BARCELONA, Spain, 22 July 2003 — Australian duo Matthew Welsh and Liesel Jones set the first world records of the world swimming championships within minutes of each other here yesterday.
And they were soon joined by Kosuke Kitajima who set a new world mark at the Palau Sant Jordi pool on his way to becoming Japan’s first world swimming champion in the men’s 100 meters breaststroke.
The 20-year-old Kitajima clocked 59.78sec to claim gold and better the previous record of 59.94 set by Russia’s Roman Sloudnov at the last world championships in Japan two years ago.
Brendan Hansen of the United States took silver in 1min 00.21sec, with Britain’s James Gibson winning the bronze in 1:00.37, ahead of Olympic and world champion Domenico Fioravanti of Italy who finished sixth.
Earlier Welsh timed 23.43sec on his way to victory in the men’s 50m butterfly final as Jones clocked a new world best of 1:06.37 in the semifinals of the women’s 100m breaststroke.
The 26-year-old Welsh broke the previous mark of 23.44sec set by compatriot and defending champion Geoff Heugill at the last world championships.
“Being a backstroker probably helped me,” said Welsh, who is better known for his prowess in the backstroke, winning the 100m back at the last world championships, and he holds the world record in the 200m backstroke short course.
“The first thing that went through my mind is ‘Oh my God I’ve won, oh my God it’s a world record!” added the man from Melbourne who only took up competitive swimming at the age of 18.
Ian Crocker of the United States took silver in 23.62 with the bronze going to Yevgeny Korotychkine of Russia in 23.73. Heugill finished fourth in 23.76.
Inspired by her fellow Australian, Olympic silver medalist Jones shaved fractions off the previous best of 1:06.52 set by Penelope Heyns of South Africa in Sydney in August 1999.
“It was one of my most perfect times. I think it was seeing Matt set a world record that inspired me,” said the 17-year-old Commonwealth champion in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke who was runner-up in the 100m in Fukuoka.
“Those weren’t quite tears of joy but close to it,” she said.
“It was a shock to see the score on the scoreboard. It still hasn’t sunk in yet but I’m sure it will tonight when I go to bed.”
Olympic champion Yana Klochkova of the Ukraine, meanwhile, won gold in the women’s 200m individual medley.
Klochkova clocked 2:10.75 to take the title ahead of Alice Mills of Australia in 2:12.75 with China’s Zhou Yafei taking bronze in 2:12.92.
Earlier US veteran Jenny Thompson became the most bemedalled woman swimmer in world championships history when she took the 100m butterfly title.
Thompson clocked a new championship record of 57.96sec to come in ahead of Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland, who timed 58.22, with European champion Martina Moravcova of Slovakia taking bronze.
The 30-year-old Thompson, world champion over the distance in 1998, also won the relay gold Sunday, and now has the most women’s world championships medals ever with a total of 11 — seven gold, three silver and a bronze.
She overtakes former East German swimmer Kornelia Ender and Shirley Babashoff of the United States, who won ten each.
Thompson, who already holds the most Olympic gold medals for any US woman with eight, ties with Matt Biondi as the country’s most decorated world championship swimmer.
The American took two years off after the Sydney Olympics where she won three gold medals to begin medical studies at Columbia University, and is testing herself for next year’s Athens Olympics.
