"EINDHOVEN, Netherlands - Alain Bernard overturned the old order today when he bolted off with Pieter van den Hoogenband's 100m freestyle world record which had resisted all-comers for nearly eight years.
Dutchman Van den Hoogenband had pulled out of the morning's heats due to illness but it was a shock for all at the Olympic champion's home pool when the 24-year-old Frenchman touched home at the end of his semifinal at the European Championships.
He had carved nearly a quarter of a second from the 47.84 seconds world mark the Dutchman set in the semifinals of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
'This is a surprise for me. I wanted to do my best today and then go really fast tomorrow (in the final),' Bernard said."
