GUEHRER AND ALSHAMMAR SET FOR $US100,000 BERLIN SHOWDOWN

STOCKHOLM, November 13: The stage is set for a classic duel in the pool between Australia's Marieke Guehrer and Sweden's Therese Alshammar when the 2008 FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup comes to a climax in Berlin this weekend.

Alshammar, 29, threw the down the gauntlet to Series leader Guehrer in Stockholm last night when she clipped 0.01 secs off the 50 metres butterfly world record set by Australia's Felicity Galvez at this year's FINA World Short Course Championships in Manchester. - Ian Hanson reports...

The popular Swedish star rocked the Eriksdalsbadet complex, eliminating Guehrer to a close up second, Alshammar clocking 25.31 to Guehrer's personal best of 25.37, with Denmark's Jeanette Ottesen third in 25.41.

Alshammar collected 45 points for her world record breaking performance and the race for their slice of the $US380,000 prizemoney could well come down to the 50 metres butterfly - the last event of the Series on Sunday.

At the end of the Stockholm meet and with double points looming in Berlin, Guehrer holds a slender lead of 24 points - 129 to Alshammar's 105.

The winner of the Berlin meet will walk away with the first prizemoney of $US100,000 with second taking $US50,000 and third $US30,000.

In the men's series, Australia's Robert Hurley will go into the Berlin meet in second place on 83 points with South Africa's Cameron van der Burgh (160) assured of the men's winners cheque.

Hurley finished third to Peter Marshall who broke the Australian's world record in the 50 metres backstroke - clocking 23.05 to Randall Bal's 23.07, with Hurley third in 23.36.

The AIS-based Hurley was also third in the 200m backstroke (1:52.92), maintaining his consistent form throughout the Series, with team mate Ashley Delaney fourth in 1:53.46.

Nunawading's Sarah Katsoulis continued on her winning ways, adding the 50m breaststroke in 30.37 to her day one win in the 100m breaststroke. She was also fourth in the 200m breaststroke final.

In other events, Matt Jaukovic produced a sizzling swim to finish second in the 100m butterfly final, clocking a personal best time of 50.31 - just 0.09 behind Russia's Evgeny Korotyshkin (50.22).

Jaukovic was just 0.21 secs off Adam Pine's Australian record - which could well be under siege again in Berlin.

Amy Smith (2:06.58) finished a close-up second to Petra Granlund (2:06.58) in the 200m butterfly while Sophie Edington continued her consistency, finishing third to Fabiola Molina in the women's 100m backstroke final.