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South African swimmer beats own world record

4 August 2015

Cameron van der Burgh, the South African swimmer, has another reason to smile. He beat his own world record in the 50m breaststroke heats at the 16th Fédération Internationale de Natation (Fina) World Championships on 4 August.

The championships started on 24 July and end on 9 August, and are being held in Kazan, Russia.

Van der Burgh defended his title by clocking 26.62 seconds to shave 0.05 seconds off his own record he set at the 2009 championships. Back in 2009, the performance-enhancing neoprene suits were still permitted.

Britain's Adam Peaty swam exactly the same time of 26.62 seconds at the European championships in Berlin, Germany in August 2014, but his time has not yet been ratified by swimming's governing body, Fina.

The 50m breaststroke is not an Olympic event.

Meanwhile, Van der Burgh won silver in the 100m breaststroke yesterday, outshone by Peaty. With a 0.07-second difference, Peaty claimed the gold in a time of 58.52; the South African hit the wall in 58.59.

Source: News24Wire