Katie Hoff breaking Janet Evans' 19-year-old American record in the 400-meter freestyle this morning was great news for the U.S. Swim team, but it had some competition for the best swim of the morning.

Zimbabwe's Kristy Coventry managed to snag the first world record of the meet, winning the 200-meter backstroke with a blistering time of 2:06.62, breaking the old mark held by Kriztina Egerszegi of Hungary, which had stood since 1991.

Coventry, the gold medal winner in the 200 backstroke in Athens, was still in shock when she tried to put it in perspective.

"I heard the announcer say that it was a world record before I could see my time, and I was like, 'Oh my god!'" said Coventry, who swam collegiately at Auburn University. "I just started jumping up and down. I talked to my coach on the phone and she was crying. It's been a goal of mine for a long time, so it's good to get it."

Coventry was somewhat surprised, considering this was the first time she's swam in an event that featured finals in the morning.

"I'm usually not a very happy person in the morning," Coventry said. "But I'm definitely getting better."