Britain’s Ben Proud showed his class by winning gold in the 50m freestyle at the World Short Course Championships in Abu Dhabi.
The 27-year-old, who is currently based in Bath, was pushed hard by American Ryan Held over the first 25 metres.
But he pulled clear over the second length to win in a time of 20.45 seconds – 0.25secs clear of Held, with Canada’s Joshua Liendo Edwards third.
“I’m so happy to execute the race as I wanted,” he said.
“It has been a weird year for me, so I’m so happy to walk away with a medal around my neck and finish the year well.”
Great Britain’s Mark Foster won the same race in 2004.
