Descenza breaks world record in 200 butterfly

Rome: Mary Descenza was stunned to break the world record in the women`s 200 metres butterfly heats at the world championships.The American swam two minutes, 04.14 to beat Chinese Olympic champion Liu Zige`s previous best of 2:04.18 from last year`s Beijing Games.

Australia`s Jessicah Schipper, silver medallist in the 100 butterfly, had gone off at world-record pace to force the rest of the field to increase their speed. Descenza, who did not even make the US Olympic team last year, caught her on the last leg and was shocked to have broken a world record in a heat. "Oh my God, I didn`t think I was going that fast. It was a very big surprise, it was an awesome surprise," she told reporters. A raft of world records have been broken in Rome`s open air pool because of performance-enhancing polyurethane suits, which will be banned from 2010 when only textile costumes will be allowed. Schipper qualified second for the semi-finals later on Wednesday with Liu sneaking through in 12th. Bureau Report