Crocker flies to world record ahead of Phelps

“When you are racing Michael Phelps, you kind of assume it takes a world record to win,” said Crocker, who posted the eighth world record of the championships yesterday.

But Phelps hardly offered his usual challenge, settling for silver in 51.65, half a second outside his own personal best.

“That was a horrible swim for me — 51.6 isn’t very good,” said Phelps, who was third at the turn and finished 1.25sec behind Crocker, with Ukrainian Andriy Serdinov third in 52.08.

Despite the fact that he had already won the 200m free and 200m medley titles here as well as two relay golds, Phelps, winner of a sensational six Olympic gold medals in Athens indicated he was not happy with his overall form.

“I don’t want to be in a position where I’m disappointed with a race,” he said. “I want to be happy with the way I’m swimming, but I’m not doing best times and thus I’m not happy.”

South African Roland Schoeman, in contrast, continued to display blistering form as he posted the second-fastest 50m freestyle time ever to capture that crown. Schoeman won in 21.69sec, second only to the world record of 21.69 of now-retired Russian great Alex Popov. Croatian Duje Draganja was second in 21.89 and Poland’s Bartosz Kizierowski was third in 21.94.

Africa claimed another gold as Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry completed a backstroke double with her victory in the women’s 200m. Coventry, whose 200m back gold was one of a complete set of Olympic medals she earned in Athens, clocked 2:08.52 to add the title to the 100m crown.

Two international newcomers made their marks, American Kate Ziegler winning an 800m freestyle to add to her 1,500m free title and Australian MiatkE.

The 17-year-old clocked 26.11 to grab the 50m fly gold ahead of world record-holder Anna-Karin Kammerling and her fellow Swede Therese Alshammar.