KAZAN (Russia) • The United States' Katie Ledecky picked up her third gold at swimming's World Championships in Kazan after winning the women's 200m freestyle final yesterday.
The 18-year-old, who has already claimed the 400m and 1,500m freestyle golds, clocked 1min 55.16sec, with Italy's world record-holder Federica Pellegrini taking silver at 1:55.32 and American Missy Franklin earning bronze at 1:55.49.
Britain's Adam Peaty completed the double of world breaststroke titles after adding the 50m title to his 100m crown.
The 20-year-old, who set the event's world record in Tuesday's semi-final, clocked 26.51sec, with South Africa's Cameron van der Burgh, the 2013 world champion, taking silver at 26.66.
Kevin Cordes of the US earned bronze at 26.86.
Earlier, Hungary's Laszlo Cseh won the men's 200m butterfly gold to capture his first major title for a decade. The 29-year-old clocked 1:53.48 to beat Chad le Clos by just 0.20sec on the wall, as South Africa's world and Olympic champion had to settle for silver.
Poland's Jan Switkowski took bronze at 1:54.10, as Cseh won a world title for the first time since taking the world 400m individual medley title in Montreal in 2005.
Meanwhile, Brazil's reigning 50m freestyle world champion Cesar Cielo pulled out of the championships with a shoulder injury.
The 28-year-old was set to bid for a fourth straight 50m gold in the freestyle sprint but left Kazan to seek treatment on his left shoulder having finished sixth in the men's 50m butterfly final on Monday.
He is the latest big name to withdraw from the World Championships with US superstar Michael Phelps, the 18-time Olympic gold medallist, missing after last year's drink-driving conviction.
Shoulder surgery meant Australia's 100m freestyle world champion James Magnussen had to stay home. France's 200m freestyle Olympic champion Yannick Agnel is recovering from pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining around the lungs.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Swimming, heats: StarHub Ch203, 2pm
S-finals & finals: 10.15pm
