Lochte wins U.S. duel in Olympic 200 backstroke

BEIJING (AP) Ryan Lochte upset defending champion Aaron Peirsol in the 200-meter backstroke at the Beijing Olympics on Friday, winning in a world-record time and dashing his teammate's hopes of completing a backstroke sweep for the second consecutive games.

Lochte took the lead over the final 50 meters and touched in 1 minute, 53.94 seconds, lowering the world mark of 1:54.32 that he and Peirsol had shared for more than a month.

Peirsol earned the silver in 1:54.33. Arkady Vyatchanin of Russia, who led the first 150 meters, took the bronze in 1:54.93.

Peirsol had already won the 100 back in world-record time.

Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.