Australia swimmers added two silver and five bronze medals to their growing collection in an impressive night’s competition at the Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, Canada.

Dolphins team leader Brenton Rickard led from the front, smashing the Australian record in the 100m breaststroke by 0.25 seconds to win the silver medal, behind American world record holder Brendan Hansen.

Rickard, the 22-year-old AIS-based University student became the ninth fastest man in history, with his stunning time of 1:00.39 and he had to swim past the Olympic champion to secure it.

The four-time Commonwealth Games medallist dug deep against the two fastest men in history in an all-star final line up.

Hansen set a new Pan Pacific Championship record of 59.90, with Rickard producing the swim of his life over the final 25 metres to swim over the top of Japan’s Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima to take silver.

“I guess it was that Aussie fighting spirit over that last metre that got me to the line,” said Rickard, who has now become one of the new stars of a men’s team that is fighting back, following stinging criticism during this year’s Commonwealth Games.

“Guys like Eamon (Sullivan) and myself had to get up and race some of the best in the world here tonight and I had the current world record holder and the Olympic champion right next to me.

“I came here with no expectations, swam close to my personal best in the heats and I knew if I could swim my best time tonight then I would be in with a chance of a medal.

“I have done that and I’m actually pretty happy with the time and the result – it is good to strike back for the boys.”

Sullivan, at just 20 years of age, also fought strongly against another world class field to dead-heat for bronze with South African Olympic silver medallist Roland Schoeman in an enthralling 100m freestyle final.

The gold went to local hero Brent Hayden from Canada in 48.59, touching out US champion Jason Lezak (48.76), with Sullivan and Schoeman stopping the clock at 49.09 (the second personal best in one day for Sullivan) – just 0.02 ahead of South Africa’s Olympic relay gold medalist Lyndon Ferns.

“I knew I was in with a chance if I just stuck to my race plan and I was so happy to swim my best time and get on the podium – all the hard work has been worth while,” said Sullivan, who has matured into an exciting freestyle sprint star, just two years out from the Beijing Olympics.

Later in the night the unheralded Australian men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team of Leith Brodie (1:50.82), Andrew Mewing (1:48.66), Nick Ffrost (1:48.93) and Kenrick Monk (1:48.80) stormed home for a bronze medal in 7:17.21 in gripping final, which saw the USA combination of Michael Phelps (1:45.91), Ryan Lochte (1:47.34), Peter Vanderkaay (1:46.49) and Klete Keller (1:45.51) shake the life out of Australia’s world record.

The Phelps-led Americans were under world record pace until the final 50 metres and stopped the clock at 7:05.28 – the closest team yet to Australia’s world mark of 7:04.66 set at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka.

Australia’s women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team of Bronte Barratt (1:59.58), Shayne Reese (1:59.46), Kelly Stubbins (2:00.08) and Linda MacKenzie (1:58.88) fought hard for their silver medal in 7:58.00, behind the USA (7:54.62) and ahead of Japan (8.00.65).

Among the “bronzed Aussies” were: Melanie Schlanger, who was just outside her personal best to finish third in the 100m freestyle in 55.00. Gold went to Natalie Coughlin (USA) in 53.87 and silver to Amanda Weir (USA) 53.92.

Sarah Katsoulis, who clocked her personal best time of 1:08.12, for a close up third in the women’s 100m breaststroke final behind US pair Tara Kirk (1:07.56) and Megan Jendrick (1:07.58).

But in amazing swim, former world record-holder Jessica Hardy won the “B” final in a new Pan Pacific Championship record of 1:06.43 to almost certainly secure her place on the competitive US team for the FINA World Championships in Melbourne in March and her showdown with Australia’s golden girl Leisel Jones.

Another eye-catching performance came from dual Commonwealth Games gold medalist Stephanie Rice who won bronze in a personal best time of 4:41.83 in the 400m individual medley.

Swimming Australia