PESCARA, Italy (AFP) - Spanish swimmer Aschwin Wildeboer Faber broke the men's 100 metres backstroke world record here at the Mediterranean Games on Wednesday timing 52.38 seconds on the first leg of the 4x100m medley relay.

The 23-year-old's time bettered the mark of 52.54sec set by American Aaron Peirsol in August last year at the Olympic Games.

Wildeboer Faber had already improved his European mark on Tuesday in the individual event having broken the European record two months previously.

Wildeboer Faber has yet to win a medal in a major competition having finished just seventh in the Olympic final last year.