Hungarian Daniel Gyurta admits the Dubai desert has brought out the magic in him as he broke his own world record to take gold in the 200m breaststroke at the FINA Swimming World Cup.

The pool at the Hamdan Sports Complex saw two world records get smashed on opening night of the second leg of the World Cup series as Gyurta’s countrywoman Katinka Hosszu also set a new world's fastest time in the 200m individual medley.

Gyurta, who had opted out of defending his 200m breaststroke title at the European Championships in Berlin two weeks ago due to injuries in his preparations, made a sensational return to his signature event, clocking 2:00.48 to take home the gold and secure victory.

The 25-year-old Olympic and World champion had set his previous 200m breaststroke world record (2:00.67) during the 2009 European Championships in Istanbul – a time when swimmers were still competing in the now-banned high-tech bodysuits, which produced incredibly fast laps.

Gyurta shot to fame after winning Olympic silver at just 15 years of age at the Athens Games,  and returned to form in the pool in Doha last week, clocking a World Cup record 2:01.06, but he says he knew he could do better in Dubai.

He was forced to miss the World Cup here last year through illness and he was delighted to have finally shown the Dubai crowd what he is capable of.

“Last year I was a little bit sick before the World Cup so I’m really happy that I came here this year. That was my goal before the race – to swim under 2:01 and break my own world record, so I’m really happy. It’s amazing for me,” said an ecstatic Gyurta after his win.

“I swam my previous world record in 2009, in a different suit so I’m really proud of this achievement.

“In Doha when I swam 2:01, it was okay for me but here it was really amazing. I really like the desert, so I’m really happy to be here.”

The FINA Swimming World Cup resumes on Monday with morning heats and concludes with another set of finals in the evening.