Manaudou claims double gold, Germany set world record

Laure Manaudou won two gold medals in quick succession at the European swimming championships yesterday and Germany broke the women's 4x200m freestyle relay world record.

The 19-year-old Frenchwoman, who won the 800 freestyle in European record time on Wednesday, opened the evening's swimming at the Alfred Hajos pool with victory in the 200 metres individual medley.

Less than 40 minutes later, she was back to defend the 100 metres backstroke title she won in 2004.

Trailing sixth at the halfway mark, she forged through on the return length to win in one minute 00.88 seconds from Germans Antje Buschschulte (1:01.40) and Janine Pietsch (1:01.55).

In the 200 individual medley, Manaudou took the lead on the second leg, the backstroke, after defending champion Yana Klochkova of Ukraine had touched first at the end of the opening butterfly length.

Manaudou surged away to win in 2:12.69 from Poland's Katarzyna Baranowska (2:13.36) and Alessia Filippi of Italy (2:13.75).

Manaudou was denied a third gold of the day later when France finished in bronze medal position in the 4x200m freestyle won in world record time by the German quartet of Petra Dallmann, Daniela Samulski, Britta Steffen and Annika Liebs. Germany clocked seven minutes 50.82 seconds to beat the world mark of 7:53.42 set by the US at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

Italy's Loris Facci touched first in the men's 200m breaststroke but his celebrations were cut short as he was disqualified for a one-handed touch on the second turn, giving European short-course champion Slawomir Kuczko of Poland the gold in 2:12.12.

Facci's fellow Italian Paolo Bossini moved up to silver with Britain's Kristopher Gilchrist in bronze.

There was more gold for Poland in the men's 200 metres butterfly, with world champion Pawel Korzeniowski winning in a championship record 1:55.04.