More records at Euro swimming champs

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) -- Milorad Cavic won the 50-meter butterfly and Alexander Dale Oen won the 100 breaststroke, both setting continental records Wednesday at the European swimming championships.

Laure Manaudou of France, the Olympic champion in the 400 freestyle, won her eighth career European title and first this year in the 200 backstroke, finishing well clear in 2 minutes, 7.99 seconds.

Anastasia Zueva of Russia was second in 2:09.59. Nikolett Szepesi of Hungary was third in 2:09.90.

"I surprised myself by this time," Manaudou said.

Cavic broke the butterfly record for the second time in two days, then said he could have threatened the world record if his finish had been better.

The Serbian swimmer, who was born and lives in the United States, finished in 23.11 to beat defending champion Sergiy Breus of Ukraine, who was second in 23.48. Rafael Munoz Perez of Spain was third in 23.60.

"A fantastic time, but I could have been even faster, perhaps set a new world record," Cavic said. "The touch was not right. I had to stretch too far."

Roland Schoeman of South Africa set the world record of 22.96 in Montreal in 2005.

Oen won the 100 breaststroke in European record time of 59.76, beating the previous mark of 59.94 set in 2001 by Roman Sloudnov of Russia.

"I feel awesome looking at the scoreboard and seeing a time below a minute and a European record," Oen said. "It's a fantastic feeling being the fourth swimmer crashing the minute barrier."

The Norwegian edged Hugues Duboscq for the title by two hundredths of a second. The Frenchman's time of 59.78 made him only the fifth person in the sub-1 minute club.

Oleg Lisogor of Ukraine was third in 1:00.53.

Markus Rogan of Austria won the men's 100 backstroke in 54.03, powering down the second lap to overtake Aristeidis Grigoriadis, who qualified fastest and turned first but faded to finish second in 54.27.

Defending champion Arkady Vyatchanin was third in 54.45.

"I'm still lacking the starting speed, that's why I turned only in eighth position," Rogan said. "My race certainly wasn't technically perfect."

Chantal Groot led a Dutch 1-2 in the 50 butterfly, finishing in 26.03 to edge teammate Inge Dekker. Sviatlana Khakhlova of Belarus was third in 26.52 and defending champion and world record holder Therese Alshammar of Sweden finished fourth in 26.69.

In the morning session, three-time Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband was eliminated from the 200 freestyle in the heats. His national coach said illness could keep him out of the rest of the event.

Van den Hoogenband won the 200 freestyle at the Sydney Games and he is a two-time Olympic winner over 100 meters, but he came into this year's European championships saying he was only 80 percent fit as he builds toward his final Olympics in Beijing.

He said after Wednesday's heats he had been feeling nauseous and considered pulling out.

Netherlands coach Jacco Verhaeren said the race was "one of Pieter's worst I ever saw," and added that Van den Hoogenband will not swim again unless he is fit.

"Until he is completely better, he stays out of the water," Verhaeren said.

In the diving competition, Illya Kvasha took gold in the 1-meter springboard with 454.65 points for his first major diving title. The Ukrainian beat defending champion Joona Puhakka of Finland, with Christopher Sacchin of Italy in third.

"I am overjoyed," Kvasha said. "Unfortunately, the 1-meter springboard is not an Olympic competition. I am aiming to qualify for the 3-meter springboard final in Beijing."