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ROME, Italy, August 1. RUSSIA's Yuliya Efimova missed the world record by .01 seconds in prelims of the women's 50 breast, while the United States' Kasey Carlson clipped the American record at the FINA World Championships.
Efimova, who has the uncrowned world's best time of 30.05 that was not ratified due to an unapproved suit issue, just missed Amanda Reason's world record of 30.23 with a 30.24 during qualifying. Efimova's time is the fifth fastest in the world this year behind her 30.05, Valentina Artemyeva's 30.17 (also unratified due to an unapproved suit), and a pair of 30.23s from Reason and Efimova.
Efimova cleared Kasey Carlson's meet record of 30.34 set two heats earlier. In turn, Carlson beat Jade Edmistone's meet record of 30.45 set in 2005. Carlson qualified second overall, and wiped out Megan Jendrick's American record of 30.40 set as part of a 200 breast at the Pacific Northwest Swimming Championships a week ago.
Australia's Sarah Katsoulis (30.48), The Netherlands' Moniek Nijhuis (30.57), Reason (30.73), Germany's Kerstin Vogel (30.77), the United States' Rebecca Soni (30.82) and Australia's Tarnee White (30.96) rounded out the top eight.
Nijhuis shot down her national record of 30.80 set in April, while Vogel cleared Janne Schafer's German record of 30.89 set in 2006.
Canada's Annamay Pierse (31.02), France's Sophie De Ronchi (31.06), Artemyeva (31.10), Great Britain's Georgia Holderness (31.11), Norway's Katharina Stiberg (31.11), Italy's Roberta Panara (31.13), Finland's Katja Lehtonen (31.14) and Great Britain's Lowri Tynan (31.15) picked up the other transfer spots into semis.
Stiberg lowered her national mark of 31.46 set in July, while Lehtonen downed her 31.25 set in June.