Sette Colli, Day 3: Kristof Milak Sets Hungarian Record in 50 Fly
Kristof Milak’s results between Olympic Games have been up and down, when he’s been at the pool at all. But the two-time Olympic gold medalist may be rounding into form.
Milak finished second in the men’s 50 butterfly at Sette Colli on Sunday. But his time of 22.86 was a personal-best and a Hungarian record, breaking new ground for the world record holder in the 200 fly.
The third day of the meet in Rome started out with American Gretchen Walsh downing the world record in the women’s 50 freestyle, taking the mark away from training partner and countrywoman Kate Douglass nine days after Douglass went 23.59 in Indianapolis. Walsh was .04 under that in 23.55 in a quick succession.
That made for a fast start to the afternoon in the first final of the final session in Rome. All the action:
Women’s 50 freestyle
Gretchen Walsh is inevitable. More about that here, but she wasn’t the only one.
Behind Walsh’s record-setting 23.55, Sarah Sjostrom showed her comeback from maternity leave is on the right track. The Swedish start went 23.86, .25 off her world record (and still European record) from 2023. Sara Curtis lowered her Italian record by two tenths to 24.09.
Fourth was Arina Surkova, swimming as a neutral athlete, in 24.60. Slovenia’s Neza Klancar was fifth in 24.72. Silvia Di Pietro led three Italians rounding out the A final in 24.77 for sixth.
Men’s 200 backstroke
Switzerland’s Roman Mityukov got to the wall first in the 200 back, his time of 1:57.32 holding off John Shortt of Ireland. Shortt went 1:57.73, rising from fourth to second on the third 50. But Mityukov split 29.93 coming home, the fastest in the field, to hold on.
Benedek Kovacs of Hungary was third in 1:57.76. Four of the final finalists were Italians, led by a 1:58.25 from Mattia Morello in fourth.
Women’s 200 backstroke
Italian Aurora Velati won a relatively slow 200 back in a time of 2:12.57. Anna Conti was second in 2:13.30, with Hungary’s Dora Molnar third in 2:13.67. Gaia Monti was fourth in 2:13.91, one of five Italian in the A final.
Men’s 50 butterfly
Noe Ponti dashed off a time of 22.73 to get the win in the 50 fly. It’s just two tenths off his best of 22.51, which is the Swiss record.
But Kristof Milak’s performance was just as eye-opening, in part given Ponti’s ridiculous consistency. Milak set a best time in 22.86, undercutting his best from earlier this spring at 23.03. It takes down the 2019 national record of Szebasztian Szabo (22.90). And it marks perhaps an evolution for the 200 fly specialist to be more of a player in the sprints.
Now 26, the one-time prodigy and four-time Olympic medalist hasn’t been in the water all that much between medal-winning games. But perhaps the sprints offer a pathway. Milak hasn’t medaled in a major international meet in the 50 fly as a senior swimmer, the last accolades coming in 2017 at the World Junior and European Junior Championships. The world record holder over 200 meters of fly also holds all three national marks in the stroke.
Third place went to Stergios-Marios Bilas of Greece in 23.08, just .08 off his best time/national record from last summer’s Worlds. Gui Caribe of Brazil was fourth in 23.20. A pair of neutral athletes followed, with Roman Shevlyakov fifth in 23.22 and Oleg Kostin .01 seconds behind. Germany’s Nik Armbruster (23.36) and Jere Hribar of Croatia (23.40) rounded out the top eight.
Women’s 200 butterfly
Men’s 200 breaststroke
Women’s 200 breaststroke
Women’s 400 freestyle
Men’s 200 IM
Women’s 200 IM
