The fastest woman in the world in the swimming pool, Germany’s Britta Steffen, won two gold medals in world record times at the 2009 World Championships in Rome, including the blue riband 100 metres freestyle, in which she recorded a time of 52.07secs, beating her own record of 52.22 which she had set four days earlier.
Two days later she won her second title in the women's 50 metres freestyle, again breaking the world record with a time of 23.73. Her amazing year followed her double Olympic triumph in 2008 when she won gold in the 50 and 100 metres freestyle.
