Ryan Lochte of the US swims en route to winning the 200m individual medley gold at the World Championships in Kazan, Russia. (Reuters)

DPA/Kazan, Russia

American Ryan Lochte delivered a stunning last-leg performance yesterday to become the first man to win four-consecutive 200-metre individual medley titles at the swimming world championships while there was double gold for China.
The 31-year-old Lochte collected his 16th career world gold, and 24th overall, by winning in a time of one minute 55.81 seconds, which was below his 2011 world record of 1:54. Brazil’s Thiago Pereira took silver, 0.84 seconds behind, as China’s Wang Shun came in third exactly one second behind Lochte.
China’s Ning Zetao is the new 100m freestyle champion, winning in 47.84 as Australian Cameron McEvoy had to settle for silver at 0.11 seconds adrift. Argentina’s Federico Grabich, in 48.12, edged out Canada’s Santo Condorelli for bronze by seven tenths. The Chinese double was completed by Fu Yuanhui in the women’s 50m backstroke, winning in 27.11. She beat Etiene Medeiros of Brazil by 0.15 seconds with another Chinese athlete, Liu Xiang, third in 27.58.
Japan’s first gold in the pool went to Natsumi Hoshi in the women’s 200m butterfly in 2:06.56. She won by 0.84 seconds over American Cammile Adams while China’s Zhang Yufei swam a world junior record of 2:06.51 for bronze.
The medal action concluded with the US quartet of Missy Franklin, Leah Smith, Katie McLaughlin and Katie Ledecky winning the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay from Italy and China.
Lochte, in a field weakened by the absence of Michael Phelps (suspension) and Kosuke Hagino (injury), trailed Wang by seventh tenths after the opening butterfly leg and Pereira by 13 tenths after the backstroke. Pereira retained his lead through the breaststroke, but Lochte needed only 25 metres to catch him on the freestyle leg and was never in danger of being denied gold.
The men’s 100m free was guaranteed a new champion as title holder James Magnussen was absent with an injury. It was Ning who seized his golden chance from the beginning as he turned just one hundredth behind the leading Condorelli.
The Canadian couldn’t maintain this narrowest of advantages, and the 22-year-old Ning claimed his first world title, having won the 50m and 100m frees at the Asian Games last year. Fu was the silver medalist in the 50m backstroke at the 2013 worlds but this time went one better by trumping a stellar field.
Australian Emily Seebohm, the 100m champion, was forced down to fourth, eight hundredths off the podium while compatriot Madison Wilson and Denmark’s Mie Nielsen, the other 100m medalists, were sixth and fifth, respectively. Hoshi also claimed a maiden world title after 2012 Olympic bronze in the event despite touching the wall sixth out of eight after 50 metres. But she gradually made up ground and eventually won with breathing space.
Germany’s Franziska Hentke, the fastest in the world this season pre-championships, was beaten into a tie for fourth, 1.22 seconds off the pace. In the relay, Sweden led from the start, thanks to a quick opening leg from Sarah Sjostrom, but the United States were always on their tail going into the anchor swim.
With Ledecky, who already has three golds at the meet, unmatched by anyone else, it was no surprise she powered the team to victory in 7:45.37, more than three seconds ahead of Italy. The Chinese edged out Sweden for bronze by 1.14 seconds. Denmark’s world record holder Rikke Moller Pedersen enters the final of the women’s 200m breaststroke today having topped the semis with Micah Lawrence of the US narrowly behind.
Home favourite Yuliya Efimova, winner over 100m, was not present, having crashed out in the heats after placed 17th.
Australian defending champion Cate Campbell was nudged into second by Sweden’s Sjostrom, the fastest woman in the world in the butterfly, in the semis of 100m free. Campbell’s younger sister, Bronte, qualified third.
Another Aussie, Mitch Larkin, moved first into the final of the men’s 200m backstroke having won the 100m event earlier in the week.
In the men’s 200m breaststroke, Japan’s Yasuhiro Koseki topped the lists ahead of German Marco Koch. A world junior record from Anton Chupkov also ensured a home swimmer in the final as he grabbed the last qualifying berth.



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