KING, PEATY, MASSE smash world records

BUDAPEST: The world championships came alive on Tuesday as Lilly King of the United States won the women’s 100 metres breaststroke title in one of three world-record swims at the end of a breathtaking evening session.

Adam Peaty of Britain continued his breaststroke trail-blazing with his second world mark of the day to reach the 50m final and Canada’s Kylie Masse produced a world-best time to win the women’s 100m backstroke gold medal.

There was more history too for Katie Ledecky following a routine gold in the women’s 1500m freestyle. The American claimed the 12th world title of her short career. The evening will be long remembered by Olympic champion King, who posted one minute 4.13 seconds to overhaul the world-record mark set by Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte in 2013.

King held off the threat of Russian rival Yuliya Efimova, in a race billed as a grudge rematch of their acrimonious Olympic final, and the US secured a memorable one-two as Katie Meili touched for silver in one minute 5.03 seconds. “That race was always going to be a showdown, an exciting dog fight,” King told reporters.

“We get a lot of rivalries like this in football, basketball, swimming where we see a lot of really nice people, being really nice,” she added.

“That’s great and all but it’s not my personality. I’m spunky, I’m confident and I’m not going to not be myself before a race.”

King, 20, has voiced her disapproval at Efimova being allowed to compete at global level after the Russian had twice been caught using banned substances. The spiky relationship continued in Budapest with King celebrating her