Chinese teenager Sun Yang toppled swimming's oldest world record Sunday when he shattered Grant Hackett's 10-year mark in the men's 1500m, ensuring a rousing finish to the Shanghai world championships.
Sun, roared on by a capacity crowd, touched in 14min 34.14sec, 0.42sec inside the Australian's legendary world best set at the 2001 championships in Fukuoka.
Hackett's record was the only men's record to survive the infamous super-suits era, when muscle-compressing swimwear helped set more than 200 new marks in just two years.
Sun's record, on the final night, was only the second to fall in Shanghai, two years after polyurethane-clad swimmers set 43 new bests at the 2009 championships in Rome.
Also on the final night, American world record-holder Jessica Hardy made a successful return to the world stage from a doping ban when she won the 50m breaststroke ahead of defending champion Yuliya Efimova of Russia.
Hardy, who missed the 2008 Olympics after a positive test and was serving a one-year ban during the 2009 world championships, timed 30.19sec - outside her record of 29.80 - with team-mate Rebecca Soni third. "I am really excited, I've trained so hard for that," Hardy said.
Meanwhile British world record-holder Liam Tancock defended his 50m backstroke title. Sweden's Therese Alshammar won the women's 50m freestyle ahead of Dutch swimmers Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Marleen Veldhuis.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile British world record-holder Liam Tancock defended his 50m backstroke title. Sweden's Therese Alshammar won the women's 50m freestyle ahead of Dutch swimmers Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Marleen Veldhuis.
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