More swimming marks fall in Rome

ROME (AP) — When in Rome, throw out the record book.

No need for one at the fastest show on water.

Even with Michael Phelps sitting in the stands, seven more world records fell Thursday. For those who’ve lost count, that’s 29 over five days — and there’s still three days to go at the world championships.

At last summer’s Beijing Olympics, swimmers broke 25 records.

Records fell so fast in Thursday’s nine events that the crowd barely had time to cheer one swimmer before another mark dropped.

So, is this a good thing? Or does it cheapen the coin of the realm, so to speak?

“It’s hard to say,” said Australia’s Jess Schipper, who got in on the fun by taking down the old standard in the 200-meter butterfly.

“It’s been a very exciting meet. It’s been very fast. But we all knew it was going to be fast coming in here, so nobody can say that they didn’t expect this. I think that the world records, while they may have been helped with the suits, it still has a lot to do with the swimmer and the work you’ve put in.”

Ryan Lochte got things rolling Thursday by breaking Phelps’ mark in the 200-meter individual medley, with the former record holder cheering him on. The Chinese women finished it off with a flourish, taking down the 800 freestyle relay mark by more than two seconds in a thrilling race with the hard-charging Americans, who also broke the previous record but only got silver.

For the most part, the swimmers are just enjoying the ride, knowing this might be as fast as they’ll ever swim and have it count. Some of these records could stand for years, even decades, if FINA follows through on its plan to ban bodysuits in 2010 and ensure that next-generation attire is made from textile fabrics instead of buoyant materials such as polyurethane.

Soaking up some rays on the sunny side of the stadium, a bare-chested Phelps joined in the celebration when Lochte touched in 1 minute, 54.10 seconds. That broke Phelps’ gold-medal time of 1:54.23 from Beijing, and Lochte did it wearing the year-old Speedo LZR Racer, just like Phelps the previous night when he broke his own world record in the 200 butterfly.

“Everyone is complaining about all these new suits, blah, blah, blah, and I go out there and wear the same suit that’s been out there and I just give it to them,” Lochte said.

He would have liked Phelps in the water, not the stands. Phelps actually had an entire day off, the benefits of a reduced schedule in Rome. Not quite as fit as he was last year, he dropped both the 200 and 400 individual medley from his program.

“It feels good to do that [world record], but at the same time I wish he was doing it,” Lochte said, referring to his biggest rival. “I love a challenge. And I love racing against him, because he is one of the best swimmers ever. Anytime I can race against him, I would be more than happy to.”

In one of the most anticipated races of the night, Brazil’s Cesar Cielo became the first swimmer to break 47 seconds in the 100 freestyle and have it stand, holding off France’s Alain Bernard.

Cielo won the furious down-and-back race in 46.91, beating Eamon Sullivan’s mark of 47.05 set during the semifinals of the Beijing Olympics.

Bernard won the Olympic gold when he beat Sullivan in the final. But the big Frenchman had to settle for silver in Rome at 47.12, with countryman Fred Bousquet also reaching the medal stand in third.