ROME: Seven more world records at the world swimming championships pushed the total to 29, sending Rome past last summer’s Beijing Olympics.

With Michael Phelps cheering him on, Ryan Lochte got things rolling by breaking Phelps’ mark in 200m individual medley.

Lochte touched in 1 minute, 54.10 seconds. That broke Phelps’ gold-medal time of 1:54.23 from Beijing.

Brazil’s Cesar Cielo became the first swimmer to break 47 seconds in the 100m freestyle. Cielo won the furious down-and-back race in 46.91, beating Eamon Sullivan’s mark of 47.05 set during the Beijing Olympics. Canada’s Annanmay Pierse set a new standard in the women’s 200m breast during the semi-finals. Her time of 2:20.12 beat Rebecca Soni’s record of 2:20.22 from Beijing.

China’s Zhao Jing won the women’s 50m backstroke in 27.06 seconds knocking off the record set a day earlier by Russia’s Anastasia Zueva (27.38). Australia’s Jess Schipper rallied on the final lap of the 200 breast to win in 2:03.41 seconds beating the 2:04.14 posted a day earlier by American Mary Descenza in the preliminaries. Aussie Sprenger won his semi-finals heat of the 200m breast in 2:07.31, edging out Japanese star Kosuke Kitijima’s mark of 2:07.51 set in 2008.

China won the 4x200m free relay in 7:42.08, surpassing the mark of 7:44.31 set by Australia in Beijing.