Cameron McEvoy surprised the swimming world by clocking 20.88 seconds in the 50m freestyle at the China Open on Friday, breaking a longstanding world record. This achievement marks a significant milestone for the Australian swimmer, who surpassed the previous record set during the era of now-banned super-suits by three hundredths of a second.

Returning to Brisbane on Wednesday, McEvoy expressed his excitement, stating, "That was more of a target for the end of this season, so to have hit it at the moment in March is really special."

At 31 years old, McEvoy has had an extraordinary career, making his Olympic debut as a teenager in 2012. He secured bronze medals in relays in Rio and Tokyo, but achieved gold in the 50m event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. His success is particularly remarkable given that he accomplished this at an age often considered past the peak for elite sprinters.

His recent rise to the top has been attributed to a radical overhaul of his training regimen. McEvoy has shifted away from long pool sessions, opting instead for strength training and short, explosive sets that align with the demands of the 50m freestyle. This year, he has taken an even bolder approach, focusing on strength development with minimal swimming since the August World Championships.

McEvoy plans to continue this unorthodox training strategy, stating, "I’m going to lean into continuing the strength development in the gym and not really increasing the amount of sprinting I do in the water."

The previous world record-holder, César Cielo, congratulated McEvoy on social media, praising his incredible performance and emphasizing the importance of innovation in sport. McEvoy remains eager to explore the limits of his new training approach, saying, "I’m pretty excited to see where that goes."