Carvin Wins Two World Swim Titles

Chad Carvin of Laguna Hills won the 400-meter freestyle and was part of a world record-setting relay team Friday at the World Short Course Championships.

Carvin won the 400 in 3 minutes 41.13 seconds, defeating Britain’s Paul Palmer, who finished second in 3:42.70.

“I didn’t come to Athens to break the world record, but to win the gold medal and I made it,” Carvin said. “Winning the world title was awesome.”

Carvin swam the final leg for the U.S. team’s record-setting 800 relay team, which was timed in 7:01.33. Britain was second at 7:03.06 and Russia third at 7:05.24.

Josh Davis, Neil Walker, Scott Tucker and Carvin beat the mark of 7:01.60 set by Australians Michael Klim, Matthew Dunn, Todd Pearson and Bill Kirby in Canberra in September.

Three other world records were set Friday: Sweden’s Lars Frolander in the men’s 100-meter butterfly, Sweden’s Therese Alshammar in the women’s 100 freestyle and Russia’s Roman Sludnov in the men’s 100 breaststroke.

Nine world records have fallen during the championships at the site of the 2004 Olympics.

Frolander swam the butterfly in 50.44, breaking the mark of 50.59 he had set in Thursday’s semifinals. Britain’s James Hickman was second at 51.53.

World record-holder Alshammar set such a fast pace that five-time Olympic gold medalist Jenny Thompson of the United States never had a chance. Covering the first 50 meters nearly a half-second faster than her best time, Alshammar finished in 52.17 compared to the 52.80 world mark she set at Lisbon in December. Thompson was timed at 53.14.

Thompson had no problems in the 50 butterfly, overpowering world record-holder Anna-Karin Kammerling of Sweden in a meet-record 26.13. Kammerling was second in 26.16.

Sludnov set his breaststroke record in a semifinal with a time of 58.51, breaking the mark of 58.79 set by Belgium’s Frederik Deburghgraeve in December 1998. The final is today.

Australia’s Rebecca Browne won the women’s 200 breaststroke in a quick 2:23.41. Poland’s Alicja Peczak gave her country its first silver medal with a time of 2:24.24.