New Delhi:
Australia's on-form Alicia Coutts on Thursday swam to her third Commonwealth Games gold, winning the women's 100m butterfly in sensational style.
The 23-year-old from Brisbane surged ahead in the final lap to touch first in a time of 57.53secs, ahead of England's Melbourne-based swimmer Ellen Gandy and Jemma Lowe of Wales.
Coutts has been the star of the swimming programme in New Delhi and has previously won the 200m individual medley and the 100m freestyle title.
She and fellow Australians Yolane Kukla and Felicity Galvez were neck-and-neck at the first turn, with Gandy just off the pace ahead of Lowe.
But a devastating turn of speed in the last 25m saw Coutts stretch out, leaving a fight for the minor medals among the other Australian and British swimmers.
Kukla, who at 15 is Australia's youngest swimmer at the Commonwealth Games since 1986, came fourth, with 200m fly silver medallist from 2006 Galvez in fifth.
Gandy, 19, won bronze at the European championships and swims at the same club as Australia star Leisel Jones.