Anton Chupkov sets world record in men's 200 breaststroke

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GWANGJU, South Korea (AP) — Anton Chupkov of Russia broke the world record in the men's 200-meter breaststroke at the world swimming championships Friday.

He won gold in 2 minutes, 6.12 seconds, defending his title from two years ago in Budapest.

That lowered the mark of 2:06.67 that Matthew Wilson of Australia had tied in the semifinals a day earlier. Ippei Watanabe of Japan set the mark in January 2017 in Tokyo.

Chupkov was eighth after the first lap and moved up to fifth at 150 meters. He came home in 31.89 to overtake Wilson, who led from the start.

It was the third world record of the night in Gwangju.