World record bonanza in Eindhoven

Marleen Veldhuis and Federica Pellegrini kept up the relentless world record rush at the European swimming championships in Eindhoven, Holland yesterday to lift the overall count to six at the end of the final day.

Veldhuis sped through the 50 metres freestyle in 24.09 seconds to win her third gold medal of the championships and beat the mark of 24.13 set by her Dutch compatriot Inge de Bruijn at the Sydney Olympics on Sept. 22, 2000.

Italy's Pellegrini, who had been disqualified for a false start in the 200 freestyle heats on Saturday, bounced back by taking the women's 400 metres freestyle world record from Olympic and world champion Laure Manaudou of France.

Pellegrini clocked four minutes 1.53 seconds to better the mark of 4:02.13 mark set by Manaudou at the last European championships in Budapest on Aug. 6, 2006.

Alain Bernard, who had broken three world records in three days, was happy just to win the men's 50 freestyle in 21.66, 0.16 of a second outside the world mark he set in Sunday's semi-finals.

Olympic silver medallist Duje Draganja of Croatia took silver in the 50 in 22.00 and Sweden's Stefan Nystrand, second to Bernard in the 100 freestyle, bronze in 22.16.

There were European records for Hungary's Laszlo Cseh in the 400 individual medley, Britain's women's medley relay.

Briton Tom Daley, 13, unfurled his precocious skills on the 10m tower to win the platform diving crown.

Daley, who turns 14 on May 21, shot from sixth to first with the fourth of his six final dives and survived a late charge from German World Cup champion Sascha Klein to win by just over four points.

Daley earned four perfect 10s with his fourth-round armstand back triple somersault for a score of 94.40 points.

Daley amassed 491.95 points from his six final dives. Klein took the silver with 487.60 and Francesco dell'Uomo of Italy bronze (481.30).

Gambin sets record

Ryan Gambin completed his commitments in Eindhoven on a high after he established another national record, this time in the 50m free on Sunday.

The 22-year-old Gambin, who on Saturday qualified for the Beijing Olympics after clocking 54.33 in the 100m fly, covered the one-lap race in 23.97 seconds, shaving 0.73 seconds of his previous best of 24.70 he set in the ASA time trials earlier this year.

For Gambin this was the fourth national record in Eindhoven after setting new marks in the 50m fly, 50m back and the 100m fly.