Bernard smashes third world record

BEIJING, March 25 -- Alain Bernard shattered his third world record in as many days on Sunday to achieve a rare sprint double when he broke the 50 meters freestyle mark at the European championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Bernard forged through his 50 freestyle semi-final in 21.50 seconds to better the 21.56 world mark set by Australia's Eamon Sullivan in Sydney on February 17 this year.

The 24-year-old Frenchman snatched the 100 freestyle world record from Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband at the ailing Dutchman's home pool on Friday, clocking 47.60 in the semifinals to beat the 47.84 mark Van den Hoogenband set at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Bernard lowered that to 47.50 in Saturday's final, winning the 100 title by almost a full second.

He is the first man to break the 50 and 100 freestyle world records at the same meeting since American Matt Biondi performed the then unprecedented feat in Orlando in June 1986 ahead of the world championships.

Bernard, sporting the muscular physique of a body-builder, produced the explosive power to match it in the water. Job done, he sat on his lane rope, smilingly soaking up the applause of the cheering crowd.

Marleen Veldhuis, the new women's 100 freestyle champion, threatened to make it a 50 freestyle world record double, falling just 0.13 seconds short of Dutch compatriot Inge de Bruijn's 24.13 world mark in the semifinals.

Anastasia Zueva and Markus Rogan both completed backstroke title doubles, Zueva raising Russia's gold tally to 11 after Yulia Pakhalina had won the women's 3-meter springboard diving and Evgeny Koratyshkin the men's 100 butterfly.

Also, world record holder Leisel Jones reached her third Olympics by winning the women's 100 breaststroke at the Australian trials in Sydney yesterday.

The 22-year-old secured her place in Beijing when she won the final in one minute 05.75 seconds ahead of Tarnee White (1:06.46).

(Source: Shanghai Daily/Agencies)

BRUSSELS, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Alain Bernard of France broke the world record of the men's 100m freestyle for the second time in two days as he won the gold medal at the European swimming championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands on Saturday.

Bernard, who earlier bettered the record held by Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband in Friday's semi-finals, lowered it by a further 0.10 to 47.50 seconds to win the final.