FINA 2009 World Championships Swimming - Day 5 Evening Session

"I'm pleased for the whole team," Jackson said. "That was a great effort from everyone. I knew it was going to be tough getting a medal but we all swam our hearts out and it’s a big improvement for us on last year.

Carlin added: "It’s my first major meet and I'm just so happy to be part of this team. I've looked up to these girls for a long time and now I'm competing with them and winning medals. It’s amazing."

Adlington commented: "It’s hard anchoring the relay with Pelligrini coming back at you and the crowd screaming. I thought it would be close and I'm so proud of the girls for getting us to the end and on to the podium."

Yu Yang, Qianwei Zhu, Jing Liu and Jiaying Pang set WR number 29 of the championships (7:42.08 ) to improve on Australia's 2008 Olympics mark (7:44.31) and secure gold ahead of the American team (7:42.56), endig a run of US wins in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

In a thrilling final featuring a 1-2-3 for the Arena suit, Brazil’s Cesar Cielo Filho overcame the challenge of two French sprinters to win the men’s 100m free and Brazil’s first gold medal at these championships in a new WR of 46.91. Alain Bernard (Olympic champion in the event and fastest qualifier with 47.27) had a poor start but claimed silver in 47.12, whilst Fred Bousquet took the bronze in fom lane 8 in 47.25.

Filho said he had enjoyed a "perfect finish" and "just focused on what I needed to do, and there was a little bit of luck thrown in there." Filho said his victory came with a lot of hard work and believing in himself. "I got close to my limit," he added, "and that was key."When asked about his emotions on the podium, he said "It’s not easy being Brazilian. Everyone expects that when you race, you should win, and coming in second is a disappointment. When I went to race, I couldn’t feel my hands; my face, yet I knew I had to perform even though I couldn’t feel my body. When I got on the podium after it all, I relaxed a bit, but yes, I was emotional."

The result was a disappointment for France, as Bernard was one of their main hopes for gold. He said "The main lesson I will take from this race is that, well, of course second was not ideal, but I worked very hard over the last year and I will continue to do that. I don’t believe second is a failure. I put all my energy and strength into the final and making the final and I did it well."

The men’s 200m Backstroke semi-final saw Chris Walker-Hebborn knock another second off the personal best time that he set in this morning’s heat and set a new British record as he finished just outside of the final eight positions. Walker-Hebborn, who is making his World Championship debut, put in an impressive swim in his semi-final as he came up against former World Championship record holder Ryan Lochte. The new British record holder looked confident on the blocks and continued to look strong through the race. He touched in fifth place in his heat and was ranked in ninth place overall in the new British record time of 1:56.05.

"I'm really happy with the time and that record but to finish ninth, one away from the final is gutting," Walker-Hebborn said. "I'll learn from it though, I've dropped my best time a lot here this week and I'm excited about the future."

With Phelps not competing in medley events in Rome, the men’s 200m individual medley (which Phelps won in 2003, 2005 and 2007) was a duel between team mate Ryan Lochte (third in 2005 and second in 2007) and Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh (second in 2005 and third in 2007). Fastest qualifier Lochte (Speedo) won gold in 1:54.10, a new World Record, beating Phelps' 1:54.23 in Beijing. Cseh took silver in 1:55.24 and bronze went to American Eric Shanteau (1:55.36).

"There were a lot of hard competitors out there and it was my best time and I got a world record, so I can’t complain," Lochte reflected. Asked how it felt to constantly find himself racing against Phelps, and often be compared to him. he said "Phelps did such a good job for making a name for swimming; putting swimming on the map, so no, I don’t mind. Also it’s fun, I love swimming against him and I love a challenge"

Shanteau was happy that people are focusing on his swimming abilities now. "Having the title of cancer survivor, it’s nice and I am happy to be one, but it’s nice that too."

James Goddard battled through to finish in sixth place with a strong performance. Goddard, who has been struggling with a shoulder injury, broke the British record in the semi-final and knew another quick time was needed in the final. The Olympic finalist swam well and was in fourth place at the half way point but the race proved to be fast with Ryan Lochte (USA) turning well under the world record. Goddard finished his race well but was overtaken by Australia’s Leith Brodie and he touched home in a time of 1:57.93.

"I am disappointed but at the same time just happy to be swimming in the final as three weeks ago it didn’t look like I was going to swim due to a shoulder injury," Goddard said. "The physios and team doctor have done a wonderful job just getting me out on the starting black so in a sense it has been a success for me. Those guys had too much in the tank for me and I couldn’t get into the mix as they were just too far away. I know that I could have gone faster if it wasn’t for my shoulder but that is life. I have to get myself 100% right now and then focus again on the next step in the countdown to London 2012."

Fran Halsall swam to the second fastest time in her career as she touched home in a time of 53.05 in the first semi-final of the women’s 100m Freestyle. Halsall qualified in joint seventh place for the semi-final after a good time in her heat and is ranked in fourth place for tomorrow’s final.

"I was quite happy with that," Halsall said. "I saved some back in my heat swam and led it out well tonight. I want to dip below the 53 second barrier and that is my aim for tomorrow. There are some very quick girls out there with lots more experience than me but if I swim my best time then who knows where I’ll be. This year has been really good for me, I am based at the Loughborough ITC and it is helping my development which is why I am swimming so well."

In the women’s 200m butterfly, Australia’s Jessicah Schipper (Adidas) accelerated past China's 2008 Olympic champion Zige Liu to touch in 2:03.41 (WR) beating fourth placed Mary Descenza's previous best. Silver went to Liu (2:03.90, also under the previous WR), and bronze to Katinka Hosszu (HUN).

Kris Gilchrist missed out on a place in the final of the men’s 200m Breaststroke by just over half a second as he finished in tenth place overall. The Olympian swam a good race and took the British record in a time of 2:09.01 but the semi-finals were too quick and he was pushed down the leader board.

"I knew it was going to be a really quick time to make the final," Gilchrist said. "Breaststroke has moved on enormously at this World Championships. I am really pleased with the time and I would have taken that coming into the meet. You simply can’t control how fast these guys are swimming though. It is mind boggling, 2:08.6 to make the final when 2:09.9 was winning time last time. It needs a world record simply to make the final."

China's 18 years old Jing Zhao won the women’s 50m breaststroke in a new WR of 27.06, improving on Russian Anastasia Zueva's time in the semi-finals (27.38). Zueva could only finish fourth behind silver winning Daniela Samulski (GER, 27.23 also under the former WR), and Chang Gao (27.28).

In the women’s 200m breaststroke semi-final, Annamay Pierse, from Canada, established a new WR of 2:20.12, improving on the time set by Rebecca Soni (USA) in Beijing 2008, when she won gold in 2:20.22. Pierse is also the short course world record holder with 2:17.50. The other WR of the day came in the semi-finals the men’s 200m breaststroke as Australian Christian Sprenger clocked 2:07.31, to beat Kosuke Kitajima's June 2008 mark (2:07.51).

Click to view results from Day 5

The British Gas Swimming Team set to compete in Rome comprises:

Rebecca Adlington – Nova Centurion
Jazmin Carlin – Swansea ITC
Jess Dickons – Stockton/Bath ITC
Ellen Gandy – Tritans, Melbourne
Fran Halsall – City of Liverpool/Loughborough ITC
Louise Henley - University of Edinburgh
Georgia Holderness – Millfield School
Jo Jackson – Derwentside/Loughborough ITC
Jemma Lowe – Stockton
Caitlin McClatchey - Loughborough University/Loughborough ITC
Hannah Miley – Garioch
Keri-Anne Payne – Stockport Metro/Stockport ITC
Lizzie Simmonds - Loughborough University/Loughborough ITC
Amy Smith - Loughborough University
Gemma Spofforth – Portsmouth Northsea/Florida
Stacey Tadd - University of Bath
Lowri Tynan - Wrexham
Katherine Wyld – Nova Centurion
Emma Wilkins – Plymouth Leander

Robert Bale - Loughborough University/Loughborough ITC
Adam Brown – Hatfield
Simon Burnett – Windsor
David Carry – Aberdeen Dolphins/Stockport ITC
Richard Charlesworth - Hatfield
Ross Davenport - Loughborough University/Loughborough ITC
David Davies – City of Cardiff /Loughborough ITC
James Gibson – Marseille
Kris Gilchrist – University of Edinburgh
James Goddard - Stockport Metro/Stockport ITC
Tom Haffield – City of Cardiff
Ian Hulme – City of Sunderland
Andy Hunter – Stirling Swimming/Stirling ITC
Marco Loughran – Guildford City
Michael Rock - Stockport Metro/Stockport ITC
Robbie Renwick – City of Glasgow
Joe Roebuck - Loughborough University
Lewis Smith – Warrender/Stirling ITC
Liam Tancock - Loughborough University/Loughborough ITC
Grant Turner - Loughborough University/Loughborough ITC
Chris Walker-Hebborn – Team Ipswich/Bath ITC
Richard Webb – University of Bath