Ryosuke IrieCANBERRA (AFP) - Japan's Ryosuke Irie sliced 1.08 seconds off Olympic champion Ryan Lochte's 200-metre backstroke world record at the Duel in the Pool meet against Australia, in Canberra.
Irie swam a new record time of one minute 52.86 seconds to go under the old record of 1:53.94 set by American Lochte when he won the gold medal at last year's Beijing Olympics.
Irie, 19, only three weeks ago missed the record by 8/100ths of a second in clocking 1:54.02 at the Japanese world championship trials, and continues his hot form.
The Osaka university student was also just 0.02 seconds outside American Aaron Peirsol?s 100m backstroke world record of 52.56secs here Saturday.
Irie said he was confident of breaking the world record again at July's FINA World Championships in Rome.
"I am very happy to break the world record in Australia and I am going to break (the world record) again at the world championships," he said.
The Japanese sensation finished more than five seconds ahead of Australia's Ashley Delaney and compatriot Takashi Nakano in third in the event.
"I couldn't think I could go that fast," he said. "I can say only one phrase: unbelievable."
