Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa swims to set a new world record in the men's 50m breaststroke preliminaries at the Aquatics World Championships in Kazan, Russia, August 4, 2015. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke
KAZAN, Russia (Reuters) - South Africa's Cameron van der Burgh became the first male swimmer to set a world record at this year's world championships on Tuesday, lowering his own 50 metre breaststroke mark to secure a semi-final berth in style. The 26-year-old defending champion touched the wall in 26.62 seconds to join Sarah Sjostrum, Katie Ledecky and Katinka Hosszu's world record efforts during the first two days of competition in Russia.
However, Van der Burgh's time in the breaststroke sprint, a non-Olympic event, also matched British rival Adam Peaty's standard set at last year's European championships.
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