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Australian pair set new swimming records in Sydney

Australia's Eamon Sullivan broke the 50m freestyle world record again yesterday, while his Beijing Olympic teammate Libby Trickett did the same over 100m.

It was the third time in the past six weeks that the men's 50 record has been lowered, after Alexander Popov's previous mark stood for nearly eight years.

Sullivan, competing in the 50 semi-finals of the Australian championships and Olympic trial at the Sydney International Aquatic Center, broke the 50 world mark of 21.50 seconds established by France's Alain Bernard at the European championships last weekend in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Bernard had broken Sullivan's previous mark of 21.56 set on Feb. 17 at the New South Wales Open in the same Sydney pool. Popov's previous record of 21.64 was set in Moscow on June 16, 2000.

Sullivan was spurred on after missing Bernard's 100m freestyle world record by just 0.02 seconds on Wednesday.

"It's sort of sweet to get this back after missing it last night," he said. "I felt great in the warmup tonight and great in the swim."

The 22-year-old Sullivan said he is optimistic he could again lower the world record today in the final.

"I hope so, I always like to think I can take off another couple of hundredths [of a second] in the finals," he said.

It was the second time Trickett, formerly Libby Lenton, broke the 53-second barrier, but her previous time of 52.99 at the Duel in the Pool in Sydney last year was not ratified by FINA because she was swimming against American Michael Phelps.

"I cannot say how much I wanted to do that," said Trickett. "Ever since Duel in the Pool last year ... I've just wanted it so badly and to see it officially up there is just amazing."
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