BEIJING, Feb. 3 -- Setting a national record and anchoring the Chinese team to a relay victory, freestyle specialist Zhang Lin was undoubtedly the biggest excitement at the China Open in Beijing Saturday.

The 21-year-old swimmer clocked three minutes and 45.04 seconds, slicing 1.23 seconds off an early national record in the men's 400 meters freestyle, which he himself set at a meet in Australia last December.

The world record for the event is 3:40.08, set by Australia's Ian Thorpe in 2002.

Zhang's time of 3:45.04 was less than a second away from his arch rival South Korea's Park Tae-hwan, who ranked first with 3:44.30 in FINA's 2007 world rankings.

Zhang's score could elevate him from the current seventh to second in the rankings.

In the men's 4x200 meters relay, Zhang swam the anchor leg and excited the crowd by overtaking the German squad, which led the race over the first three legs.

Zhang's coach said the three-month training in Australia had worked well for the swimmer. "I hope he will keep the momentum in the run-up to the Olympics."

The men's 100 breaststroke was dominated by Japanese duo of Ryo Tateishi and Yuta Suenaga, who clocked 1:01.58 and 1:02.10, respectively.

World champion Britta Steffen, the winner of the women's 100 freestyle on Friday, took home her second gold in the women's 50 freestyle.

World championships medalist Annika Lurz was defeated in her specialty - women's 200 freestyle - by China's Zhu Qianwei, who clocked 1:58.90, her personal best.

The gold medal of the women's 800 freestyle went to 15-year-old Chinese You Meihong who timed 8:31.18.