MONTREAL - Brendan Hansen beat rival Kosuke Kitajima in the 100-meter breaststroke and Roland Schoeman and Jessica Hardy set world records Tuesday.

Michael Phelps seemed to be back on form, posting the best time in the semifinals of the 200-meter freestyle. But his first individual medal of the World Swimming Championships will have to wait another day.

Hansen took control in the first 50 and touched first in 59.37 seconds, just off the world mark of 59.30 he set at last year's U.S. Olympic trials but a new meet record. Kitajima was second in 59.53.

Schoeman captured the 50 butterfly and broke the world record he set just a day earlier in the semifinals. He held off American Ian Crocker in a furious dash from one end of the pool to the other, touching in 22.96.

Hardy, an 18-year-old American swimming in her first international event, seems to have quite a future after her stunning performance in the semifinals of the 100 breaststroke.

The teenager from Long Beach, Calif., got off the block quicker than anyone and never faltered down the stretch, posting a time of 1 minute, 6.20 seconds. That broke the record of 1:06.37 set two years ago by Australia's Leisel Jones at the Barcelona world championships.