Manaudou sets world mark in fourth gold

Olympic and world champion Laure Manaudou broke her own 400 metres freestyle world record to win her fourth title of the European swimming championships in spectacular style yesterday.

The Frenchwoman led by more than a second by the end of the first length and accelerated away well within world record schedule to touch in four minutes 02.13 seconds and beat the 4:03.03 world mark she set in Tours on May 12 this year.

It had taken the best part of 18 years for the previous world record of American Janet Evans to fall, having resisted all but Manaudou.

Manaudou's rare quartet of gold medals, a feat previously achieved by Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband in 1999, came in Olympic events - the 800 freestyle in which she set a Euro record, the 200 individual medley, the 100 backstroke and the 400 freestyle - with her only non-medal outing in eight events coming in the opening 400 IM.

The 19-year-old Manadou, followed home in the 400 freestyle by Britons Jo Jackson (4:07.76) and Caitlin McClatchey (4:08.13), gave France the lead in the medley relay but this time it was bronze as Britain won in 4:02.24, Francesca Halsall just withstanding the formidable finish of Germany's Britta Steffen.

That power had earlier brought Steffen her fourth gold medal of the championships in the 50 metres freestyle, the 22-year-old having previously featured in three world record breaking races - the 4x100 freestyle relay, the 100 freestyle and 4x200 freestyle relay.

She won in 24.72 from Swedish defending champion Therese Alshammar (24.87) and Dutch pace-setter Marleen Veldhuis (24.89).

World and Olympic champion Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland claimed her second title in two days when she retained the 200 butterfly crown she has now won four times in succession.

Jedrzejczak, who had accomplished the rare feat of beating Manaudou in Saturday's 200 freestyle final, won in 2:07.09 from Italians Francesca Segat (2:08.96) and Caterina Giacchetti (2:09.01).

Bart Kizierowski had earlier won Poland's first gold of the evening, regaining the men's 50 freestyle title he had won in 2002 as he snatched victory from Olexandr Volynets of Ukraine to prevail in a championship record 21.88. Draganja Duje of Croatia took the bronze.

World champion Laszlo Cseh delighted home fans with a storming victory in the 400 IM, retaining his European title in a championship record 4:09.86, more than four seconds ahead of world silver medallist Luca Marin of Italy, with Alessio Boggiatto, also of Italy, third.

Russia's Elena Bogomazova won a close women's 50 breaststroke final, squeezing out Britain's Kate Haywood by 0.02 seconds in 31.69. Hungary's Agnes Kovacs took the bronze.