Barcelona, July 28: Michael Phelps of the USA set an unprecedented fifth world record at the world swimming championships to claim his third title with victory in the men's 400 metres individual medley. Phelps, surpassing Mark Spitz who set four world records on his way to seven golds at the 1972 Munich Olympics, bounced back from Saturday's (July 26) shock defeat in the 100 butterfly to race away with the 400 medley on Sunday in four minutes 09.09 seconds. That sliced more than 1.50 seconds from the 4:10.73 world mark he set in Indianapolis in April this year. The 18-year-old American was chased home by 17-year-old Laszlo Cseh of Hungary, the fastest man in the morning's heats, who clocked 4:10.79 in the final, himself only 0.06 seconds outside Phelps's old mark. Oussama Mellouli brought Tunisia the bronze in 4:15.36. Phelps had won the 200 butterfly and 200 individual medley earlier in the championships and picked up silvers in the 100 butterfly and 4x200 freestyle relay. His world records comprised one in the 200 butterfly, two in the 200 individual medley, one in the 100 butterfly before his shock defeat by fellow American Ian Crocker, and one in the 400 individual medley.


Germany's Thomas Rupprath broke the four-year-old world record for the men's 50 metres backstroke on Sunday.


Rupprath clocked 24.80 seconds to better the 24.99 set by Lenny Krayzelburg of the United States in August 1999. He finished just ahead of Australia's 50 butterfly champion Matt Welsh (25.01) and South Africa's Gerhard Zandberg (25.07). World 100 and 200 backstroke champion Aaron Peirsol finished last.


The United States smashed their own world record in winning the men's 4x100 metres medley relay final.


The American team of Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Ian Crocker and Jason Lezak touched in three minutes 31.54 seconds to smash the old record of 3:33.48 set by their own country last September in Yokohama.


Russia finished second in 3:34.74 with Japan were third in 3:36.12. Defending champions Australia were disqualified in the heats after officials ruled that there had been a faulty takeover between backstroker Josh Watson and breaststroker Jim Piper at the end of the first leg.


Olympic champion Grant Hackett achieved a rare treble when he won the men's 1500 metres freestyle world title for the third time in succession.


Hackett won in 14 minutes 43.14 seconds to match fellow Australian Ian Thorpe, who last Sunday became the first swimmer to win the same event at three consecutive world championships in the 400 freestyle.


Russia's Popov won the 100 freestyle for the third time at the world championships on Thursday.


Ukrainian Igor Chervinskiy, bronze medallist behind Hackett in the 800 freestyle, took silver this time with American Erik Vendt taking bronze.


Hackett has won every major championship 1500 he has entered since he won his first world title in 1998.


Results of finals on the last day of the world swimming championships on Sunday: Men's 400 metres individual medley 1. Michael Phelps (U.S.) 4:09.09 (world record) 2. Laszlo Cseh (Hungary) 4:10.79 3. Oussama Mellouli (Tunisia) 4:15.36 4. Thomas Wilkens (U.S.) 4:16.06 5. Massimiliano Rosolino (Italy) 4:17.30 6. Takahiro Mori (Japan) 4:17.54 7. Brian Johns (Canada) 4:20.27 8. Alessio Boggiatto (Italy) 4:21.23


Men's 50 metres backstroke 1. Thomas Rupprath (Germany) 24.80 (world record) 2. Matthew Welsh (Australia) 25.01 3. Johannes Gerhardus Zandberg (South Africa) 25.07 4. Steffen Driesen (Germany) 25.14 5. Randall Bal (U.S.) 25.19 6. Darius Grigalionis (Lithuania) 25.53 7. Joshua Watson (Australia) 25.62 8. Aaron Peirsol (U.S.) 25.75


Men's 4 x 100 metres medley relay 1. United States three minutes 31.54 seconds (world record) (Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Ian Crocker, Jason Lezak) 2. Russia 3:34.72 (Arkady Vyatchanin, Roman Ivanovski, Igor Marchenko, Alexander Popov) 3. Japan 3:36.12 (Tomomi Morita, Kosuke Kitajima, Takashi Yamamoto, Daisuke Hosokawa) 4. France 3:36.39 5. Netherlands 3:37.12 6. Ukraine 3:37.28 7. Canada 3:37.94 8. Britain 3:38.21


Men's 1,500 metres freestyle 1. Grant Hackett (Australia) 14:43.14 2. Igor Chervinskiy (Ukraine) 15:01.04 3. Erik Vendt (U.S.) 15:01.28 4. David Davies (Britain) 15:05.04 5. Larsen Jensen (U.S.) 15:08.25 6. Graeme Smith (Britain) 15:12.64 7. Christian Minotti (Italy) 15:13.28 8. Pawel Korzeniowski (Poland) 15:13.98


Women's 400 metres individual medley 1. Yana Klochkova (Ukrraine) 4:36.74 2. Eva Risztov (Hungary) 4:37.39 3. Beatrice Caslaru (Romania) 4:41.86 4. Maggie Bowen (U.S.) 4:43.21 5. Nicole Hetzer (Germany) 4:43.32 6. Diana Remenyi (Hungary) 4:45.67 7. Georgina Bardach (Argentina) 4:46.06 8. Jennifer Reilly (Australia) 4:48.11


Women's 50 metres freestyle 1. Inge De Bruijn (Netherlands) 24.47 2. Alice Mills (Australia) 25.07 3. Lisbeth Lenton (Australia) 25.08 4. Jenny Thompson (U.S.) 25.10 5. Sandra Volker (Germany) 25.14 6. Martina Moravcova (Slovakia) 25.17 7. Marleen Veldhuis (Netherlands) 25.49 8. Sviatlana Khakhlova (Belarus) 25.53


Women's 50 metres breaststroke 1. Luo Xuejuan (China) 30.67 2. Brooke Hanson (Australia) 31.13 3. Zoe Baker (Britain) 31.37 4. Leisel Jones (Australia) 31.50 5. Tara Kirk (U.S.) 31.87 6. Kristy Kowal (U.S.) 31.96 7. Sara Poewe (Germany) 32.03 8. Elena Bogomazova (Russia) 32.27


Bureau Report