EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AFP) - France's record-breaking sprinter Alain Bernard won the men's 50m freestyle here on Monday to cap a superb week as two more world records were set at the European championships.
Dutchwoman Marleen Veldhuis set a new women's 50m freestyle world record after clocking 24.09sec, beating the former best mark of 24.13 set by compatriot Inge De Bruijn at the Olympics on September 24 2000 in Sydney, Australia.
And Italy's Federica Pellegrini broke the world record in winning the women's 400m freestyle with 4min 1.53sec, to better the former best time of 4:02.13 set by France's Laure Manaudou on August 6 2006 in Budapest.
Bernard had broken the 50 metre mark on Sunday for his third world mark of the Eindhoven event.
The 24-year-old Bernard swam 21.50 seconds in his semi-final to beat Australian Eamon Sullivan's 21.56 set last month.
He also clocked 47.50 to win the 100m freestyle in Saturday's final, breaking his own mark of 47.60 seconds set in the semi-finals on Friday. Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband set the old mark set at the 2000 Olympics.
In other events, Russia won the men's 4x100m medley relay in a new European record of 3:34.25 ahead of Croatia (3:36.32) and Sweden (3:36:85), Britain won the women's version of the same relay, also in a European best of 3:59.33, ahead of Russia (4:00.47) and the Netherlands (4:04.41).
And Germany's Janne Schaefer took the women's 50m breaststroke in 31.08sec ahead of Russia's Yuliya Efimova (31.41) and Mirna Jukic of Austria (31.59).
Meanwhile 13-year-old Tom Daley is the new European champion after winning the 10m platform title for Britain.
Daley produced flawless dives in rounds four and five, each earning four marks of 10 from the judges. His final round dive was less impressive but he had done enough to hold off Germany's Sascha Klein and Francesco Dell'Uomo, of Italy.
"It was just an absolutely amazing experience," Daley told BBC Sport. "I missed one of my dives and to still be able to get the 10s after that and to still bring myself up to get the gold medal, I really didn't expect it."
Daley, who will become the second-youngest male Olympian in British history after qualifying for Beijing, was only sixth after three rounds.
"Normally I can do that (third) dive a lot better and because I didn't, I did get a bit worried, and knew I had to turn it around.
"To finish up and be standing on the top of the podium with your national anthem playing is not something that happens every day," he added.
