'The crowd was silent for the first two seconds when I touched the wall, so I wasn't sure if I broke the record until I heard the announcer.' NATALIE COUGHLIN -- ST PHOTO: ALBERT SIM

Swimming in Lane 5, she smashed her own 100 metres short-course backstroke world record during the second leg of the Fina World Cup here, touching home in 56.51 seconds.

She also became the first swimmer to set a world record in Singapore.

Her previous mark of 56.71sec was set in New York five years ago.

This time, some 1,800 spectators at the Singapore Sports School pool witnessed the milestone, though they appeared too stunned to react at first.

Said an exuberant Coughlin: 'The crowd was silent for the first two seconds when I touched the wall, so I wasn't sure if I broke the record until I heard the announcer.'

The 25-year-old admitted later that she came to Singapore aiming to rewrite her own mark.

Yet, she said she found herself on 'autopilot' when she hit the halfway mark at 27.54sec - 0.04sec off her record time.

'As soon as I hit the turn, I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I need to speed it up',' she said.

'But I think that actually helped me because I didn't take it out too hard , so I conserved a little energy for the second 50m.'

Her burst of speed at the end left her rivals trailing in her wake.

Second-placed Sophie Edington finished nearly a full three seconds behind in 59.51sec, while fellow-Australian Tayliah Zimmer was third in 1min 1.03sec.

Said Coughlin: 'It feels really good to know that I'm better. I don't do short courses too often, so it's nice to have a personal best, but I think I can still improve after that.'

She nearly repeated her record-breaking heroics later in the evening, when she won the 100m individual medley in 59.12sec - just a third of a second off her own mark of 58.8sec.

That win, coupled with her gold in Saturday's 100m butterfly, made it three titles in four swims in Singapore for Coughlin, who lost out only to Sweden's Therese Alshammar in the 50m freestyle on Saturday.

Coughlin is one of swimming's most recognisable faces and was once named in Sports Illustrated magazine's list of best-looking athletes. She has also posed for publications like Vanity Fair and Vogue.

But, away from the glare of attention, the California native has been a force to be reckoned with in the pool.

She was the first woman to go under one minute (59.58sec) in the long-course 100m backstroke.

She was also the most-decorated female athlete at the 2004 Athens Olympics, winning five medals - including a gold in the long-course 100m backstroke.

At the opening leg of the World Cup in Durban, South Africa, last week, she bagged gold medals in the 100m fly, 100m back and 100m IM.

Having competed all over the world, she described the Singapore venue as one which she loved to compete in.

'I wish every competition pool were like this. I like how it's covered, but you have fresh air,' she explained.

Singapore is hosting this US$102,000 (S$150,000) short-course meet for the first time, and Coughlin's feat has left organisers beaming.

'I was hoping to see one or two world records and my wish came true,' said Oon Jin Gee, vice-president of the Singapore Swimming Association (SSA).

'Her win has also helped to prove that the pool is a top international venue,' he added.

The Republic is the only Asian city on the seven-stop World Cup circuit. The event is considered second only to the World Championships in terms of prestige.

'I really enjoyed the crowd here and how much support they have shown,' said Coughlin, who earned US$5,500 for her efforts in the Republic. This does not include the special bonus for world records.

'I've been to several World Cups in the past, and this was the best run and most exciting.'

The multiple world record- holder also paid tribute to Singapore's swimmers, whom she described as 'very competitive'.

Said Oon: 'Natalie has shown us that hard work gets results.

'By learning from the best, they get to broaden their learning experience.

'Even simple things like lunging for the last stroke instead of taking two strokes - our swimmers can learn from that.'

Singapore will stage the event for another two years, and Oon believes that Coughlin's achievement can help to boost the popularity of the sport here.

'It's not just about performance - it's about participation. A successful event like this will bring in the crowds again next year, and increases interest in swimming.'

tvoon@sph.com.sg