In a commanding performance, Franklin clocked 58.42secs in the final, just missing out on the four-year-old world record, with Australia's Emily Seebohm 0.64sec adrift and Japan's Aya Terekawa touching the wall 0.81sec behind.

Minutes after receiving her backstroke gold, 18-year-old Franklin finished second fastest in the 200m freestyle semi-finals to qualify for Wednesday's final.

After victory with the USA team in Sunday's 4x100m freestyle relay final, this was Franklin's second gold medal of the eight world titles she is bidding for at the eight-day world championships, which finish Sunday.

The backstroke medal placings in Barcelona were an exact repeat of those at the 2012 London Olympic final, something not lost on Franklin.

Seebohm collected her second silver at Barcelona, after second in Sunday's freestyle relay, admitted she had wanted to go faster. (AFP)