SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia's Eamon Sullivan headlined another night of top-class action as he swam to an astonishing second 50-metre freestyle record in as many days at the Australian Olympic trials here.
Sullivan shaved 0.13 seconds off his own mark set a day earlier with 21.28 sec, sending a signal that he is the man to beat in Beijing.
In the very next race 15-year-old Cate Campbell underlined her potential as she moved to within reach of the women's 50m freestyle world record.
Sullivan is suddenly the new Ian Thorpe of Australian swimming, with his appearance Friday drawing the biggest crowd of the week, most of whom were cheering well before he was introduced.
And he didn't disappoint, swimming what coach Grant Stoelwinder described as a "perfect" race.
Sullivan, whose girlfriend Stephanie Rice smashed the world records in the 200m and 400m individual medleys earlier this week, is locked in a fierce rivalry with Frenchman Alain Bernard.
Bernard holds the world 100m freestyle record and briefly held the 50m mark this week until Sullivan claimed it back on Thursday, before lowering it again in Friday's final.
The 22-year-old from Perth then went close to Bernard's 100m mark in Wednesday's final, touching the wall just two-hundredths of a second outside the world record.
Sullivan said his form over the past week should have his opponents worried ahead of the Olympics, but he said he wouldn't get too carried away.
"Hopefully they'll be shaking in their boots," he said.
"But you never know, it's a long year and it's an Olympic year so there's still a lot of national trials to go, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot of fast times coming up."
Sullivan, who ignored Stoelwinder's advice when he set the 50m world record on Thursday, said this time he had paid attention after being on the receiving end of some harsh words.
"I went against what my coach told me last night and still broke it (the record)," he said.
"I got a few words spoken to me tonight and I followed it and have swum faster."
In the night's other highlights, Campbell swam 24.30 in the women's 50m freestyle semi-finals to slash 0.18 off her own Commonwealth record and move within reach of Dutchwoman Marleen Veldhuis's world mark of 24.09.
"I don't know what the rest of the world is thinking but hopefully they look at me as a little bit of a threat," Campbell said.
Andrew Lauterstein claimed the 100m butterfly title, Meagen Nay swam a Commonwealth record 2mins 08.55secs in the 200m backstroke and Kylie Palmer won the women's 800m freestyle. The championships conclude Saturday.
