Melbourne: Michael Phelps broke his fifth world record in a week on Sunday to collect his seventh gold medal at the World Swimming Championships.

The 21-year-old American wiped more than two seconds off his own world mark in the 400m individual medley to better Ian Thorpe’s haul of six gold medals at the 2001 Championships.

Phelps was robbed of his chance for an unprecedented eighth gold, which would have eclipsed Mark Spitz’s seven at the 1972 Munich Olympics, when the US were disqualified from the medley relay after Ian Crocker left the blocks too early during the morning heats.

His time of 4:06.22 slashed 2.04 off the previous mark of 4:08.26 he set at the Athens Olympics.

Katie Hoff broke the world record while winning the women’s 400 medley to claim her fourth world title. She in 4:32.89, 0.70 under the old mark set by Ukraine’s Yana Klochkova at the Sydney Olympics. The US finished at the top of the table with 21 golds.

Laure Manaudou of France was named the outstanding female swimmer. (Reuters)