Frenchman Alain Bernard shattered the 100 metres freestyle world record for the second time in two days at the European swimming championships in Eindhoven.

Bernard, who snatched the record from Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband at the Dutchman's home pool in Friday's semi-finals, lowered it by a further 0.10 to 47.50 seconds to win the final by the best part of a second.

Bernard had clocked 47.60 seconds in the semi-finals to beat the 47.84 mark Van den Hoogenband set in the semi-finals of the Sydney Olympics on Sept. 19, 2000, on the way to the first of his two Olympic 100 freestyle titles.

Van den Hoogenband, who turned 30 last week, had pulled out of the event here, having been ill during the week.

The heavily-muscled Bernard turned at the 50-metre mark in 22.53, a breathtaking 0.35 seconds inside his own world record split of 22.88, and powered down the return length to finish the job to the cheers of spectators in the National Swimming Centre.

Sweden's Stefan Nystrand took silver in 48.40. Italy's world champion Filippo Magnini, the winner at the last two European championships, could only manage the bronze in 48.53.

Bernard's best time before Eindhoven was 48.12.

"It's unbelievable. I wanted to be faster today, now I know that I'm the man to beat. I have been searching for this level for years," the Frenchman said.

Russia maintained their winning ways and claimed two of the day's three other pool titles.

Yuri Prilukov won the 1500 freestyle for the fourth time in a row, completing his second consecutive European 400 and 1500 golden double but complaining that the water was too warm.

Russia's 15-year-old Yulia Efimova won the women's 200 breaststroke in a championship record 2:24.09 from 100 breaststroke champion Mirna Jukic of Austria (2:24.58), with team mate Alena Alekseeva adding bronze to her 100 silver.

Youth also triumphed in the women's 100 butterfly when 14-year-old Swede Sarah Sjoestroem, in her first international final, overtook holder Inge Dekker at the death to win in 58.44.

Dekker, a member of the world record-breaking Dutch 4x100 freestyle relay team on Tuesday, set a cracking pace but paid the price and was left second in 58.50 after taking another silver in the 50 butterfly and bronze in the 100 freestyle.

Britain's David Davies, the Olympic bronze medallist, set a brisk opening pace in the men's 1500, leading through the first 650 metres, but Prilukov reeled him in and established an advantage at the 700-metre mark which he never lost.

The Russian, world silver medallist to the Briton's bronze in 2005 and 2007, kept his grip and touched in a championship record 14:50.40, with Davies taking silver in 14:54.28.

World champion Mateusz Sawrymowicz of Poland was never in contention for gold and settled for bronze in 14:58.78.

"Apparently, the races suit me where my competitors set the pace at the start and I can catch up and overtake them." Prilukov said. "However, the greatest problem today was not my competitors but the water temperature. It was much too warm."

Davies said: "It was a kind of test for me for making a fast start to the race because other guys like (Australia's Olympic champion Grant) Hackett do it too. Conclusion -- it hurts like hell."

Reuters