Swimming witnessed one of the most extraordinary nights in world championship history in Melbourne, with four world records and two championship records. The occasion was soured only by the disturbing footage of a young swimmer being assaulted by her father/coach in the marshaling area of the Susie O'Neill pool at Rod Laver Arena.

Michael Phelps set the tone on a golden night for the United States, setting a new mark in the 200-metres freestyle in a time of 1:43.86sec, eclipsing the old mark of recently retired champion Ian Thorpe. Phelps came out aggressively, grabbing an early lead and nullifying the traditional quick start of Pieter van den Hoogenband, the Sydney Olympic champion.

The Dutchman was never able to challenge the powerful American's lead over the last 100 metres but still did enough to claim silver ahead of South Korea's Park Tae Hwan. Minutes later,it was more gold for the US and another world record for Natalie Coughlin in the women's 100-metres backstroke.

Coughlin set a blistering pace in the first 50 metres, but was well under record pace at the turn. The record looked safe in the final stages as she tired visibly, with Laure Manaudou charging her down. Coughlin hit the wall in a time of 59.44 seconds with Manado (59.87) becoming only the second woman to swim under 60 seconds. Japan's Reiko Nakamura finished third in 1:00.40.

The Americans made it three from three in the men's 100-metres backstroke, where Aaron Peirsol became the first man to swim the distance in under 53 seconds to claim his third straight world title in the event. Peirsol had to come from behind, turning at the 50-metres mark behind British 50-metres specialist Liam Tancock and fellow American Ryan Lochte. But Peirsol was irrepressible in the final 25-metres, mowing down Lochte to claim the gold in 52.98, half a second ahead Lochte, with Tancock taking the bronze.

The final and least-expected world record of the night came from Italy's Federica Pellegrini in the second semi of the women's 200-metres freestyle. In a race worthy of a final, Pellegrini and Germany's Annika Lurz, in lanes seven and eight, fought out a titanic struggle for a good lane in tomorrow's final. Well outside world-record pace at the halfway mark, the duo set a cracking pace in the final 100 metres in an attempt to hold off more fancied rivals in Manaudou and Poland’s Otylia Jedrezjczak. Pellegrini's record was met with stunned silence from the crowd, who could not believe the Italian's time of 1:56.47.

In the night's other finals, Kate Ziegler made it four golds for the US on the night, winning the women's 1500-metres freestyle in a championship record time of 15:53.05, less than a second above Janet Evans's 19-year-old record. Ziegler made a quick start and was well below record pace in the first 500 metres and by the halfway mark had what appeared to be an unassailable lead.

Not surprisingly, given the pace she had set in the first two thirds, Ziegler started to tire over the last 500-metres and with Swiss Flavio Rigamonti finishing strongly, the race became a battle of wills over the last eight laps, Rigamonti getting within one and half seconds of the American, but she left her charge too late. Still, Rigamonti's time of 15:55.38 is the fifth fastest of all time and third-placed Ai Shibata of Japan also joined the sub-16 minute club in 15:58.55.

The Americans narrowly missed out on a clean sweep of the night's finals with Tara Kirk pushing Australia's Leisel Jones to the line in the women's 100-metres breaststroke final. Jones became only the second woman to successfully defend her crown in the event, in a championship record time 1:05.72. Jones turned at the 50-metres mark narrowly under her own world record pace but was unable to maintain that pace with the pressure of Kirk at her heels. Ukrainian Anna Khlistunova claimed the bronze.

The action in the pool managed to overshadowed the disturbing events at the pool earlier in the day. Host broadcaster the Nine Network captured footage with their remote camera in the marshaling area of a young female swimmer engaged in a verbal argument with an older male which later become physical, initiated by the man.

After inspection of the footage by Victoria police and event organisers, FINA officials managed to identify the unnamed competitor as a member of the Ukraine squad and the man as her father and coach. FINA have now stripped the 38-year old of his accreditation and police have detained him for questioning overnight.

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