Phelps leads the US gold rush

Peirsol was untroubled in retaining his 100m backstroke crown while Ziegler slashed more than 10 seconds off her personal best to win the 1500m freestyle, the longest event on the programme.

Kirsty Coventry won Zimbabwe’s first world title with a stunning upset in the 100m backstroke while Australia’s Leisel Jones ended years of gut-wrenching defeats to claim the women’s 100m breaststroke. But the spotlight once again fell on Phelps and his belated showdown with Australia’s Grant Hackett.

The pair were expected to lock horns in Sunday’s 400m final but Phelps bombed out in the heats, ruining his chances of winning a record eight gold medals and allowing Hackett to take the title almost unchallenged.

Phelps made amends for his 400m flop by winning a relay gold on Sunday night then resurfaced on Tuesday to win the 200m final in a time of one minute 45.20 seconds. “Everything here has been a big learning experience for me,” Phelps said. “Everything that’s happened hopefully will help me on the road to Beijing.”