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Aussie Cate Campbell breaks world record for women's 100m freestyle

Xinhua, July 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Australian swimmer Cate Campbell has broken the world record for women's 100 metres freestyle at the Swimming Australia Grand Prix meet in Brisbane on Saturday night.

Her performance of 52.06 seconds is sure to consolidate her status as gold medal favourite for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics next month.

Her previous personal best was 52.33, set in 2013, which was both the national and Commonwealth record.

"I still can't believe it has happened," the 24-year-old Campbell told the Australian Broadcast Company (ABC) shortly after her world-record performance.

"People have been asking me when I was going to break a world record for the past three years and honestly it really wasn't on my mind but every time I got into the pool it was like, 'will they stop asking me this question now?', and now you will."

The new record is just 0.01 second off the previous world mark set by Germany's Britta Steffen during the "supersuit era" in 2009.

Bronte Campbell, Cate's younger sister who is also a star swimmer, twitted "Guys my big sister just broke a world record! We're very excited!"

Bronte did not contest the 100m freestyle at the pre-Rio departure meet, admitting she had no idea she was under world record pace during the final. Enditem