World championship bronze medallist Ben Treffers will turn his attention to the 100m backstroke with an eye to next year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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The Canberra swimmer stepped up to the mark in his first world championship final to finish on the podium in his pet event, the 50m backstroke, in Kazan, Russia on Sunday night (AEST).
Treffers touched the wall in a time of 24.69 seconds behind defending champion Camille Lacourt from France (24.23 seconds) and American 100m Olympic gold medallist Matt Grevers (24.61 seconds).
With the 50m backstroke not on the Olympic Games program, Treffers is intent on improving his times in the 100m backstroke to punch his ticket to Rio.
Treffers made the semi-finals of the 100m backstroke - the event won by fellow Australian Mitch Larkin - in Kazan, but the 23-year-old was disqualified in the semi-finals.
"I have to go back to training and work on making it to the Olympics next year in the 100m," Treffers said.
"Mitch has shown what can be done this week."
Larkin finished fourth in the 50m final, just one, one-hundredth of a second behind Treffers.
"It would have been nice if Mitch and I could have tied for third," Treffers said.
"Anything can happen in a 50 metre race and I was just happy to mix it with those guys and get my hand on the wall.
"It wasn't as fast as the semi-final, but in finals it's all about the places and that final touch and not about the times."
Treffers has fought his way back from several near misses, needing to fall back in love with the sport to recover from three years of heartbreaking results.
Twice, he missed a spot on the Australian team by one, one-hundredth of a second - first for the 2009 world championships and then again at the 2010 Commonwealth Games trials.
Adding to the pain, was a failed bid to qualify for the London Olympics when he was beaten by 0.11 seconds in the 100m backstroke in 2012.
Treffers turned it all around with victory in the 50m backstroke at last year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Australia finished second on the medal tally after the eight-day meet with seven gold, thanks to Bronte Campbell's 50m freestyle triumph.
In the men's 4x100m medley relay, a fast finishing Cameron McEvoy almost reeled in American Nathan Adrian in an inspired anchor leg but Australia had to settle for silver.
- with AAP
