Swimming: No stopping Igelstrom as she makes it three in three days

MOSCOW - Emma Igelstrom maintained her world record habit and Yana Klochkova completed a rare golden treble at the world short-course championships yesterday.

Matt Welsh and Geoff Huegill collected their second titles of the week and hoisted Australia's title tally at the top of the medal heap to eight, two ahead of Sweden, who celebrated wins by Igelstrom and the women's 4x100m freestyle relay.

Igelstrom romped home in the 100m breaststroke in 1m 05.38s to shave 0.02s from the world short-course mark of 1m 05.40s set by Penny Heyns, of South Africa, in Durban, in September 1999.

It was the third time in three days that Igelstrom figured in a world record. On Friday, she become the first woman to swim the 50m breaststroke in under 30s and, on Saturday, she shared Sweden's world-record-breaking women's medley relay triumph.

She turned at the 50m mark 0.30s inside the world-record schedule and, although the pace told in the second half of the race, clung on for the 100m breaststroke record.

Defending champion Sarah Poewe, of South Africa, took the silver in 1m 06.16s and China's Luo Xuejuan, the 50m breaststroke silver medallist, the bronze 0.20s further back.

Klochkova won a great duel with American Gabrielle Rose in the 200m individual medley, with the lead swapping hands in each phase of the four-stroke race.

The 19-year-old Ukrainian has now won six titles in three world short-course championships.

Klochkova won in 2m 08.82s, with Rose clocking 2m 09.77s.

Welsh, who won the 100m backstroke title on Friday, derived the most from his long under-water propulsion at start and turn in the 50m backstroke and swung home in 23.66s, a shade outside the world short-course record of 23.42s set by American Neil Walker, in Athens, in 2000.

Huegill swooped to his second gold medal, sharing an Australian one-two with Adam Pine in the 50m butterfly final just as he did in the 100m event on Friday.

Huegill edged out defending champion Mark Foster, of Britain, in a championship record 22.89s. Pine also pipped the towering Briton on the final touch to take the silver in 23.29s and Foster had to settle for bronze in 23.36s.