Teen Italian star breaks world record for second time this week

Italian swimmer Sara Curtis has broken the women's 50m backstroke world record for the second time this week. The 19-year-old from Savigliano, who has a Nigerian mother and Italian father, claimed the new record of 26.56 seconds at the European Championships in Paris on Thursday. This time shattered the previous mark of Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown, who held the record at 26.86 seconds.

Curtis achieved this feat just a day after surpassing McKeown's mark in Wednesday's semifinals. The teenager's performance solidifies her status as the first Black swimmer to hold an individual long-course world record. Curtis finished ahead of Mary-Ambre Moluh of France in silver and Lauren Cox of Britain in bronze. The University of Virginia star has been inching towards this record all year, having already broken the Italian and European records earlier in the season.

Curtis expressed her elation over achieving the record again, stating, "It's absurd, another crazy feat." Meanwhile, McKeown, who has been battling glandular fever and has had to withdraw from recent competitions, remains determined to return to peak form for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Great Britain's Filip Nowacki also claimed European 200m breaststroke gold, continuing his impressive rise.