BUDAPEST - Laure Manaudou of France has set the new women's 400 metres freestyle world record at the European championships in Budapest in Sunday.

Manaudou was under world-record pace the entire race, finishing in 4 minutes, 02.13 seconds. She bettered her own mark of 4:03.03 set at this year's Nationals in Tours, France.

In other highlights Pole sprint specialist Bartosz Kizierowski set a new championships record in the men's 50 metres freestyle. Kizierowskyi, 29, won gold in 21.88, "Fantastic race, I remained six hunderdths below my personal best and set also the national record to get my second 50 freee title, after that in 2002," said Kizierowskyi.

In the men's 400 metres individual medley, Hungary's Laszlo Cseh won gold in the new championships record time of 4:09.86. "I wanted to break the world record," said Cseh. "But I am quite tired for the record. However me and the coach will analyse the race and will see where I can improve."

Finally, the Russian 400 metres medley relay team of Arkady Vyatchanin, Roman Sludnov, Nikolay Skvortsov and Andrey Kapralov won gold and set a championships record of 3:34.96.