The second world record of the session fell within minutes, as Jessica Hardy cracked out a 28.80 win in the 50m breaststroke, ahead of a European record of 29.55 to Jana Schaefer (GER). Third place was a 29.78 consolation for Leisel Jones, but the Australian had her big moment of the day to come.

During a break for much of 2009, Jones lost her grip on world breaststroke. She came back with a vengeance in Berlin, and after setting the 100m world mark at 1:03.00 yesterday, she reclaimed the 200m standard with a 2:15.42 effort. Rie Kaneto (JPN) took second in 2:16.73, with third place going to Rikke Moller Pedersen (DEN) in 2:18.30.

The third world mark fell to Cameron Van Der Burgh (RSA), with a 55.61sec 100m breaststroke blast. His 50m breaststroke standard of yesterday left him at the top of the leader board for men, while Hardy's 50m world record left her at the helm of the women's points table. Van Der Burgh also claimed a bonus to the $10,000 prize offered by FINA and Arena for each world record: he won a car from Berlin organisers for the "performance of the meet" in the 50m breaststroke, based on points.

The fourth global standard went to Nikolay Korotyshkin (RUS) in 48.48 in the 100m butterfly. Second went to Steffen Deibler (GER) in 49.23, with third going to Andrew Lauterstein (AUS), in 49.54.

The fifth world record went to Shiho Sakai in 55.23 in the 100m backstroke. That sliced almost a second off her own standard, set earlier this year, while Gao Chang (CHN) went with her under the old mark and 56sec mark, on 55.72. Third went to South African Chanelle Van Wyk in 56.56.

Olympic champion Liu Zige (CHN) claimed the sixth world  record of the day, a 2:00.78 that gave her a comfortable victory in the 200m butterfly. Mandy Loots (RSA) followed on, in 2:04.48, with Micha Ostergard (DEN) third in 2:04.98.

Michael Phelps (USA) had missed the final of the 200m freestyle but, as the only swimmer in the finals wearing a suit that will be legal under new FINA rules in 2010, put in a valiant performance in the 200m medley. The Olympic champion's 1min 53.70 was a best time but not good enough to compete on an even keel with Townsend, who had recovered from his efforts in the 200m freestyle well enough to crack the medley world record with a 1:51.55 effort. Third place went to his teammate Chad Le Clos in 1:54.28.

Another to earn a $10,000 prize was Hinkelien Schreuder (NED), with a dominant 57.74 global mark in the 100m medley. The battle for second place went to Whitney Myers (USA), on 58.96, 0.07sec ahead of Francesca Halsall (GBR), who earlier in the session had rejoined battle with Danish rival Jeanette Ottesen in the 100m freestyle. In Berlin, the order of things in Stockholm was reversed, Ottesen getting the touch in 51.95 to 52.07. Third place went to Inge Dekker (NED) in 52.21. The last world record of the day fell to Arkady Vyatchanin (RUS) with a 1:46.11 effort in the 200m backstroke.

In other action, Roland Schoeman (RSA) set a world cup record of 20.57 in the 50m freestyle; Federico Colbertaldo (ITA) claimed the 1,500m freestyle in 14:29.46 after a tight tussle with Pal Joensen (FAR), second in 14:32.15; Tanya Hunks (CAN) claimed the top spot in the 400m medley in 4:30.52; Gerhard Zandberg added to South Africa's growing list of triumphs with a 22.85 win in the 50m backstroke; and the 400m freestyle went to Lotte Friis (DEN) in 4:01.21.

The World Cup series will conclude in Singapore next weekend.

TOP PERFORMERS IN BERLIN

Men

1    VAN DER BURGH Cameron    RSA    1144    w 25.25    50 breast
2    SCHOEMAN Roland    RSA    1117    25.45    50 breast
3    DEIBLER Steffen    GER    1099    w 21.80    50 fly
4    VYATCHANIN Arkady    RUS    1099    w 1:46.11    100 back
5    BIEDERMANN Paul    GER    1087    w 1:39.37    200 free
6    SILVA Felipe    BRA    1085    25.70    50 breast
7    KOROTYSHKIN Evgeny    RUS    1085    w 48.48    100 fly
8    FESIKOV Sergey    RUS    1065    w 50.95    h 100 im
9    ZANDBERG Gerhard    RSA    1059    51.05    100 im
10    SANTOS Nicholas    BRA    1045    22.17    50 fly

Women

1    HARDY Jessica    USA    1127    w 28.80    50 breast
2    SAKAI Shiho    JPN    1098    w 55.23    100 back
3    SCHREUDER Hinkelien    NED    1086    w 57.74    100im
4    JONES Leisel    AUS    1084    w 1:03.00    100 breast
5    GUEHRER Marieke    AUS    1084    24.69    50 fly
6    ALSHAMMAR Therese    SWE    1076    24.75    50 fly
7    LIU Zige    CHN    1075    w 2:00.78    200 fly
8    GAO Chang    CHN    1069    55.72    100 back
9    SAMULSKI Daniela    GER    1051    26.21    50 back
10    KANETO Rie    JPN    1048    2:16.73    200 breast