Hosszu takes gold in women's 200 metres medley

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Hungary's Katinka Hosszu won the women's 200 metres individual medley at the world championships on Monday as Olympic champion Ye Shiwen of China surprisingly finished outside the medals in fourth.

Hungary's Katinka Hosszu celebrates after winning the women's 200m individual medley final during the World Swimming Championships at the Sant Jordi arena in Barcelona

The 24-year-old Hosszu, sixth at the last edition in Shanghai two years ago and a bronze medallist in Rome in 2009, led on all four legs and touched in a time of two minutes and 07.92 seconds.

Alicia Coutts of Australia took silver in 2:09.39, repeating her second place from 2011, and Spain's Mireia Belmonte Garcia delighted the home support with bronze in 2:09.45.

Belmonte Garcia held off Ye on the final leg, with the Chinese failing to defend her world title and finishing fourth in 2:10.48.

(Reporting by Iain Rogers, editing by Pritha Sarkar)