Lochte crowns record-breaking week

By Derek Parr

MANCHESTER (Reuters) - Six world records were washed away in a final deluge at the world short-course swimming championships on Sunday as the count reached 18 after five hectic days.

Ryan Lochte of the U.S. claimed his fourth world record and fourth gold medal but lost his 200 meters backstroke crown and was denied a winning exit as Russia upstaged the Americans in the concluding 4x100 medley relay.

But the U.S. topped the medal table with 10 golds, with two on the last day from Nathan Adrian in the 100 freestyle and Lochte in the 100 individual medley.

Lochte, who had lost his 200 backstroke title and world record to Austria's Markus Rogan barely half an hour earlier, bounced back in the 100 medley and swept through in 51.15 seconds to slice 0.10 seconds from the world mark he had set in Saturday's semi-finals.

But Russians Stanislav Donets, Sergei Geybel, Evgeny Korotyshkin and Alexander Sukhorukov grabbed the gold in the medley relay in three minutes 24.29 seconds to eclipse the U.S. 3:25.09 mark set in 2004.

Croatia's Sanja Jovanovic started Sunday's world record spree in the MEN Arena, winning the women's 50 meters backstroke in 26.37 to beat her own 26.50 world mark.

Marleen Veldhuis broke her own 50 freestyle world mark, while Australia's Felicity Galvez claimed her second Manchester world record, adding the 100 butterfly to the 50 butterfly standard she set on Friday.

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