The name Luca Urlando has been mentioned as a promise for a long time, so good was he in his youth, so enduring the challenge of his transition to senior waters, and yet, this day, perseverance partied: at 23, he nailed his first world title.

I was a go-to-gold triumph, pace-setter to peak of podium in 1min 51.87, Poland's Krzysztof Chmielewski taking silver in 1:52.64 after turning the 6th of six men within 0.6sec of each other at half-way. The clock marked his second national record in two days, after a 1:52.89 in heats.

Bronze was bagged by an Aussie who scraped into the final in 8 and then became the latest outside smoker to make the podium this week, his 1:54.17 a national record that locked out Canada's Olympic bronze medallist Ilya Kharun by 0.17sec. China's Chen Juner had set his own national mark in semis, on 1:54.02, but could nor replicate that in the showdown:

There's understandable reference to Urlando's tremendous 1:51.87 on the clock, executed beautifully and confidently, having put the new World champion in the club of three men who have sub-1:52 efforts to their names: Michael Phelps and two other Olympic champions Kristof Milak and Léon Marchand.

Milak is out deciding 'what next', and Marchand was out of the 200 'fly reserving his fuel for one of the most captivating semi-finals in world sport:

M200IM: Marchand Monsters The Medley World Record: 1:52.69 - Faster Than Spitz On Freestyle

Léon Marchand left behind his best of 1:54.06, for Olympic gold as the hero of his Home Games last year, as he leapt over Lochte, the whole 1:53 zone, and landed beyond the speed of Spitz on the fastest stroke of all four - freestyle

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

The third man retired almost a decade ago. He was instrumental, as was his coach Bob Bowman, in forcing a return to textile suits and the early death of an imposter that arrived in swimming on a raid after being invited in by the vey guardians there to seal thew doors on any such nonsense.

So let's be clear: Phelps' 1:51.51 belongs to the shiny suits era - and it was his only sub-1:52, the timing of events being what they were. Phelps was master of 200 'fly pace and race, with the odd blip, for nigh on two decades, nothing can take that away, and nothing ever will.

He was also in the peak of his powers on the clock around the time of shiny suits, the first generation and then the full poly-put-the-kettle-on variety with hardly a thread of textile in the mix. And so, we will never know what, in standard bather at Beijing 2008, and indeed, Rome 2009, he would have put up on the board.

Take the half-shiny away and we're in Melbourne for the 2007 Worlds almost two decades ago now. A 1:52.09 flashes up on the board, breath-taking and yet, one soaring movement in masterpiece that remains one of the most complete and thrilling single world-championship campaigns in swimming history. On ytje back of that swim, I'd suggest a 1:51 was in him in any suit. We'll never know.

The point is: 'technically', Urlando is the first member of the sub-1:52 club in allowable kit. And we should acknowledge it. He's also the first American man to win the 200m 'fly at World Championships since Phelps's last world crown, in 2011.

Just as Phelps' 2016 Olympic title eight years after his previous one in his signature event (Sydney 2000 at 156 and all that) represented much more than Olympic gold, so, too, does Urlando's win speak to he adversity he's overcome.

Urlando had to be fished out of the pool after dislocating his shoulder for the third time in as many years. He must have felt cursed, having finished third in both the 100 and 200 'fly at U.S. Olympic trials for Tokyo2020ne.

“It has felt like a six-year process to get back to this moment,” Urlando told NBC, adding:

“A lot of doubt, a lot of really hard times, a lot of things that people don’t see on an everyday basis. So I kind of told myself post-surgery, if I could get through those next few months, nothing could really stop me. Obviously getting to do it on a world stage like this is just amazing.”

Urlando did make it to Paris last year, his 17th place heartening for him less that=n two years after surgery on his shoulder, even though ending his campaign in heats was not what he'd wanted.

Fast forward to this season and its been ope of plenty: college title and records time in NCCA competition for the University of Georgia, then personal bests in both 100 and 200 'fly efforts at the Sacramento round of Pro Swim. His 200 drew him not far shy of level with Phelps on the clock.

Motivation? "The belief that I can get back to a moment like this after all that adversity. Just internal belief,” he said.

On the horizon a home Games in LA. There's a family fairytale in t air: his grandfather, Giampaolo Urlando, competed in the hammer at three Olympics, including LA1984.

In Singapore this evening, Urlando the swimmer said:  “It was a great race, just embracing the moment, trying to have as much fun as I can with it too.”

On winning his first world title, he said:

“Oh, it's huge. Winning a world championship was my goal from the beginning of the season. To be able to actually do it is a whole other thing and doing it in a best time fashion... I truly can't put it into words. I hope to just build off more experiences like this. It’s a huge stepping stone for 2028. I have some new goals going forward, going to work through them with my coach and see how much I can get better at the little things. Just continue with that.”