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SHANGHAI, April 6: Russia's Anastasia Ivanenko broke down in tears after narrowly missing a world record at the World Short-Course Swimming Championships on Thursday as Australia's men registered a face-saving win.
The heavily tattooed Ivanenko sobbed and grimaced after slowing dramatically in the closing stages of the women's 800m freestyle to finish in 8:11.99, 0.74 sec off the world best.
The 27-year-old had overtaken America's Kate Ziegler more than a second below French swimmer Laure Manadou's record of 8:11.25 sec with only 50m to go.
Veteran Matt Welsh won the 100m backstroke ahead of Austria's Markus Rogan and the dead-heating Randall Bal and Helge Meeuw, easing some of the pressure on the Australian men's team after their Commonwealth Games flop.
There were also championship bests for Germany's Janine Pietsch in thewomen's 100m backstroke, Oleg Lisogor in the men's 100m breaststroke and Italy in the men's 4x200m freestyle.
Organisers defended the poor turn-out by top swimmers at the biannual tournament, which has also been plagued by low attendance.
Results (finals):
Men
400m individual medley: 1. Ryan Lochte (USA) 4:02.49 sec (championship record); 2. Luca Marin (ITA) 4:05.12; 3. Igor Berezutskiy (RUS) 4:06.81; .
100m breaststroke: 1. Oleg Lisogor (UKR) 58.14 (championship record) 2. Brenton Rickard (AUS) 58.70; 3. Alexander Dale Oen (NOR) 59.16
100m butterfly: 1. Kaio Almeida (BRA) 51.07; 2. Albert Subirats (VEN) 51.23; 3. Jayme Cramer (USA) 51.53;
4x200m freestyle: 1. Italy (Massimiliano Rosolino, Matteo Pellieiari, Nicola Cassio Filippo Magnini) 6:59.08 (championship record); 2. Australia 7:04.16; 3. United States 7:04.34
Women
50m breaststroke: 1. Jade Edmistone (AUS) 30.22; 2. Brooke Hanson (AUS) 30.40; 3. Jessica Hardy (USA) 30.48
100m backstroke: 1. Janine Pietsch (GER) 58.02 (championship record); 2. Tayliah Zimmer (AUS) 58.27; 3. Gao Chang (CHN) 58.74
800m freestyle (timed final): 1. Anastasia Ivanenko (RUS) 8:11.99 (championship record); 2. Kate Ziegler (USA) 8:14.12; 3. Rebecca Cooke (GBR) 8:20.02. —AFP
