Welsh moves like butterfly, stings like a bee

Matthew Welsh was just using the 50-meter butterfly race as a warmup for his backstroke event. He ended up breaking the world record and win...

Matthew Welsh was just using the 50-meter butterfly race as a warmup for his backstroke event. He ended up breaking the world record and winning a gold medal.

Welsh was one of three swimmers to set world marks yesterday at the World Championships.

Fellow Australian Leisel Jones established a record in the women’s 100 breaststroke semifinals and Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima set a new standard in winning the men’s 100 breaststroke gold medal.

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In yesterday’s other medal events, American veteran Jenny Thompson won gold in the 100 butterfly and Yana Klochkova of the Ukraine won gold in the 200 individual medley.

Five more medals will be handed out in the competition later today.

Welsh covered his single swim down the pool in 23.43 seconds, beating the old record of 23.44 set by fellow Australian Geoff Huegill at the last worlds in Fukuoka, Japan. Afterward, Welsh looked over at Huegill, who finished fourth a few lanes down, with his arms wide apart in apparent disbelief.

‘‘I had no pressure in that race being a backstroker,’’ Welsh said, adding that he tacked on the 50 fly because it fit in well to his programme.

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‘‘It was a good warmup event. I thought I’d chuck it in and if I could make the final grade OK, and if I didn’t not a problem. The biggest problem was actually winning and having to go through a medal ceremony because I only just made the semi-final,’’ Welsh said.

Getting back into starting position just in time, Welsh posted the fourth fastest time (54.77) in the 100 backstroke semifinals. Aaron Peirsol of the United States led in 54.28. Ian Crocker of the United States won silver behind Welsh in the 50 fly, in 23.62, with bronze for Russian Evgeni Korotychkine in 23.73. Barely 10 minutes after Welsh set his mark, Jones clocked 1:06.37 in the second semifinal heat of the 100 breaststroke, beating the old record of 1:06.52 set in 1999 by Penelope Heyns of South Africa.

‘‘I think it was seeing matt set a world record that inspired me,’’ Jones said of her fellow Australian. Kitajima’s time of 59.78 in the men’s 100 breaststroke came as three world marks fell in about 50 minutes in Palau Sant Jordi.

The Japanese eclipsed the old record of 59.94 set by Roman Sloudnov of Russia in Fukuoka in 2001. Brendan Hansen of the United States took silver in 1:00.21, with bronze for James Gibson of Britain in 1:00.37.