Make it 27: Schipper’s world record surpasses Beijing; Sprenger pushes mark higher at worlds

Schipper, Sprenger records knock off Beijing

ROME — Down goes Beijing.

Jess Schipper of Australia has set the 26th world record of the world swimming championships, surpassing the total from last summer’s Olympics. Countryman Christian Sprenger quickly pushed the mark higher with No. 27.

Schipper rallied on the final lap Thursday to win the 200-meter breaststroke in 2 minutes, 3.41 seconds. She broke the mark of 2:04.14 that American Mary Descenza set a day earlier in the preliminaries. Descenza not only lost her record, she didn’t even get a medal by finishing fourth.

Schipper had barely climbed from the water when Sprenger knocked off another record in the semifinals of the 200 breaststroke. The Aussie’s time of 2:07.31 beat Japanese star Kosuke Kitijima’s mark of 2:07.51, set in 2008.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

ROME (AP) — Down goes Beijing. Jess Schipper of Australia has set the 26th world record of the world swimming championships, surpassing the total from last summer’s Olympics.

Schipper rallied on the final lap Thursday to win the 200-meter breaststroke in 2 minutes, 3.41 seconds. She broke the mark of 2:04.14 that American Mary Descenza set a day earlier in the preliminaries.

Descenza not only lost her record — she didn’t even get a medal by finishing fourth.

China’s Liu Zige took the silver in 2:03.90, also lower than the previous world record. Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu claimed the bronze in 2:04.28, beating Descenza by 13-hundredths of a second.