Australian Cameron McEvoy has broken Cesar Cielo’s long-standing men’s 50m freestyle world record, set during swimming’s ‘supersuit’ era.

McEvoy finished in 20.88 seconds at the China Swimming Open in Shenzhen, narrowly bettering the 20.91 recorded by Brazilian Cielo in 2009.

The 31-year-old, who won gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and then a world title last year, said he had been doing “special stuff” in training and was targeting a personal best.

“I knew I had a chance to do a PB,” he said. “My old PB was 21.06, so maybe 20.99, but doing 20.88 is unreal. It’s crazy.

“The 50m, I look at it as a strength-based skill. It’s different to the other events in swimming.

“A lot more strength and power is involved, and men peak in strength into their 30s, well into their 30s.”