Australia's Cameron McEvoy set a new men's 50-meter freestyle world record on Friday, touching the wall first in 20.88 seconds at the China Open Swimming Championships in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

The mark, which lowers the previous standard of 20.91 set by Brazil's Cesar Cielo Filho in December 2009, remains subject to official ratification.

"It feels crazy," McEvoy said. "I've been aiming to go under 21 seconds for a long time. Even 20.99 would have meant a lot – but 20.88 is very exciting."

The 31-year-old Olympic and world champion credited his performance to adjustments in training, particularly a stronger focus on strength development.

"This is the first year I've been able to execute my program properly from the start," he explained "My numbers improved significantly and I knew a personal best was there."

Despite the record, McEvoy believes there is still room for improvement.

"My first 25 was very quick, but I can still improve the second half," he noted. "There's still work to do and I'm excited to see how far I can go."

McEvoy, who won gold at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and 2025 World Championships in Singapore, said fatherhood has also changed his perspective.

"I've got an eight-month-old son now and that's brought balance to my life," he added. "I train hard, but once I'm home, I'm in dad mode."

He is now targeting the short course edition of the World Aquatics Championships in Beijing in December, as well as the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, while acknowledging the rising level of competition in sprint swimming.

"The younger swimmers are getting faster every year," McEvoy concluded. "I've got my work cut out for me, but I'm looking forward to the challenge."