Thomas Ceccon breaks world record as Benedetta Pilato completes Italian golden hat-trick

Ceccon shaved a quarter of a second off the 100m backstroke world record as he won in 51.60sec. "I didn't expect this time," Ceccon said. "I didnt expect to go so fast." Pilato was also delighted after she won the last final of the evening, the women's 100m breaststroke, by a fingernail.

"I am super-happy and proud," she said. "It was a dream which came true." Ceccon edged the old world record holder American Ryan Murphy, who set the mark, at the 2016 Olympics by 0.37sec. Another American, Hunter Armstrong was third.

"Today nobody could beat me! What a sensational time 51.6. It still has to sink in," he said. "It's fantastic when you can break a world record in any sport, for me it is unbelievable.

"Maybe four athletes have done it in Italy, it's an achievement that means a lot." "Today the Americans went very fast. "Today I'm not saying that I knew I was going to win but in my opinion I had no rivals. The two Russians were missing, it would have been an even greater challenge." In a sport in which most competitors obsessively shave body hair, Ceccon has drawn comments for his moustache.

Asked if it was now a lucky charm, he shrugged. "It's just a moustache," he said. Part of his bonus for setting a world record, the first of the championships, is a special Non-Fungible Token (NFT).

"I am very interested in NFTs and cryptocurrency, I love this stuff," he said dutifully. Ceccon, who is 21, was winning Italy's second gold of the championships after Nicolo Martinenghi, 22, took the 100m breaststroke title the night before. Just over an hour later, Italy's new generation began to look old when Pilato won a third gold for the country.