Kathryn Meaklim of South Africa celebrates after setting a new short course world record for the women's 400-metre individual medley with a time of 4:22:88 during the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup 2009 in Singapore.
Photograph by: Wong Maye-E
Credit: AP

Meaklim obliterated the medley mark

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• More world records expected

She set a new mark for the women's short-course 400m individual medley, one of three world records to tumble at the meet.

Meaklim was the stand-out performer, returning to the pool to upset jaded-looking world record-holder Leisel Jones of Australia in the 200m breaststroke.

The South African came home in 2:20.52, well off world record pace, ahead of Jones (2:21.31) and fellow Australian Sarah Katsollis.

American Peter Marshall and Swedish swimmer Therese Alshammar also set new world records on the last day of the gala.

In the high humidity of Singapore and at a partly enclosed aquatic complex, the first day of the meet on Saturday surprisingly saw no new world marks, despite 16 being set in Berlin the weekend before. But that all changed when the powerfully built Meaklim obliterated the medley mark.

She turned in under world record pace after the butterfly but fell off the pace on backstroke, before recovering strongly with impressive breaststroke and freestyle legs to clock 4min 22.88sec.

The time knocked nearly three seconds off the old mark, set by Spain's Mareia Belmonte in Rijeka, Croatia, in December last year.

Like Meaklim, Marshall has been in sizzling form this year and he broke his own 50m backstroke world record, leading from start to finish to touch in 22.61sec. His time shaved a fraction of a second off his previous record of 22.73 set in Stockholm earlier this month.

It was left to Alshammar to bring the house down once in the final event of the day with the unstoppable Swede smashing her own 50m butterfly mark, touching in 24.28sec. It beat the previous best of 24.46 she set in Stockholm.

Before yesterday's exploits, only Natalie Coughlan of the US had broken a world record in Singapore, and that was two years ago.

South Africa's Darian Townsend came close to beating his own record in the individual medley, but slowed after the final 25m to finish in 1:52.49, a second outside his best time.

Another South African, Cameron van der Burgh, comfortably claimed the 100m breaststroke gold medal in 56.25sec, ahead of compatriot Neil Versfeld (56.74), who was second.

Among the other South Africans, Garth Tune was second in the 100m butterfly, JC Thomson third in the medley behind Townsend, Roland Schoeman second in the 50m freestyle and Amanda Loots second in the 200m butterfly.