April 15, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 8, 1429

MANCHESTER, April 14: Six world records were washed away in a final deluge at the World Short-course Swimming Championships on Sunday as the count reached 18 after five hectic days.

Ryan Lochte of the US claimed his fourth world record and fourth gold medal but lost his 200 metres backstroke crown and was denied a winning exit as Russia upstaged the Americans in the concluding 4x100 medley relay.

Lochte, who had lost his 200 backstroke title and world record to Austria’s Markus Rogan barely half an hour earlier, bounced back in the 100 medley and swept through in 51.15sec to slice 0.10sec from the world mark.

But Russians Stanislav Donets, Sergei Geybel, Evgeny Korotyshkin and Alexander Sukhorukov grabbed the gold in the medley relay in three minutes 24.29sec to eclipse the US 3:25.09 mark set in 2004.

Veldhuis, completing a 50-100 freestyle double, clocked 23.25 in the 50 to beat the 23.58 she set in Berlin last Nov.—Reuters