BEIJING -- Ryan Lochte of the United States broke the world record to win the men's 200m backstroke gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games here on Friday.

US swimmer Ryan Lochte celebrates winning the men's 200m backstroke final at the National Aquatics Center during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 15, 2008. Lochte broke the men's 200m backstroke world record in winning Olympic gold in 1min 53.94sec. [Agencies]

Lochte clocked in the winning time of 1:53.94 to break his old world mark of 1:54.32 set up in March 2007.

His fellow American Aaron Peirsol won the silver in 1:54.33 and Russian Arkady Vyatchanin got the bronze in 1:54.93.