Chinese swimmer Jing Zhao sets women’s 50-meter backstroke world record at short-course meet

November 9th, 2009 Phelps to test shape, old suits at World Cup meetSTOCKHOLM — Michael Phelps plans to wear the old-style swimsuit that will become the standard next year at the upcoming European World Cup meet in Stockholm. The Olympic star will swim the 100-meter freestyle and backstroke plus the individual medley on Tuesday.

August 10th, 2009 3 Australians set world short-course marksHOBART, Australia —Libby Trickett, Christian Sprenger and Emily Seebohm set world short-course records at the Australian swim championships on Monday. Trickett broke her own record in the 100-meter freestyle, finishing in 51.01 seconds to improve on her mark of 51.70 set three years ago.

August 10th, 2009 Aussies Trickett, Sprenger set short-course marksHOBART, Australia —Libby Trickett and Christian Sprenger set world short-course records at the Australian championships on Monday. Trickett broke her own record in the 100-meter freestyle, finishing in 51.01 seconds to improve on her mark of 51.70 set three years ago.

August 3rd, 2009 ROME/VIENNA - Top Austrian swimmer Markus Rogan ended the world championship in Rome on a painful note as he was beaten up by four in a discotheque. After failing to advance to the 50m backstroke semifinals on Saturday, Rogan went to a club in Ostia near the Italian capital, the Austrian press agency APA reported.

August 3rd, 2009 ROME - An astounding 43 world records were set at the World Swimming Championships that concluded at the Foro Italico here late Sunday. July 26 (6 world records): Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden, women's 100m butterfly, 56.44 sec Paul Biedermann, Germany, men's 400m freestyle, 3:40.07 min Ariana Kukors, US, women's 200m individual medley, 2:07.03 min Federica Pellegrini, Italy, women's 400m freestyle, 3:59.15 min Britta Steffen, Germany, women's 100m freestyle, 52.22 sec (first leg of 4x100 freestyle relay) Netherlands (Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Feemke Heemskerk, Marleen Veldhuis), women's 4x100m freestyle relay, 3:31.72 min July 27 (5 world records): Brenton Rickard, Australia, men's 100m breaststroke, 58.58 sec Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden, women's 100m butterfly, 56.06 sec Rebecca Soni, US, women's 100m breaststroke, 1:04.84 min Anastasia Zueva, Russia, women's 100m backstroke, 58.48 sec Ariana Kukors, US, women's 200m individual medley, 2:06.15 min July 28 (4 world records): Paul Biedermann, Germany, men's 200m freestyle, 1:42.00 min Gemma Spofforth, Britain, women's 100m backstroke, 58.12 sec Cameron van der Burgh, South Africa, men's 100 breaststroke, 26.74 sec Federica Pellegrini, Italy, women's 200 freestyle, 1:53.67 min July 29 (7 world records): Mary Descenza, US, women's 200m butterfly, 2:04.14 min Daniel Samulski, Germany, women's 50m backstroke, 27.39 sec Anastasia Zueva, Russia, women's 50m backstroke, 27.38 sec Michael Phelps, US, men's 200m butterfly, 1:51.51 min Federica Pellegrini, Italy, women's 200m freestyle, 1:52.98 min Cameron van der Burgh, South Africa, men's 50m breaststroke, 26.67 sec Zhang Lin, China, men's 800m freestyle, 7:32.12 min July 30 (7 world records): Ryan Lochte, US, men's 200m individual medley, 1:54.10 min Annamay Pierse, Canada, women's 200m breaststroke, 2:20.12 min Cesar Cielo Filho, Brazil, men's 100m freestyle, 46.91 sec Jessicah Schipper, Australia, women's 200m butterfly, 2:03.41 min Christian Sprenger, Australia, men's 200 breaststroke, 2:07.31 min Zhao Jing, China, women's 50m backstroke, 27.06 sec China (Yang Yu, Zhu Qian Wei, Liu Jing, Pang Jiaying), women's 4x200m freestyle relay, 7:42.08 min July 31 (6 world records) Britta Steffen, Germany, women's 100m freestyle, 52.07 sec Aaron Peirsol, US, men's 200m backstroke, 1:51.92 min Marleen Veldhuis, Netherlands, women's 50m butterfly, 25.28 sec Therese Alshammar, Sweden, women's 50m butterfly, 25.07 sec Milorad Cavic, Serbia, men's 100m butterfly, 50.01 sec US (Michael Phelps, Ricky Berens, David Walters, Ryan Lochte), men's 200m freestyle relay, 6:58.55 min Aug 1 (4 world records) Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe, women's 200m backstroke, 2:04.81 min Michael Phelps, US, men's 100m butterfly, 49.82 sec Liam Tancock, Britain, men's 50m backstroke, 24.08 sec China (Zhao Jing, Chen Huijia, Jiao Liuyang, Li Zhesi), women's 4x100m medley relay, 3:52.19 min Aug 3 (4 world records) Liam Tancock, Britain, men's 50m backstroke, 24.04 sec Yuliya Efimova, Russia, women's 50m breaststroke, 30.09 sec Britta Stefen, Germany, women's 50m freestyle, 23.72 sec US (Michael Phelps, Eric Shanteau, Aaron Peirsol, David Walters), men's 4x100m medley relay, 3:27.28 min

August 2nd, 2009 Russia's Efimova sets 41st world record in RomeROME — The 41st world record of the swimming championships has been claimed by Russia's Yuliya Efimova, who edged American Rebecca Soni in the 50-meter breaststroke. Efimova won in 30.09 seconds, breaking the record of 30.23 set by Canada's Amanda Reason less than a month ago.

August 2nd, 2009 Tancock sets 40th record of swimming championshipsROME — Britain's Liam Tancock set the 40th world record of the swimming championships, breaking his own mark in the 50-meter backstroke. Tancock touched in 24.04 seconds, eclipsing the mark of 24.08 he set the previous day in the semifinals.

July 31st, 2009 ROME - World records continued falling in the Foro Italico here at the World Swimming Championships. On Thursday seven world records on the day took the total to 29, with three days of competition still remaining.

July 30th, 2009 Six more worlds records knock off BeijingROME — Down goes Beijing. Six more world records on the fifth night of the world swimming championship pushed the total to 28, sending Rome right on past the Beijing Olympics that were thought to be the limits of speed in the pool.

July 28th, 2009 Phelps loses to Biedermann, Spofforth sets WRROME — Britain's Gemma Spofforth has set the 13th world record of the world swimming championships, beating Russia's Anastasia Zueva in the 100-meter backstroke. Spofforth rallied on the return lap for a finish of 58.12 seconds, knocking off Zueva's record of 58.48 that was set in the semifinals.

July 27th, 2009 Phelps avoids Peirsol's fate, advances in 200 freeROME — Michael Phelps has advanced to the final of his first individual event at the world swimming championships. And it looks as if he'll have tough competition in the 200-meter freestyle.

July 27th, 2009 Russian makes it 10 world recordsROME — Russia's Anastasia Zueva has set the 10th world record of the world swimming championships, breaking the mark for the 100-meter backstroke in a semifinal heat. Zueva posted a time of 58.48 seconds Monday, eclipsing the mark by Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe that won gold at the Beijing Olympics, 58.77.

July 26th, 2009 Swede sets butterfly meet record in qualifyingROME — Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden has set a meet record in preliminaries of the 100-meter butterfly, the first swimming event of the world championships and a sign of how quick times will be in the last hurrah for high-tech bodysuits. American Dana Vollmer and Australia's Jess Schipper also advanced with strong showings.

July 2nd, 2009 PESCARA, Italy — Spain's Aschwin Wildeboer Faber has set a world record in the 100-meter backstroke with a 52.38-second leg in the 4x100 medley relay final at the Mediterranean Games. Faber's time Wednesday beat American Aaron Peirsol's 52.54 mark set in the Beijing Olympics.

June 25th, 2009 Germany's Britta Steffen breaks freestyle recordBERLIN — German swimmer Britta Steffen has set a world record of 52.85 seconds in the 100 meter freestyle at a meet in Berlin. The 25-year-old Steffen's record set Thursday was three-hundredths of a second better than the previous mark set by Australia's Lisbeth Trickett in March 2008.