Wollongong swimmers Emma and Dave McKeon were left to ponder missed opportunities after the second night of competition at the world championships in Russia.

Australia missed the podium in their two finals on Monday night after a tearful McKeon’s fourth in the 100m butterfly and young gun Jake Packard’s spirited top-five 100m breaststroke finish.

There were no medals, but champion backstroker Mitch Larkin ensured Australia still had that winning feeling on day two of the world swimming championships in Russia.

Dave McKeon could only manage the 13th fastest time in the 400m freestyle heats, missing out on the final.

However, Larkin ensured confidence in the Australian camp after emerging as the fastest qualifier for Tuesday’s 100m backstroke final in yet another Commonwealth record.

Larkin clocked 52.38 seconds, breaking the 52.50 mark he set in a scorching Monday morning heat, to confirm his gold medal intentions in Kazan.

The world short course champion’s semi-final time was effortlessly the year’s fastest and would have won 2013 world titles gold.

He is now in sight of being only the third person in history to hold the long course-short course 100m backstroke double.

Larkin came out swinging on Monday after admitting the Australian men had received a wake-up call by leaving too much in reserve and being blown away in the day-one heats.

World 400m freestyle No.1 Mack Horton, defending 100m breaststroke champion Christian Sprenger and the 4x100m freestyle relay team all failed to make finals.

Australia’s women reversed their day-one fortunes by claiming 4x100m freestyle relay gold in a meet record after Jess Ashwood’s 400m freestyle bronze.

‘‘We are trying to come together as a men’s team and keep up with the females,’’ Larkin said.

Larkin is leading the way after also learning the harsh ‘‘cruise and you lose’’ lesson at the 2013 world titles, where he failed to make the final in his fancied 200m backstroke event.

In another shot in the arm for the recovering men’s team, Packard clocked a third straight PB to finish fifth (59.44) in the 100m breaststroke final in Sprenger’s shock absence.

Packard stood tall in a world class field as British world record holder Adam Peaty held out Olympic champion Cameron van der Burgh for gold.

‘‘It’s a stepping stone for next year (Rio), which is the ultimate goal,’’ Packard said.

However, there were only tears from McKeon (57.67) after her fourth placing behind new world record holder Sarah Sjostrom (55.64).

Glasgow Commonwealth Games golden girl could not hide her emotions leaving the pool, knowing her PB (57.31) would have sealed bronze.

Relay gold medallist Emily Seebohm is the fastest qualifier for Tuesday night’s 100m backstroke final, with teammate Madeline Wilson third, albeit in the absence of No 1 Katinka Hosszu of Hungary, who withdrew from the backstroke before setting a new 200m IM world record on Monday night.

Cameron McEvoy is third fastest ahead of Tuesday night’s 200m freestyle final, as McKeon (13th) missed out.

Ashwood is third fastest for Tuesday night’s 1500m freestyle final after setting a second Australian record in as many days.

Taylor McKeown (9th) and Lorna Tonks (13th) missed the 100m breaststroke final.

AAP