Women swimmer Ruan Yi claimed the only gold medal for China on the first day of a World Cup meeting, the eighth leg of 12 venues series in Sheffield, England, on Tuesday.

The Chinese swimmer made no mistake in winning the women's 100m butterfly event at 59.06 seconds, beating Mandy Loots of South Africa and Jennifer Button of Canada to the second and third respectively.

Loots was clocked at 59.73 while Button, at 1:00.03.

Fourteen-year-old Yang Yu, another Chinese women swimmer, who swam the fastest time in the morning's heatings, was beaten by triple world short-course champion Martina Moravcova of Slovakia in the 200m freestyle event.

US based Moravcova was timed at one minute 55.61 seconds, swimming past Yang Yu by 0.03 seconds.

Moravcova, who celebrated a golden double in the evening, also won the 200m individual medley in two minutes 11.65 seconds.

While in the men's events, world champion Ian Thorpe overcame what he described as a "juvenile" error when his goggles slipped to win both his races.

The 17-year-old Australian's goggles slipped down his face in the opening 100 meters freestyle final but, sixth of the eight finalists and more than half a second behind pace-setting compatriot Darren Lange at the 50-meter mark, Thorpe recovered and powered to victory in 49.38 seconds.

It was closer than it should have been, with Americans Jarod Schroeder and Dan Phillips second and third in 49.66 and 49.68 respectively, and his time was nearly two seconds slower than he swam in the Sydney World Cup meeting in January.

Thorpe, who became the youngest men's world champion in history when he won the 400 meters freestyle title at 15 two years ago, had to work harder than anticipated in Tuesday's 400 to deny the challenge of American Chad Carvin, world short-course silver medalist in 1997.

Thorpe won the event in three minutes 40.94, overtaking pace-setter Carvin after 200 meters and forging on to beat the American by more than a second in a time five seconds slower than he swam two weeks ago in Sydney, where he also broke his 200m freestyle world short-course record.

(Xinhua)