the 200 metres butterfly and 100 metres individual medley, leading the way in the butterfly event by more than three seconds from American Olympic silver medallist Tom Malchow.

It's my first race of the year and in the final I'm going to do what I did this morning — just get in there and go. I'm expecting a good race from Tom." world short-course champion Hickman said.

Fifteen-year-old Yang Yu. who turned in some rapid Limes in the World Cup meetings in Shanghai and Hong Kong in January, led the way in the women's 200 metres freestyle heats, while Ruan Yi. another recent Chinese revelation, qualified with something to spare in the 100 metres butter-