Olym-pic gold medallist Laure Manaudou swam away from her rivals to win the 200 metres backstroke at the European championships on Wednesday.

The Frenchwoman, taking a break from the 200 and 400 freestyle in which she is world champion and world record-holder, proved equally at ease in the 200 backstroke. She took charge on the second length at the National Swimming Centre pool and pulled clear to win with plenty to spare in two minutes 7.99 seconds.

That made the 21-year-old the fifth fastest woman ever in the event. Russian Anastasia Zueva, 17, took silver in 2:09.59 and Hungary's Nikolett Szepesi bronze in 2:09.90.

Norway's Alexander Dale Oen and France's Hugues Duboscq became only the fourth and fifth men to break the minute mark for the 100 metres breaststroke, the pair neck and neck down the second length and separated by only 0.02 seconds at the touch.

Dale Oen, European silver medallist in 2006, clocked 59.76 and Olympic bronze medallist Duboscq 59.78, both inside the European record of 59.94 set by Russia's Roman Sludnov in Fukuoka in July 2001.

Serbia's Milorad Cavic lowered the European 50 butterfly record for the second time in two days to depose Ukraine's Sergiy Breus, gold medallist in 2004 and 2006, as European champion in the one-length race.

Cavic, who clocked 23.25 to break Breus's 23.38 mark in Tuesday's semifinals, cut the European record to 23.11 with Breus taking silver in 23.48 and Spain's Rafel Munoz bronze.

Chantal Groot and Eindhoven local Inge Dekker pulled off a Dutch one-two in the women's 50 butterfly. Groot moved up to gold with a powerful finish which carried her home in 26.03 to Dekker's 26.30.