On the final day of the swimming World Championships in Rome, Michael Phelps collected a fifth gold medal, in the 4x100m medley relay, to end his campaign with a flourish. Germany's Britta Steffen triumphed in the women's 50m freestyle.
On another action-packed evening at the World Championships in Rome, American superstar Michael Phelps won gold and set a new world record by smashing the 50-second barrier in the 100-metre butterfly final.
14-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps improved his world record of 1:52.03 at 200m butterfly by winning the race in 1:51:51. A sweet revenge after the American suffered a shock defeat in the 200m freestyle on Tuesday.
Germany's Paul Biedermann not only delivered Michael Phelps (pictured) first defeat since 2005 in winning the 200m freestyle, he also broke Phelps’ world record. Four world records were smashed at the Rome championships on Tuesday alone.
Paul Biedermann has won the 200m freestyle final at the world swimming championship. The German swam 1'42'', beating America's Michael Phelps and his Beijing Olympic world record.
The second evening of world championship swimming in Rome saw a further five world records smashed. But American Aaron Peirsol (pictured), the reigning world and Olympic titlist, crashed out in the semi-finals of the 100m backstroke.
The first evening session of world championship swimming at the Foro Italico in Italy saw an amazing six world records tumble. The widely predicted feat was attributed to swimmers' use of controversial high-tech swimsuits, to be banned from 2010.
Olympic champion Michael Phelps broke the 100m butterfly world record with a time of 50.22 seconds at
the US Swimming World Championship trials on Thursday.
After winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games, Michael Phelps will take part in just four events at swimming's World Championship trials in the USA, including the less familiar 100m freestyle.
Fourteen-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps has slumped to rare defeats in the 100-metre freestyle and the 100m backstroke events at Santa Clara, coming second to Canada's Brent Hayden and fellow American Ryan Lochte.
