Peirsol breaks record

Newport Harbor High product and defending Olympic and world champion

Aaron Peirsol claimed another world record Friday, winning his third

straight 200-meter backstroke title at the swimming world

championships in Montreal.

Peirsol, 22, winner of three gold medals at last summer’s Olympics

in Athens, Greece, clocked in at 1 minute, 54.66 seconds, topping his

previous world record of 1:54.74 set in July 2004.

Markus Rogan of Austria finished second in 1:56.63.

Friday’s victory marks the second world championship Peirsol has

claimed this week -- he won the 100 backstroke Tuesday, making him

the first man since Roland Matthes of East Germany in 1973 and 1975

to win consecutive 100 back titles at the world championships.