Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry shattered the 200 backstroke world record with a time of 2:05.24, where USA’s Margaret Hoelzer’s world record from U.S. Trials last month was 2:06.09. And Great Britain’s Rebecca Adlington took down the longest standing world record in style, when she swam the 800 free in a time of 8:14.10, where Janet Evans’ 16 year old world record was 8:16.22.

Sources: SwimInfo here and here

USA’s Rebecca Soni beat Leisel Jones with a new 200 breaststroke world record of 2:20.22, where Jones’ world record was 2:20.54. Ryan Lochte beat Peirsol and Vyatchanin in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:53.94, where Lochte’s and Peirsol’s world record was 1:54.32. And Michael Phelps won his 6th gold medal at Beijing 2006 in the 200 IM, bettering his own world record from 1:54.80 to 1:54.23.

Sources: SwimInfo here, here and here

Liu Zige of China bettered the 200 butterfly world record with more than a second, with a time of 2:04.18 where the former world record of Jessicah Schipper from the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships was 2:05.40. And Australia’s Stephanie Rice, Bronte Barrat, Kylie Palmer and Linda Mackenzie swam the 800 free relay with a time of 7:44.31, where USA’s world record from the 2007 World Championships was 7:50.09.

Sources: SwimInfo here and here

In the 100 freestyle semifinals, the world record of 47.24 was bettered first by Alan Bernard with a time of 47.20, and then by Eamon Sullivan with a time of 47.05. Federica Pellegrini bettered her own 200 freestyle world record from 1:55.45 in the heats to 1:54.82 in the final. Michael Phelps bettered his 200 butterfly world record from 1:52.09 to 1:52.03. Stephanie Rice bettered the 200 IM world record from 2:08.92 to 2:08.45. And finally, USA bettered the 4×200 freestyle world record from 7:03.24 to 6:58.56.

Sources: SwimInfo, here here, here, here, here and here.

Federica Pellegrini clocked 1:55.45 at Beijing 2008 prelims today, to erase the former mark of 1:55.55, held by Laure Manaudou. Source: SwimInfo

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe set a new world record in the 100 back semifinal with a time of 58.77. Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima became the first man under 59 seconds in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 58.91. And Eamon Sullivan led off Australia’s 4×100 freestyle relay with a 100 free world record time of 47.24, in a blistering race where 5 teams went under the 4×100 world record mark from yesterday, and USA just barely overtook France at the finish to claim the gold and world record time of 3:08.24.

Sources: SwimInfo here, here and here