ZUMO Performance of the Week: Seto Pulls Off Nail Biter World Record Win In 200 Fly

Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr

This week’s Performance of the Week goes to Japan’s Daiya Seto for his world record in the 200 butterfly at the 2018 FINA Short Course World Championships.

Seto was in a neck and neck race with former world record holder Chad le Clos through the entire race, with both swimmers out well under world record pace from the start. Seto turned at the 100 in 51.29, .26 ahead of le Clos and more than 1.5 seconds under the old world record pace and holding onto the margin through the 150.

Seto had enough of a lead heading into the final 50 that he was able to hold off the charging le Clos, who was chasing him down on the final 25. Seto had just enough room to hold on for the win, taking three tenths of a second off le Clos’ old world record when he touched in 1:48.24. Le Clos also managed to get under his own world record, touching in 1:48.32 for a new African record.

That swim marks the first world record in Seto’s career and was the 24-year-old’s first Short Course Worlds gold medal in this event. He and le Clos are the only two men to have swum under 1:49 in the event. Seto’s previous best had stood at 1:48.92 from 2014 Short Course Worlds, when he won the silver medal in this event. Seto also has a bronze in the 200 fly from the 2016 edition of this meet.

All-Time Rankings:

Daiya Seto, JPN, 1:48.24 (2018)
Chad Le Clos, RSA, 1:48.32 (2018)
Laszlo Cseh, HUN, 1:49.00 (2015)
Tom Shields, USA, 1:49.05 (2015)
Kaio Marcio, BRA, 1:49.11 (2009)
Nikolay Skvortsov, RUS, 1:49.46 (2009)
Takeshi Matsuda, JPN, 1:49.50 (2011)
Pawel Korzeniowski, POL, 1:50.13 (2009)

Congratulations Daiya Seto on earning Swimming World’s Performance of the Week!

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Neil Morgan

5 years ago

Is that 200m?

Thomas A. Small

5 years ago

Congratulations