MONTREAL, July 27: Michael Phelps led an American gold rush at the world swimming championships on Tuesday with victory in the men’s 200 metres freestyle. Phelps collected his second title of the championships with a thrilling win in the four-lap race while Aaron Peirsol and Kate Ziegler also struck it rich for the United States.

Peirsol was untroubled in retaining his 100m backstroke crown while Ziegler slashed more than 10 seconds off her personal best to win the 1500m freestyle, the longest event on the programme. Kirsty Coventry won Zimbabwe’s first world title with a stunning upset in the 100m backstroke while Australia’s Leisel Jones ended years of gut-wrenching defeats to claim the women’s 100m breaststroke.

But the spotlight once again fell on Phelps and his belated showdown with Australia’s Grant Hackett. The pair were expected to lock horns in Sunday’s 400m final but Phelps bombed out in the heats, ruining his chances of winning a record eight gold medals and allowing Hackett to take the title almost unchallenged.

Phelps made amends for his 400m flop by winning a relay gold on Sunday night then resurfaced on Tuesday to win the 200m final in a time of one minute 45.20 seconds. Hackett, who had to swim the 800m heats earlier in the day, took the silver in 1:46.14 while South African Ryk Neethling finished third after leading the field through the first lap under world record pace.

Hackett’s second placing provided him with his 14th medal at the world championships, a record career tally for any swimmer, but he said the plaudits belonged to Phelps. The 22-year-old Peirsol became the first man since East German Roland Matthes in 1973 and 1975 to win the 100m backstroke at two world championships after adding to his first title from Barcelona two years ago.

The Californian led all the way to take the gold in 53.62 with the likelihood of more to come in the 200m and medley relay. Ziegler had only qualified seventh for the 1500m final and had to swim from the outside lane but also led all the way to claim her first world title, the 17-year-old winning in a time of 16:00.41, making her the third fastest woman in history.

Coventry, also swimming from the outside lane, flashed home on the last lap after being third at the turn when the hot favourite Natalie Coughlin faded badly in the last 15 metres.

Coughlin, the world record holder and reigning Olympic champion, led for most of the race but weakened to finish third as both Coventry and 2003 world title winner, Germany’s Antje Buschschulte, stormed past her.

Coventry became the first Zimbabwean to win an Olympic swimming gold when she took the 200m backstroke in Athens last year and provided her troubled homeland with another rare sporting success with her surprise victory.

Jones shed her reputation as a choker in major races to win her maiden world title just 24 hours after she lost her world record to American teenager Jessica Hardy. Hardy was in front at the turn but could not hold off the fast-finishing Australian whose winning time of 1:00.25 was just 0.05 outside the new world record.

RESULTS SWIMMING:

Men

100m backstroke final

1. Aaron Peirsol (USA) 53.62 - gold medal

2. Randall Bal (USA) 54.02 - silver medal

3. Laszlo Cseh (HUN) 54.27 - bronze medal

200m freestyle final

1. Michael Phelps (USA) 1:45.20 - gold medal

2. Grant Hackett (AUS) 1:46.14 - silver medal

3. Ryk Neethling (RSA) 1:46.63 - bronze medal

Women

1,500m freestyle final

1. Kate Ziegler (USA) 16:00.41 - gold medal

2. Flavia Rigamonte (SUI) 16:04.34 - silver medal

3. Brittany Reimer (CAN) 16:07.73 - bronze medal

100m backstroke final

1. Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) 1:00.24 - gold medal

2. Antje Buschschulte (GER) 1:00.84 - silver medal

3. Natalie Coughlin (USA) 1:00.88 - bronze medal

100m breaststroke final

1. Leisel Jones (AUS) 1:06.25 - gold medal

2. Jessica Hardy (USA) 1:06.62 - silver medal

3. Tara Kirk (USA) 1:07.43 - bronze medal.-Reuters