Budapest 2024, Day 4: Miron Liftintsev Adds Another Gold, WJR in 50 Back
Two years ago in Melbourne, a world junior record in the semifinals by Isaac Cooper led to just a silver medal in the final of the men’s 50 backstroke.
Friday, the Aussie was again in silver, this time on the wrong side of a WJR.
Miron Lifintsev powered home to win gold in the men’s 50 back in 22.47. That takes down Cooper’s world junior record from 2022 and it denied by .02 seconds Cooper’s bid for gold, though the Aussie’s consolation was a best time of 22.49 that stands as the national and continental record.
Bronze came down to a battle of outside smokers. The front-half speed of Ireland Shane Ryan won out over the final-50 charge by Hubert Kos of Hungary, Ryan clocking in at 22.56.
Lifintsev has introduced himself to the world stage in fine fashion this week, so much of the 18-year-old’s career having been while his native Russia was in the international wilderness after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. But he’s looking every bit the heir to the Russian backstroking throne once occupied by Evgeny Rylov and Kliment Kolesnikov.
The 100 back champ was out in a controlled 11.07, third-fastest of the final. He was .16 behind Cooper’s front-end speed, Cooper taking it out a tenth faster than his WJR in 2022. Lifintsev had the fastest final 25, though, in 11.40, to get to the wall first.
It’s a second straight silver for Cooper, who went his WJR in semifinals in Melbourne two years ago but was two tenths slower in the final to take silver in 22.73. Gold then went to Ryan Murphy in 22.64, slower than Cooper had been in prelims.
“I’m pretty happy with the time, an official PB,” Cooper said. “I have done 0.01 faster before, but that was not in an official race. Miron swam a new (junior) world record, that’s pretty impressive. It’s my eighth race now, so I am happy I’ve been able to back up.”
The bronze was a study in contrasts, between an Irish 50 free record holder and a 200 back world champion. Ryan was second at the wall in 10.93, Kos sixth in 11.16. Kos’s final 25 was the third-fastest of the race, behind Lifintsev and Kacper Stokowski. Ryan’s was the sixth-fastest, but his early speed was enough to edge Kos and lower his Irish record, last set in 2018, at 22.76.
It’s a massive climb for Ryan, who had his shoulders reconstructed after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and whose backstroke days were thought to be over. In Paris, he had an A cut in the 50 free but didn’t swim it, then split 47.12 off the end of the Irish men’s medley relay, the fastest in prelims and quicker than all but two of the finals splits.
“I love the outside lane, outside stroke, you have a clean lane next to you,” Ryan said. “But I think I’m a bit older so I knew what I needed to do and I just went in. Each swim was just like I need to be a bit better on this one, a bit better on this one. I just cleaned it up right and it worked out, I can’t believe it!”
Kos was fourth in 22.64, ahead of Stokowski, who was seventh at the wall and out of contention.
