Overdressed swimmer stripped of world record

SYDNEY: Sweden's Therese Alshammar broke her own 50m butterfly world record at the Australian swimming titles yesterday but was later disqualified by Swimming Australia for wearing two swimsuits.

World champion Alshammar set a time of 25.44 seconds in the morning qualifying heats to take 0.02 of a second off the record 25.46 she set at Barcelona, Spain on June 13, 2007.

But officials later discovered that Alshammar was wearing two suits in the race and the time would not stand. Swimming Australia said that under swimming governing body FINA's new rules that were ratified last weekend, and Swimming Australia's rules instituted last year, Alshammar would be disqualified because it states that swimmers may only wear one suit.