ROME — Mary Descenza was down in the dumps after missing the Olympic team.
She was on top of the world Wednesday.

The 24-year-old American, who failed to qualify for the Beijing Games, set the 16th world record of the swimming championships in the preliminaries of the 200-meter butterfly. Her time of 2 minutes, 4.14 seconds beat the mark of 2:04.18 set by China’s Liu Zige at the Beijing Games.
“Oh my God! I didn’t even think I was going that fast,” said Descenza, who is sponsored by TYR Sport but switched to one of the faster Jaked suits for worlds. “It was a very big surprise, an awesome surprise. I was just so excited when I saw that time. I didn’t even know it was a world record until it actually flashed up on the screen.”
Descenza is competing in her fifth world championships, winning one gold, three silvers and one bronze at her previous appearances. But she’s never made an Olympic team, and her failure to break through in 2008 was a huge setback. She made the finals in three events, finishing fourth in the both the 200 fly and the 200 backstroke and tied for sixth in the 100 fly — none of them good enough to get on the team.
“It’s hard to have that disappointment, and not making the Olympic team was definitely one of the biggest disappointments of my career,” she said.
While several U.S. Olympians took extended breaks after Beijing, Descenza bounced back to claim a $20,000 prize as the top swimmer in the USA Swimming Grand Prix series. Now, she’s got a world record, too.
“It’s these moments right here that I live for,” she said. “It’s getting up after those disappointments. That’s how life is. No swimmer is perfect, and obviously I’m not a perfect swimmer. But I do work hard and I try to be a good person.”
Descenza switched to a Jaked suit after TYR’s polyurethane model failed to win FINA approval. She blacked out the Jaked logo across the front and tried to obscure it even more by hanging her swim cap across her chest when she stopped for talk with reporters in the mixed zone.
“Yes, I’m still a TYR athlete,” she said.
But many swimmers switched to Jaked or Arena for these championships, knowing their rubberized suits are more buoyant than legal models offered by companies such as Speedo and TYR.
The suit obviously made a difference. Descenza went nearly three seconds faster than her personal best (2:07.13) and nearly 1› seconds ahead of anyone else in the prelims. Defending world champion Jess Schipper of Australia was the next-fastest qualifier at 2:05.50. American Kathleen Hersey also advanced to the semis, placing 11th in 2:07.34.
These worlds championships at the Foro Italico have already surpassed the 15 records set at Melbourne two years ago — and the meet has not even reached its midway point.
What does Descenza do for an encore in the evening semifinals?
“I don’t know,” she said. “I guess I’m going to feel some pressure that I have to go faster. Maybe I’ll have to reassess my goals and just reorder them, get everything set up for tonight and hopefully (Thursday) night,” when the finals are held.
In other preliminaries, David Walters of the U.S. was top qualifier in the 100 freestyle at 47.59. Olympic gold medalist Alain Bernard of France touched fourth (47.80), while the defending co-world champions, Canada’s Brent Hayden and Italy’s Filippo Magnini, also advanced to the evening semifinals. Hayden was fifth fastest (47.83) and Magnini 13th (48.23).
Nathan Adrian, who anchored the Americans to a victory in the 400 free relay on Sunday, placed ninth at 48.13. The world-record holder, Australia’s Eamon Sullivan, is skipping worlds because of an illness.
Bernard was eager to race again after the disappointment of Sunday’s 400 free relay. The French were heavily favored but settled for bronze behind the U.S. and Russia.
“Between the relay and the 100 free prelims, time dragged,” Bernard said. “I did pretty well this morning. I was strong enough to have a good finish. It’s reassuring.”
Laszlo Cseh of Hungary was fastest in prelims of the 200 individual medley at 1:56.34. American Eric Shanteau, who just missed a medal when he finished fourth in the 100 breaststroke, was next at 1:57.65; teammate Ryan Lochte coasted through in 1:57.94, the fifth-best time.
Michael Phelps is the world-record holder in the 200 IM, but he’s not swimming that event in Rome.
Aleksanda Gerasimenya of Belarus led the way in the women’s 50 backstroke, a non-Olympic event. Her time of 27.65 set a meet record. American Haley McGregory also advanced to the semis, but teammate Elizabeth Pelton was eliminated.