KAZAN, RUSSIA - Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling clocked 23.27 seconds in the men's 50m butterfly semi-final at the Fina World Championships on Sunday (Aug 2) night, qualifying for the final.

This makes the 20-year-old the first Singaporean man to make the final at a swimming world championships since Ang Peng Siong in 1986.

Schooling's time is a new Asia's best, bettering Yu Hexin's 23.37s set in April this year. It also lowered the national record for the second time in a day.

The Singaporean, an undergraduate at the University of Texas, had clocked 23.40sec in the heats earlier in the day, improving on the 23.43sec he set at the Commonwealth Games last year.

France's Florent Manaudou was the fastest qualifier for the final, clocking 22.84sec. The final will take place on Monday night.