Katie Ledecky demolishes own 1,500m record at world championships
China's Sun Yang is outshone in 200m free by Briton James Guy who nets first career gold
It was a night of highs and lows, with Katie Ledecky smashing her own world record and China's "golden boy" Sun Yang outsprinted for gold at the Fina world championships in Kazan.
Having broken the world record in Monday morning's 1,500m freestyle heats, the 18-year-old American triple world record-holder yesterday knocked 2.23 seconds off her personal best to clock 15 minutes, 25.48 seconds.
The Maryland native had started the ball rolling with a time of 15:27.71 in the heats on Monday.
That was a really good race ... my time of 26.68secs this morning was probably the easiest 50 I have ever done
In the final, New Zealand's Lauren Boyle took silver at 14.66sec back, while Hungary's Boglarka Kapas took bronze at 21.61sec adrift.
Earlier, 19-year-old James Guy of Britain defeated a loaded field to win the 200m freestyle, outsprinting China's Sun to the wall, touching first in one minute, 45.14 seconds.
Sun settled for silver in 1:45.20 and world record holder Paul Biedermann of Germany earned bronze in 1:45.38.
It was Guy's first career gold medal at worlds. He earned silver in the 400m freestyle on Sunday.
American Ryan Lochte, the 2011 world champion, finished fourth. Chad Le Clos of South Africa was sixth.
Another Brit, Adam Peaty, followed Guy's glory, setting a world record in the 50m breaststroke, winning the first semi-final in 26.42. He bettered the 26.62 set by Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa in the morning.
It was the second men's world record to fall at the worlds after four women's marks were set in the first two days.
Van der Burgh won the second semi-final in 26.74, setting up a head-to-head duel in today's final of the non-Olympic event.
"I knew there was something in there, but I decided to just stay relaxed and enjoy the environment," said Peaty, who won the 100m world title by beating Van der Burgh in Monday's final.
“The 50m event is not an Olympic event, so there is kind of no pressure out there.
“That was a really good race, the heats this morning were so easy, my time of 26.68secs this morning was probably the easiest 50 I have ever done.
“So I just enjoyed what I was doing in tonight’s heats.”
Mitchell Larkin of Australia won the men’s 100m backstroke final, touching the wall at 52.40secs with France’s Camille Lacourt taking silver at 0.08secs back and Olympic champion Matt Grevers settling for bronze at 0.26secs.
Emily Seebohm led a 1-2 finish for Australia in the 100m backstroke, with all eight women going under 1 minute in the final.
She won in 58.26 to earn her first individual gold at worlds, having finished second to American Missy Franklin in Barcelona.
Aussie Madison Wilson was second in 58.75 and Mie Oe Nielsen of Denmark was third in 58.86.
Franklin finished fifth in 59.40. American Kathleen Baker was last in 59.99.
