Isaac Cooper has endured another agonising near-miss in Australian colours at the world short-course championships, edged out for 50m backstroke gold by just two-hundredths of a second in a dramatic final.
But the 20-year-old Queenslander, crestfallen when the 2022 final which he thought he'd won in Melbourne had to be re-run, was far from tearful this time as he celebrated silver and an Oceanian record.
Cooper, who'd won this event at the Doha long-course worlds in February, looked set for victory again on Friday after turning first at halfway.
