Lochte won't match Phelps with 8 golds

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Michael Phelps can rest easy. Ryan Lochte is not going to match him with eight golds this week at the short-course world championships.

Lochte's golden bid was derailed when the United States' 400-meter freestyle relay failed to medal on the opening night of the meet Wednesday.

Lochte got off to a good start with a dominant victory in the 200 freestyle, but the U.S. fell behind in the relay after Nathan Adrian's dismal opening leg, leaving Lochte too much time to make up when he dove in for the anchor leg.

Never one to take things too seriously, Lochte wasn't dwelling on the loss.

"You win some and you lose some," he said. "As long as we're having fun out there, I guess that's all that matters."

Adrian, however, was assuming responsibility after placing seventh in the opening leg.

"I had a bad swim," Adrian said. "There's really no reason I shouldn't have been faster. The other guys put together good splits and I didn't."

Meanwhile, China set swimming's first world record of 2010, winning the women's 800 freestyle relay.

While world records fell by the dozens in 2008 and 2009, no individual or relay marks had been set this year in long- or short-course pools after rubberized bodysuits were outlawed.

Chen Qian, Tang Yi, Liu Jjing and Zhu Qianwei finished in 7 minutes, 35.94 seconds, lowering by nearly 3 seconds the mark Netherlands set two years ago.

Still, the biggest surprise was in the men's relay.

The French team of Alain Bernard, Frederick Bousquet, Fabien Gilot and Yannick Agnel won in 3:04.78, with Russia a slim 0.04 behind and Cesar Cielo-led Brazil third, 0.96 back.

"A long time we are waiting for this victory, but you know when you believe in something you work hard for that and today it will pay," Bernard said. "It's maybe the first time for us on top of the international podium, but it's not the last — that's for sure."

Normally the dominant force in relays, the U.S. team of Adrian, Garrett Weber-Gale, Richard Berens and Lochte placed fourth, a distant 1.32 behind.

The U.S. men hadn't finished off the podium since they were disqualified at the 2007 long-course worlds for a false start in morning heats.