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Barcelona - Swedish teenager Sarah Sjostrom regained her women's 100m butterfly title at swimming's world championships on Monday as defending champion and world record-holder Dana Vollmer had to settle for bronze.
Sjostrom, who won the 2009 title aged just 15, hit the wall at 56.53secs, with Australia's Alicia Coutts at 0.44secs back and Vollmer, America's Olympic champion who set the world record in winning the 2012 Olympic title, at 0.71 behind.
"I didn't have that much confidence after the Olympics, but now I am delighted I persisted in the sport," said the 19-year-old Sjostrom.
Having finished fourth in the final of both last year's Olympics and the 2011 world champhionships, this was a commanding performance by the Swedish teenager in Barcelona.
"It's hard to believe after I lost confidence having had so many fourth places," said Sjostrom.
"Now, I'm so happy and my confidence is much better now. I know I can swim fast and get better.
"My goal for this competition was to make the final, then I just raced my race and I knew it was going to be good.
"I have my next race on Tuesday morning (the 200m freestyle heats) so I have to continue preparing," she said when asked how she would celebrate.
Coutts collected two silver medals on Monday night, after second in the 200m IM, to give her a total of three silvers in Barcelona after anchoring the Australian team beaten by the USA in Sunday's 4x100m freestyle relay final.
"I'm happy with the time and I know it would have taken a massive personal best to win so I'm satisfied overall," said the 25-year-old Coutts on her butterfly silver.
"It's always good to win a medal.
"There is always that doubt in your mind about whether you are going to miss out and it would be the first time in a few years I wouldn't have got anything in this event, so I'm really glad."
Coutts was left in tears after being beaten on the wall in Sunday's relay final and she admitted it was a sore point, 24 hours later.
"I'm still disappointed for the girls, they gave me a such a big lead and I lost it," she admitted.
Vollmer, the 2011 world and 2012 Olympic champion, admitted the defeat would drive her in training for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
"It's disappointing right now, but it helps fuel that fire of not wanting to get beaten," she said.
"The goal is always trying to win, but with where I am right now I am really happy with the bronze.
"I needed the fall to recharge if I was going to be serious about 2016.
"I took some time off after the Olympics and got up to speed in training in the spring.
"Coming into the world championships, I didn't know exactly where I was going to be.
"I think you figure out things when you are put under pressure.
"Each 100m race I do, I figure more things out and try to get faster with the main goal still being Rio.
"Sarah had an amazing race and I was able to get my hand on the wall for that bronze medal, which I'm really proud of."
Results from swimming world championships on Monday (finals only):
Men:
100m breaststroke:
1. Christian Sprenger (AUS) 58.79sec, 2. Cameron Van Der Burgh (RSA) 58.97, 3. Felipe Lima (BRA) 59.65, 4. Damir Dugonjic (SLO) 59.68, 5. Fabio Scozzoli (ITA) 59.70, 6. Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) 59.98, 7. Kevin Cordes (USA) 1min 00.02sec, 8. Nicolas Fink (USA) 1:00.10
50m butterfly:
1. Cesar Cielo Filho (BRA) 23.01sec, 2. Eugene Godsoe (USA) 23.05, 3. Frederick Bousquet (FRA) 23.11, 4. Nicholas Santos (BRA) 23.21, 5. Andrii Govorov (UKR) 23.22, >
Women:
100m butterfly:
1. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 56.53sec, 2. Alicia Coutts (AUS) 56.97, 3. Dana Vollmer (USA) 57.24, 4. Jeanette Ottesen Gray (DEN) 57.27, 5. Katerine Savard (CAN) 57.97, 6. Ilaria Bianchi (ITA) 58.11, 7. Noemie Ip-Ting Thomas (CAN) 58.13, 8. Claire Donahue (USA) 58.30
200m medley:
1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 2min 07.92sec, 2. Alicia Coutts (AUS) 2:09:39, 3. Mireia Belmonte Garcia (ESP) 2:09.45, 4. Ye Shiwen (CHN) 2:10.48, 5. Caitlin Leverenz (USA) 2:10.73, 6. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN) 2:10.95, 7. Sophie Allen (GBR) 2:11.32, 8. Siobhan-Marie Oconnor (GBR) 2:12.03
