Sweden sets world record in men's 4x50-meter freestyle relay

Sweden set a world record Sunday in the men's 4x50-meter freestyle relay event at the European Short Course Swimming Championships.

Petter Stymne, Marcus Piehl, Per Nylin and Stefan Nystrand improved Sweden's own world record set in December last year in Helsinki, Finland, to 1 minute, 24.19 seconds.

The previous mark was set by Stymne, Piehl, Nystrand and Jonas Tilly.

"To clock a world record again in the last race of the European championships is simply great," Nystrand said.

On the closing day of the competition, Yuliya Efimova of Russia set a European record in the women's 100-meter breaststroke. She finished in 1:04.95, bettering the previous record of 1:05.11 set by Emma Igelstrom of Sweden on March 16, 2003, in Stockholm, Sweden.

"I didn't really reckon with the two gold medals and two European records in the 100- and 200-meters here before the event," Efimova said. "I now want to attack the world records next year during the Olympics in Beijing."

Efimova was the most successful female swimmer of the championships, also winning the 50 and 200 breaststroke.

The most successful male swimmer was Laszlo Cseh of Hungary, who won the men's 200 and 400 individual medleys _ setting world records in both _ as well as the 200 butterfly.

The other European record on Sunday was by Hungarian Olympic silver medalist Daniel Gyurta, who clocked 2:05.49 in the men's 200 breaststroke event to defend the title he won in Helsinki last year.

The previous continental record of 2:05.63 was set by Ian Edmond of Britain in Dublin, Ireland, on Dec. 14, 2003.

In the women's 200 freestyle, Laure Manaudou of France, who set a European record in this event at the Berlin World Cup last month, was upset by Josefin Lillhage of Sweden, who won in 1:53.55.

Manaudou's time of 1:54.15 was good enough for silver but was 0.62 seconds slower than her European record.

"I am disappointed. I wanted to win," the Frenchwoman said. "At the end I was missing strength."

Her performance may have been affected by personal issues. Her former boyfriend, Italian swimmer Luca Marin, stormed into the last call room before the 200 freestyle preliminary heats Sunday morning and had a heated quarrel with Manaudou.