Mitch Larkin is pinching himself over being the first Australian to be named the men's world swimmer of the year.
The backstroker was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (ISF) for a stunning 2015 season in which he won the 100m and 200m backstroke events last year at the world championships in Kazan, Russia.
"The fact that no other Australian has ever won this award is a pretty amazing honour," said the 22-year-old from Brisbane.
"It's been a really fantastic year for me in the pool - crazy really," he said.
Despite his dominance, he didn't expect to take out the award, believing former winner and US superstar Michael Phelps was a safer bet.
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"Phelps had a fantastic year," said Larkin in Brisbane on Monday, after being unable to attend the awards in the Hungarian capital Budapest.
"He didn't race at worlds but his results were fantastic."
Larkin thanked Michael Bohl, who was also recognised for his coaching efforts by the ISF, for keeping him heading in the right direction.
Larkin said his mentor deserved to be honoured.
"Bohly has made sure I'm pretty grounded and not to get ahead of myself ... he saw the bigger picture," he said.
It's the first time a backstroke specialist has taken out the award since its inception six years ago.
Larkin is also just the second non-US winner, with the award having been taken out three times by America's Ryan Lochte and once by Phelps.
It was won last year by South African Chad le Clos.
