American Lochte rules the pool in Dubai

Cielo, the 23 year-old reigning Olympic and world champion in the 50 metre freestyle event, gave Brazil its first gold medal in Dubai with a championship best 20.51 seconds to improve on the record of 20.61 he set in the semifinals on Thursday.

France’s Fred Bousquet had to settle for the silver in 20.81 while American Josh Schneider got the bronze in 20.88.

“I now have all the major titles a swimmer can dream of. After the Olympics in 2008, and the Worlds in 2009, I feel that I achieved also the best in short course. The hard work paid off and to be able to have some vacation with the mind rested is a great feeling. I also realise that, at 23, I start to have an impressive roll of honour and that sensation is great. This gold is a dream come true,” said Cielo after his dominant performance in Dubai.

However, his feat was overshadowed by Lochte who underlined his growing stature in the sport with an imperious performance to claim a second world record in this competition to win the 200m IM in a mind boggling time of 1 minute 50.08 seconds.

He improved the previous world best mark of 1:51.55 set by South Africa’s Darian Townsend in November 2009 setting a scorching pace from the start to win his fourth medal of the championships.

His third gold medal was also his third consecutive triumph in this event at the World Shortcourse Championships having also won in 2006 and 2008.

Austria’s Markus Rogan (1:52.90) won the battle for second place with Lochte’s team mate Scott Clary (1:53.56).

“I always get better after the first day, but I race for fun, so what comes as outcome I take it. These results just get me ready for the 2011 Worlds in Shanghai and the Olympics in 2012,” said Lochte when asked to reflect on his performances so far in Dubai.

Asked about his personality, he said: “I am just being myself, and let my personality to come out (like with the story of the shoes…), in order to attract more people to swimming. My overall goal in swimming is just to make it bigger than it is now. I think (Michael) Phelps started with all that and made the sport bigger than what it was before. I just try to help in that effort.”

Team USA maintained their lead at the top of the table with seven gold medals thanks to their 21-year-old women stars Kathryn Hoff and Ariana Kukors.

Hoff added a short course title to her three Olympic medals and seven World Championships (50m) awards when she came from behind to win the women’s 400m freestyle final setting a championship record 3:57.07.

Australian Kylie Palmer who owned the season’s best time of 3:59.15 and winner of this race in 2008, led at the start until the halfway stage before being overtaken and had to settle for second after touching at 3:58.39. The bronze medal was obtained by Italian ‘diva’ Federica Pellegrini in a time of 3:59.52.

“The race was awesome. I’m really happy with my performance. Kathryn (Hoff) took off really fast and I just couldn’t keep up,” said Palmer.

The third US gold medal of the day went to Kukors in the women’s 100m IM. Fastest of the semis in a new championship record of 58.65, Kukors was slower in the final, touching home in 58.95.

The real surprise came from 16-year-old Kotuku Ngawati, from Australia, silver medallist in 59.27 in her first final at this level. The current world record holder in this distance, Holland’s Hinkelien Schreuder (57.74) got the bronze in 59.53 after leading the opening legs of the individual medley.

The duo of Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Femke Heemskerk from The Netherlands produced a major upset in the women’s 100m free when they beat Olympic and world champion Natalie Coughlin of the US.

Kromowidjojo set a new championships record of 51.45, improving the joint best marks established in 2000 by Therese Alshammar and in 2008 by Marleen Veldhuis of 52.17 to bring them their first medals in Dubai.

Kromowidjojo controlled the entire race with her teammate Heemskerk clocking 52.18 with Coughlin having to settle for the bronze touching home in 52.25.

“I’m very happy to win a medal. Kromowidjojo was in a class of her own. She did great and I am the best of the rest,” said Heemskerk.

Japan, Germany and Germany struck gold for the first time in Dubai while Hungary (silver) and Denmark (bronze) also got the medal table.

Asian Games gold medallist in the men’s 200m breaststroke Naoya Tomita of Japan won his duel with Hungary’s Daniel Gyurta with a dominant performance in the final.

Gyurta, the current world record holder was fastest in the heats clocking a new championship mark of 2:04.46, could not hold off Tomita who eclipsed this mark touching first at 2:03.12.

It was the first medal ever for Japan in this event in the history of the championships and the first gold medal for a male swimmer of this country in the competition. Gyurta (2:03.47) took silver while the podium was completed by Australian Brenton Rickard (2:04.33).

“Daniel is an Olympic medallist so I’ve known him for a long time. I don’t just consider him my competition; everyone is my competitor. I’m always trying my best and looking forward to next year’s World Championships,” said the 21-year-old Japanese star on his duel with Gyurta.

Germany’s Paul Biedermann, the world record holder in the men’s 400m freestyle, won his first gold medal after Tunisia’s Oussama Mellouli, the fastest of the heats in 3:39.64, ran out of steam in the last 100 metres.

Mellouli, who had two medals to his name, appeared to control the race with a solid performance in the first 300 metres.

But Biedermann changed the tide of the race from lane eight to touch first in 3:37.06 which was faster than the season’s best of 3:39.51when he won European title two weeks ago.

The silver went to Russia’s Nikita Lobintsev (3:37.84) while Mellouli (3:38.17) ended up with the bronze. The second Tunisian of this final, Ahmed Mathlouthi finished in eighth.

“I was disappointed after the 200m, so I said to myself that I just had this race to finish well the year: I could lose everything or try to win. In the end, things worked out well,” said Biedermann.

“There was no great plan to wait until the end. I was just watching Nikita (Lobintsev). It’s my last event and I pushed it as hard as I could. Now I can relax and enjoy Dubai. I think I will be going shopping and buying Christmas presents,” said Biedermann.

“I wouldn’t say I was thrilled but it was a good race and I let it all out. It was an interesting race but I didn’t expect Bidermann and Lobintsev to take it out that fast at the beginning from the outside lanes,” said Mellouli.

Sweden’s veteran Therese Alshammar does not appear to be slowing down at 33 winning the women’s 50m butterfly in a new Championship record of 24.87.

More significantly it was her 68th medal in world or European-level competitions (long and short course since 1997), just one win away from Jenny Thompson’s record.

World record holder Alshammar (24.38), clocked the fastest time of the semis of 24.19 to set a new Championship mark. She was closely followed by Australia’s Felicity Galvez (24.90) in the final with Denmark’s Jeanette Ottesen (25.24) taking the bronze.

“I have the relay now and I’m just on my way to talk to the other girls and gear them up because they’re the ones that can make it happen for me,” said Alshammar on her chances of equalling Thompson’s feat.

The Chinese swimmers salvaged some pride when they won a thrilling duel with Team USA in the women’s 4x100m medley relay in which Tang Yi beat Jessica Hardy in the decisive freestyle leg of the race after Rebecca Soni and Dana Vollmer had given her the lead.

Coughlin also gave them a fine start but was overtaken towards the end of the backstroke segment of the medley relay by Zhao Jing as China got their second success in the relays following their win in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

The Chinese quartet which also comprised Zhao Jin and Liu Zige set a Championship record of 3:48.29 during their gold medal winning effort eclipsing their own mark of 3:50.69 set in the morning.

USA (3:48.36) took silver and Australia the bronze in 3:48.88.

Results