World Championships: Kristof Milak Chasing a Once-Unthinkable Barrier: Sub-1:50 in 200 Butterfly

World Championships: Kristof Milak Chasing Once-Unthinkable Barrier: Sub-1:50 in 200 Butterfly

Upsets are part of the fabric of sports, an opportunity for fans to celebrate the underdog and his/her feel-good story. The pool has provided its share, including Duncan Armstrong mining Olympic gold in the 200-meter freestyle at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. There was also Misty Hyman’s triumph in the 200 butterfly at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

If Hungarian Kristof Milak does not capture gold in the 200 butterfly at the upcoming FINA World Championships, the sport will instantly feature its latest upset tale. Yes, the reigning Olympic champion and world-record holder is that much of a favorite in his prime event, which he will contest in front of a home crowd at the Duna Arena in Budapest.

Milak owns the four-fastest performances in history, headlined by the 1:50.73 world record he established at the last edition of the World Champs – held in 2019. During that effort, Milak cruised to a three-second victory over Japan’s Daiya Seto and took down Michael Phelps’ previous global standard of 1:51.51, set at the 2009 World Championships.

Following that career-defining showing, Milak was forced to wait two years to cement his world record with an Olympic crown. At the Tokyo Games last summer, he came through, registering a time of 1:51.25 for a convincing win over Japan’s Tomoru Honda (1:53.73). The mark was the third-quickest of all-time, and came on the heels of a torn suit 10 minutes before Milak was required to report to the ready room.

At the World Championships, which begin on Saturday, Milak will almost certainly race the clock. Only a monumental upset or catastrophe will keep the 22-year-old off the top of the podium. The obvious questions are whether Milak can lower his world record and crack the 1:50 barrier in the event. As insane as it may seem, sub-1:50 could be in play.

It’s been 43 years since the Soviet Union’s Sergey Kopliakov became the first man to break the 1:50 threshold in the 200 freestyle. Now, we’re at a point where the possibility exists in the 200 fly. Milak is a phenom, plain and simple. Armed with impeccable technique, he also possesses the perfect combination of speed and endurance.

When Milak set the world record, he was out in 24.66 at the 50-meter mark and touched in 52.88 at the midway point. A third-50 split of 28.69 enabled the Hungarian to hit the 150-meter wall at 1:21.57, and a closing lap of 29.16 brought a 1:50.73 swim to the scoreboard. Since that performance, Milak has considerably improved his speed, and an enhanced early pace could be the major factor in the chase for a sub-1:50 marker.

The pursuit will be can’t-miss action.

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