MELBOURNE - Kyle Chalmers outswam Romanian sensation David Popovici to win the 100m freestyle title at the World Short Course Championships on Thursday, with Emma McKeon making it a golden night for Australia by claiming the women's crown.
The much-anticipated men's race pitted the world record holders in short course, Chalmers, and long course, Popovici, with the Australian proving too strong for his 18-year-old rival.
He touched in 45.16 seconds ahead of France's Maxime Grousset and Italian defending champion Alessandro Miressi, with Popovici fourth.
"It's very, very special to do it in front of friends and family," Chalmers said poolside in Melbourne.
"I swim with my eyes closed and I knew exactly how to execute the race.
"I think it's always important in those big moments to swim how you want to swim and how you train to swim and not get distracted by the other guys."
Popovici has had a phenomenal year that saw him smash the long course world record that had stood since 2009 then become the first man to complete the 100m/200m freestyle double at the Budapest world championships in nearly 50 years.
But it was his first short course event and he admitted before the race it was a learning experience.
McKeon, the most decorated athlete of any sport at the Tokyo Olympics with seven medals, including the 100m freestyle gold, hit the wall first in a championship record 50.77.
She narrowly held off defending champion Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong, with the Netherlands' Marrit Steenbergen taking bronze.
"It was a very tight finish," admitted McKeon, who anchored the Australian women to a world record in the 4x100m freestyle relay on Tuesday. "To get your hand to the wall first is all that you want really."