Atherton breaks 55 seconds for new shortcourse 100m backstroke world record

BUDAPEST: Australia´s Minna Atherton set a new shortcourse world record in the 100m backstroke at the International Swimming League (ISL) meet on Sunday, becoming the first woman to dip below 55 seconds.The 19-year-old clocked 54.89sec to break the previous mark of 55.03sec set by Hungarian golden girl Katinka Hosszu at the 2014 world championships."I´m really happy with that, especially since I just missed it in the relay (earlier in the day)," said Atherton. "It will be exciting to see what is coming up in the future."Also starring on Sunday was Britain´s Adam Peaty, a 2016 Olympic gold medallist and eight-time world champion.He followed up his 50m breaststroke win on Saturday with victory in the 100mm."It´s been brilliant, absolutely amazing," said Peaty as he reflected on his first appearance in the ISL season."I´ve never ever felt an energy like this, and I think it really helps bringing all the different cultures, all the different team members around the world together."The inaugural season of the ISL features six meetings in all with a series finale in Las Vegas in December.

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