Swimming: Bell misses semis

New Zealand teenager Daniel Bell has missed out on a semifinal spot in the overnight heats at the world championships.

Bell clocked 25.31s in his 50m backstroke heat, a touch outside his own national record of 25.24s, to secure the 23rd fastest time of the session.

He made a fast start but finished 0.3s from the final qualifying spot for the semifinals in a competitive heat. The 19-year-old needed to break the 25s barrier to secure a place in the semifinals.

In the previous day's competition, Corney Swanepoel missed out on the 100m butterfly final by 0.7s. Swanepoel pushed hard over the first 50m, before fading in the final 10m to finish eighth.

He finished in 51.79s, a tick outside his national record, in a stunning semifinal where Milorad Cavic broke Michael Phelps' world record, clocking 50.01s.