MOSCOW - Singapore swimmer Quah Zheng Wen met the Olympic "A" time for the 100m backstroke on Tuesday when he clocked 54.13sec in the heats of the Fina World Cup Moscow leg.

The Olympic standard is set at 54.36. Quah's mark was also a new national record, and saw him finish first in the heats, ahead of France's Camille Lacourt in third. Lacourt won a silver medal in the same event at the recently-concluded world swimming championships in Kazan.

This is the second Olympic "A" time Quah has clocked. At the Singapore SEA Games in June, he clocked 1min 56.79sec for the 200m butterfly, under the "A" qualifying time of 1:56.97.

It is also the second time in a week that Quah has lowered the 100m back mark. Last Tuesday, he had timed 54.40 at the Fina World Championships.

The final takes place on Tuesday evening.