Baker cracks 50 breaststroke world record again

Britain's Zoe Baker broke the women's 50 metres breaststroke world short-course record for the second time in under a fortnight with a time of 30.51 seconds at a World Cup swimming meeting on Tuesday.

Baker, who trains in New Zealand, set the previous record of 30.53 in Durban, South Africa, on January 4, taking the mark from three swimmers who had briefly shared it -- China's Luo Xuejuan and Li Wei and Sweden's Emma Igelstrom.

Luo had to settle for second place on Tuesday in 30.72 after winning Monday's 100 breaststroke event in which sprint specialist Baker did not compete.

Luo and Li set a 50 breaststroke world mark of 30.56 in a dead-heat in the Shanghai World Cup meeting on December 3. Igelstrom posted an identical time at the European short-course championships in Antwerp on December 13.

Ukraine's Oleg Lisogor, who won the men's 50 breaststroke and 100 individual medley on Monday, completed a hat-trick with victory in the 100 breaststroke in 59.70 ahead of Russia's Dmitry Komornikov (1:00.07) and Italian Olympic champion Domenico Fioravanti (1:00.33).

Olympic and world champion Massimiliano Rosolino cheered home fans with a clearcut victory in the 200 metres individual medley to add to his win in the 400 medley event on Monday.

Rosolino clocked 1:57.99 to win from American veteran Ron Karnaugh (1:59.22).

Romania's Beatrice Caslaru, a double Olympic medallist in Sydney, completed a similar individual medley double, winning the women's 400 event in 4:40.30 after a comprehensive victory in Monday's 200.

Costa Rican former Olympic champion Claudia Poll, beaten into second place by China's Yang Yu in Monday's 200 freestyle and also runner-up in the 800, collected two wins on Tuesday in the 100 and 400 freestyle against local opposition.

Imperia was the sixth stop in the nine-venue World Cup series and the first in Europe after three in the Americas, one in China and one in Australia.

The circuit moves to Paris on Friday and Saturday, followed by Stockholm (Jan 22/23) and the concluding meeting in Berlin (Jan 26/27).