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Dubai - Ryan Lochte on Thursday set the first individual swimming world record since high-tech bodysuits were outlawed.
The American won the 400-metre individual medley at the short-course world championships in 3 minutes, 55.50 seconds, smashing the previous record set by Laszlo Cseh of Hungary a year ago by nearly two seconds.
While China's women's squad set a world record in the 800 freestyle relay Wednesday, no other world marks _ none in the long-course pool _ have been set in 2010, with the bodysuit ban installed at the beginning of the year.
By contrast, in 2008 and 2009, nearly every record in the sport was broken multiple times.
Olympic 1,500-metre champion Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia finished second, a distant 1.90 seconds behind, and Tyler Clary of the United States was third, 20.06 back.
Lochte trailed Clary at the race's midpoint, but was able to stay underwater longer than his teammate and took the lead on the butterfly leg. He was still 0.03 behind the world record mark at 300 metres and turned on the speed in freestyle to beat all his competitors by more than a body-length and usher in a new era in swimming.
Never one to celebrate wildly, Lochte simply let out a smile when he looked up at the scoreboard and saw the result, then made a fist pump.
The victory marked Lochte's second consecutive individual gold of the meet after opening with a victory Wednesday in the 200 freestyle.
Lochte will be back in the pool later for the 800 freestyle relay and he has three more individual events plus perhaps another relay to swim before the meet ends Sunday.
Results:
Finals
Men
100m butterfly
1. Evgeny Korotyshkin (RUS) 50.23
2. Albert Subirats Altes (VEN) 50.24
3. Kaio Marcio Almeida (BRA) 50.33
4. Masayuki Kishida (JPN) 50.64
5. Konrad Czerniak (POL) 50.75
6. Joeri Verlinden (NED) 50.78
7. Jason Dunford (KEN) 50.79
8. Peter Mankoc (SLO) 50.85
400m individual medley
1. Ryan Lochte (USA) 3:55min 50sec WR
2. Oussama Mellouli (TUN) 3:57.40
3. Scott Clary (USA) 3:57.56
4. David Verraszto (HUN) 4:02.73
5. Chad Guy Bertrand Le Clos (RSA) 4:03.74
6. Laszlo Cseh (HUN) 4:04.93
7. Gal Nevo (ISR) 4:05.26
8. Alexander Tikhonov (RUS) 4:06.39
100m backstroke
1. Stanislav Donets (RUS) 49.07sec
2. Aschwin Wildeboer faber (ESP) 50.04
3. Nicholas Thoman (USA) 50.38
4. Ryosuke Irie (JPN) 50.55
5. David Plummer (USA) 50.59
6. Jeremy Stravius (FRA) 50.79
7. Guilherme Guido (BRA) 50.91
. Camille Lacourt (FRA) Disqualified
Women
50m breaststroke
1. Rebecca Soni (USA) 29.83
2. Leiston Pickett (AUS) 29.84
3. Jin Zhao (CHN) 29.90
4. Yulia Efimova (RUS) 29.99
5. Dorothea Brandt (GER) 30.19
6. Alia Shanee Atkinson (JAM) 30.22
7. Randi Wang (CHN) 30.26
8. Sarah Katsoulis (AUS) 30.34
100m backstroke
1. Natalie Coughlin (USA) 56.08
2. Zhao Jing (CHN) 56.18
3. Gao Chang (CHN) 56.21
4. Melissa Franklin (USA) 56.92
5. Rachel Goh (AUS) 57.36
6. Anastasia Zueva (RUS) 57.67
7. Mercedes Peris minguet (ESP) 57.87
8. Aleksandra Gerasimenya (BLR) 58.48
