Sludnov sets 100m breaststroke record

Russian swimmer Roman Sludnov broke the men's 100 metres breaststroke world record on Thursday.

The 21-year-old student, from the Siberian city of Omsk, clocked one minute 00.26 seconds in the first semifinal at the Russian national championships in Moscow.

Sludnov, who was behind the world record pace by four hundredths of a second at the halfway mark, picked up speed in the final 50 metres to beat American Ed Moses's record, set in March this year, by three hundredths of a second.

Sludnov, who also set a 100 metres breaststroke world record in a semifinal heat at the same pool at last year's Russian championships with a time of 1:00.36., will have a chance to better his time in Friday's final.

The Moscow meet serves as a qualifier for next month's world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.