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.

BODYSUIT CONTROVERSY

All 18 world records featured swimmers wearing the Speedo LZR Racer bodysuits which have caused controversy and led the sport's world governing body FINA to hold talks at the weekend with rival manufacturers who contended the suit breached regulations despite the ruling body's approval last year.

Veldhuis, completing a 50-100 freestyle double, clocked 23.25 in the 50 to beat the 23.58 she set in Berlin last November.

Rogan put in a powerful late surge to overhaul Lochte in the 200 backstroke and hit the wall in 1:47.84 to beat the 1:49.05 the American set at the 2006 world short-course championships in Shanghai.

But Lochte proved his resilience in the 100 medley. He won by over a second from Slovenia's Petr Mankoc, who set a European record 52.21, and Britain's Liam Tancock (52.22).

Jovanovic was followed home in the 50 backstroke by China's Gao Chang but Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry, four golds and a bronze already in her possession as well as three world records, was for once denied a medal, finishing fifth.

Croatia's Duje Draganja took the 100 freestyle out hard and was inside world record schedule at the halfway mark but Adrian came through for gold in 46.67, with Italy's Filippo Magnini just 0.03 seconds adrift, leaving Draganja with bronze.

Russia's Yuri Prilukov completed a 400-1500 freestyle double, beating Britain's David Davies by a length of the 25-metre pool in the 1500 and winning for the third time in a row in a championship record 14:22.98.

(Editing by Miles Evans)