Pietermaritzburg - Although breaststroke world record holder Cameron van der Burgh broke two more records at the Telkom National Short Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday and another on Sunday, he said the thrill of competing is worth much more than the prize-money.

However, with his world 50m and 100m records here, he is sure to be in the money at the FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup series later this year.

Van der Burgh, who set world record times of 25.43 seconds for the 50m and 56.39 for the 100m, is buoyant about his swimming after also winning the 50m gold and the 100m bronze at the World Championships in Rome only 11 days ago.

"In the World Cup series I get US$10 000 every time I break a world record, so taking time off the world records here in Pietermaritzburg will make it harder for me to earn that kind of money in the World Cup series. Still, it shows I swim for the passion first, not the money," Van der Burgh said.

"It's not like athletics. I can't raise the bar a centimetre at each event. I can't control speed according to fractions of a second. I just have to race as fast as possible.

"I am in good form right now in KwaZulu-Natal straight after the World Championships, and with the Swimming World Cup in Durban from October 16-17, I will have to see how my form is then. But King's Park [Aquatics Centre in Durban] is even more conducive to fast times.

"The pool there has touch-pads on both ends. Here, there are touch pads only at one end and I am slipping a bit on the wall when I do the turns at the other end of the pool, which probably costs me around 0,2secs in every race."

Roland Schoeman's 20,30secs in the 50m freestyle Saturday saw him earn his 10th world record.

"To swim in front of a local crowd is great, as well as to put on a show for the youngsters. This was my 10th world record and I am delighted with my time.

"Things didn't go my way at the World Championships in Rome and I was disappointed, but I will see how it goes at the World Cup."