Rome 2009, Day 7

• Women's 4x100m medley

China cranked out a 3:52.19 world record ahead of Australia's Olympic champions, on 3:32.58 and also 0.11sec inside their previous mark, with Germany third in a European record of 3:55.79, Britta Steffen's 51.99 sizzler of a split keeping Britain and the Netherlands off the podium. That made world record No39 ... and counting.

The China team went like this:

• Zhao Jing - 58.98; Chen Huija - 1:04.12; Jiao Liuyang - 56.28; Li Zhesi - 52.81. 

Now then, that time of Chen's is interesting. Anti-suit villain that I am, doubtless her Jaked01 was a bit of a booster. But this was rocket-fuel type stuff:

Best time going into the medley relay: 1:07.27, after a 1:08.13 last year. I can't find another swimmer in the race who got much more than a second out of the suit, the start and the freedom-fight mentality of a relay. Chen found 3.15sec. Gosh.