Steffen, who won Olympic gold in the 50 and 100 metres freestyle in Beijing, set the record in the final of the German national championships with a time of 52.56 seconds, taking nearly three-tenths of a second off the mark she set on Thursday.

'I want to thank the fans. I felt like I was on a wave,' the 25-year-old said. 'In the final, it was much harder for me than in the heats.'

Steffen has lamented the impact that high-tech swimsuits are having on swimming, even though they have benefited her.

Covered with fabrics such as polyurethane to aid buoyancy, the body suits have attracted controversy and have helped swimmers to set more than 100 world records in the past 18 months.

This week swimming's governing body, FINA, threw out Frenchman Alain Bernard?s 100 freestyle record set in April on the grounds that he was wearing a swimsuit that had not been approved. -- REUTERS