US swimmers Franklin, Ledecky shine at World Championships
Missy Franklin, 18, and Katie Ledecky, 16, show why they seem set to be the dominant pair for many years to come on penultimate day of worlds
While American Missy Franklin matched the record for golds at a single world championships of five, 16-year-old compatriot Katie Ledecky set a world best to capture a treble of freestyle distance titles.
On the penultimate day of racing at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, the women outshone the men as Franklin, 18, and Ledecky wrote their names in the history books and Lithuanian teenager Ruta Meilutyte claimed her second world best of the week in qualifying for the 50 metres breaststroke.
Chad le Clos of South Africa won gold in the men's 100 butterfly to add to his 200 triumph earlier in the week, Brazil's Cesar Cielo blasted to a third straight 50 freestyle title before breaking down in tears on the podium and Dane Jeanette Ottesen Gray cruised to gold in the 50 butterfly.
The 21-year-old Le Clos, the Olympic and world 200 metre champion, clocked 51.06 seconds with Hungary's Laszlo Cseh at 0.39 back and Poland's Konrad Czerniak 0.40 adrift in the 100 metre final.
Having also won the 200 metre final on Wednesday, the same night compatriot Cameron van der Burgh won the men's 50 metre breaststroke final, Le Clos was delighted at his second world title. "It's like a dream come true," he said.
But the day belonged to Franklin and Ledecky and their performances in the Catalan capital suggest they have every chance of remaining the dominant pair in women's swimming for many years to come.