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Michael Phelps - Source: Reuters -
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A resurgent Michael Phelps shattered his own world record to retain his 200 metres butterfly title at the world championships on Thursday.
The American swam one minute 51.51 to beat his Beijing Olympic mark of 1:52.03.
"I tried to hang on in the last 50m and I was able to. I wanted to step on it real hard in the first 100," the Olympic champion told reporters.
As he often does for the 200 butterfly, Phelps did not wear a bodysuit and instead chose long pants. He had warmed up in a full suit but said he had not felt comfortable.
His victory partly made up for his defeat in the 200 freestyle final on Wednesday when Germany's Paul Biedermann broke his world record to win.
The gold is the 24-year-old's second of the meet after the US won the 4x100 freestyle relay on Sunday and his 19th overall in world championships.
He is due to swim the 100 butterfly later in the week.
Poland's Pawel Korzeniowski took the silver in the 200 butterfly on another warm Rome evening with Japan's Takeshi Matsuda finishing third in the open air pool.
