SHANGHAI, July 31 (UPI) -- Ryan Lochte collected his fifth gold medal and the U.S. men -- without Lochte -- won relay gold Sunday at the World Swimming Championships in China.
Lochte won the 400-meter individual medley by more than 4 seconds, adding that event to his wins in the 200-meter freestyle, 200-meter individual medley (in world-record time), 200-meter backstroke and as a member of the winning 4x200-meter freestyle relay.
He was also awarded a bronze medal for the U.S. team's third-place finish in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
Lochte led Sunday's 400 IM from the outset and stretched his advantage in each race leg. His winning time was 4 minutes, 7.13 seconds, well ahead of silver medalist Tyler Clary of the United States, who finished in 4:11.17. Japan's Yuya Horihata was third in 4:11.98.
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The American team of Nicholas Thoman, Mark Gangloff, Michael Phelps and Nathan Adrian was first in the 4x100-meter medley relay in 3:32.06 with Australia (3:32.26) second and Germany (3:32.60) third.
It was Phelps' seventh medal of the championships. He won gold in the 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly and was on the winning relay teams in the 4x200-meter freestyle and Sunday's race. He won silvers in the 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medley -- second to Lochte both times -- and was on the third-place 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
China's Sun Yang broke a 10-year-old world record in winning the 1,500-meter freestyle, finishing in 14:34.14. That was better than the record of 14:34.46 that Australia's Grant Hackett set in 2001. Canadian swimmer Ryan Cochrane was second with a time of 14:44.46 while the bronze medal went to Hungary's Gergo Kis (14:45.66).
Britain's Liam Tancock defended his world championship in the men's 50-meter backstroke, winning in 24.50. France's Camille Lacourt was second at 24.57 and Gerhard Zandberg of South Africa claimed the bronze medal in 24.66.
American Jessica Hardy won the women's 50-meter breaststroke, touching first in 30.19 with Russian Yuliya Efimova claiming the silver in 30.49. U.S. swimmer Rebecca Soni, who earlier won three gold medals, was third with a time of 30.58.
Elizabeth Beisel, another American, won the women's 400-meter individual medley in 4:31.78, easily ahead of Britain's Hannah Miley's 4:34.22. Miley just edged Australia's Stephanie Rice (4:34.24) for the silver medal.
Sweden's Therese Alshammar won the women's 50-meter freestyle, turning in a time of 24.14 and beating Dutch swimmers Ranomi Kromowidjojo (24.27) and Marleen Veldhuis (24.49), who finished second and third, respectively.
