FLASH!! Rupprath, Phelps, US Men’s Medley Relay Set World Records as Championships End

By Phillip Whitten

BARCELONA, July 27. THREE world records were set in the final session of the 10th FINA World Championships tonight in Barcelona.

Germany's Thomas Rupprath, the USA's Michael Phelps and the US men's 400 medley relay team did the damage tonight.

Rupprath destroyed Lenny Krayzelburg's four year-old global standard of 24.99 in the 50m back with a swift 24.80. Australia's Matt Welsh, who earlier broke the 50m fly mark by .01, was second in 25.01, just two-hundredths off the old mark.

After eight days of an exhausting schedule, Phelps still managed to slice over 1.6 seconds off his own 400m IM mark with a time of 4:09.09. The old record, set last August at the US Nationals in Fort lauderdale, was 4:10.73. It was the fifth world record Phelps had bettered during these Championships.

Phelps established more than a two second lead on the field in the opening butterfly leg, splitting 55.44. By the halfway mark he had upped his margin to 2.6 seconds.

In the second half of the race, the Baltimore Bullett was actually outswum by Hungary's rising young star, Laszlo Cseh, who finished in 4:10.79, making him the second-fastest mani in history.

In the meet's final event, the US men's medley relay team carved almost two full seconds off the mark set by the USA at last summer's Pan Pacific Championships, clocking an amazing 3:31.54.

Aaron Peirsol led off with a 53.71 backstroke split, fastest of the day and only 11-hundredths off Lenny Krayzelburg's world record. Brendan Hansen then threw in a 59.61 breaststroke leg, a split bettered only by Japan's WR-holder Kosuke Kitajima (59.11).

Ian Crocker showed his upset win in the 100 fly last night when he followed with a 50.39 butterfly leg, fastest fly split in history. Jason Lezak anchored in 47.83, the second-fastest free split of the evening. (Holland's Pieter van den Hoogenband split an amazing 46.70, fastest all-time.)

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