ROME — With Michael Phelps cheering from the stands, Ryan Lochte of the United States set a world record in the 200-meter individual medley Thursday at the world championships.

Lochte won in 1 minute, 54.10 seconds. Shortly after he finished, Canada’s Annanmay Pierse set the 24th world record of these championships in the semifinals of the 200 breaststroke.
Lochte broke Phelps’ gold-medal time of 1:54.23 from the Beijing Olympics. Phelps skipped this event at the worlds, but he was in the stands with the rest of the American team.
Laszlo Cseh of the Hungary took the silver in 1:55.24, and American Eric Shanteau captured his first major international medal with a bronze in 1:55.36. Shanteau competed at last year’s Olympics after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Pierse’s time of 2:20.12 in the second heat beat the mark of 2:20.22 held by American Rebecca Soni. Soni won the first heat and will get a chance to reclaim her mark in a head-to-head showdown Friday.