Dressel sparks record-breaking night at world swim

­GWANGJU, South Korea: American star Caeleb Dressel, swimming’s chiselled, tattooed pin-up boy, destroyed Michael Phelps’s 100 metres butterfly world record Friday as countrywoman Simone Manuel retained her 100m freestyle world title.

Reigning champ Dressel clenched a fist in the direction of flag-waving American fans after clocking an astonishing 49.50 seconds in Gwangju to eclipse the American legend’s old bodysuit mark by 0.32 and rob him of a second world record in 48 hours.

Dressel’s fireworks were matched in the next event when American teenager Smith crushed the women’s 200m backstroke world record, before Russian Anton Chupkov emulated them as he stormed to gold in the 200m breaststroke.

Phelps, the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, has lost both of his 2009 long course butterfly world records in Korea after Hungarian teenager Kristof Milak destroyed his previous mark in the 200m fly.

A record-breaking night helped turn the spotlight back on swimming after a week of athlete protests and insults targeting China’s Sun Yang, the 11-time world champion who a FINA doping panel report has accused of destroying blood vials after a visit from drug testers.

Sun’s Australian coach Denis Cotterell told AFP that the hulking Chinese athlete has been made a scapegoat for grievances swimmers have against FINA, the sport’s governing body.

“You can’t have the performances he’s had over the years without doing the work,” he said. “He’s tested year in, year out and winning every year.”

Manuel exploded from the blocks in lane one to win gold in the women’s 100m free in 52.04 ahead of Australian Cate Campbell and Sweden’s world record holder Sarah Sjostrom.

Chupkov found an extra gear off the final wall to snatch 200m breaststroke gold in 2:06.12 — knocking more than half a second off the previous world best, with Aussie Matt Wilson taking silver.

Smith covered her face with her hands after shattering the women’s 200m backstroke world record, clocking 2:03.35 to erase Missy Franklin’s old mark by more then seven tenths.

“I’m in shock,” gasped the 17-year-old. “I didn’t think I’d ever do that — it’s crazy.” Sun and China finished a distant sixth in the men’s 4x200m freestyle behind winners Australia.