SYDNEY, Feb 17: Australia’s Eamon Sullivan broke Alexander Popov’s eight-year-old world record for 50 metres freestyle on Sunday, instantly inheriting the title as the fastest swimmer in history.

The 22-year-old powered his way down Sydney’s Olympic pool in 21.56 seconds to shave 0.08 off the mark Popov set at Moscow in June, 2000.

Sullivan has emerged as one of the rising stars of men’s freestyle sprinting in the past two years but Sunday’s performance will catapult him into favouritism for gold at this year’s Beijing Olympics.

“I was just getting used to being the fastest man in Australia and now I am the fastest in the world,” he told reporters.

“I will have to have a chat with a lot of people and work out my game plan because instead of me targeting people, other people will be targeting me.”

Sullivan’s coach Grant Stoelwinder said he knew he could go close to breaking the record but had told him to save himself for next month’s Australian Olympic trials.

“He has blown his cover big time!” Stoelwinder said.

“There are really, really good athletes and then there are those who have that something just a little bit special.”

Sullivan had never broken 22 seconds for the one-lap dash before Sunday’s race at the New South Wales Open championship and was initially unaware that he had broken the world record when he glanced at the scoreboard.

“I looked up and saw the point 56 at the end and thought it was 22.56 before I realised it was a one instead of a two at the start,” he said.

“Then I saw the line and was in shock.”

“We have made some big gains in the gym and I knew if I put bits of my best race together we would be in for a shot at the 22 [seconds]. To take that much off my PB [personal best] is amazing.”

Australia’s head swimming coach Alan Thompson said Sullivan had achieved something special by breaking a record belonging to Popov, the Russian who won the freestyle sprint double at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

“That was great, to break a world record of one of the legends of the sport and a long-term world record,” Thompson said.—Reuters