Kristof Milak Shakes Up All-Time Performer Lists (Men’s Edition)
From mid-July through the middle of August, the sport was treated to a trio of major international competitions. The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow kicked off the high-level action, with the European Championships and Pan Pacific Championships following. Those meets – as expected – sparked a shuffle of the all-time rankings, with several athletes becoming top-five performers.
Germany’s Johannes Liebmann made the biggest move, behind his sensational performance at Euros in the 1500-meter freestyle. The 19-year-old destroyed the world record in the longest event on the pool program, going 14:26.79 to slice more than three seconds off the previous standard. Meanwhile, Hungarian Kristof Milak jumped to No. 2 in the 100 butterfly, as his mark of 49.48 just missed the world record of 49.45, held by American Caeleb Dressel. More, Milak went 46.87 in the 100 freestyle, an effort that propelled him to the No. 5 slot in history.
Olympic and world champion Hubert Kos made significant moves. First, Kos threatened the longstanding world record in the 200 backstroke, going 1:52.30 for the second-fastest performance of all-time. That swim was complemented by a 1:54.24 outing in the 200 individual medley, which makes Kos the No. 4 performer in history.
Here is a look at the seven men who used the three major summer international competitions to become a top-five performer in history.
Hubert Kos – Hungary
- 200 Backstroke – No. 2 (1:52.30)
- 200 Individual Medley – No. 4 (1:54.24)
Egor Kornev – Russia
- 100 Freestyle – No. 3 (46.74)
- 50 Butterfly – No. 3 (22.36)
Kristof Milak – Hungry
- 100 Freestyle – No. 5 (46.87)
- 100 Butterfly – No. 2 (49.48)
Sam Short – Australia
- 400 Freestyle – No. 5 (3:40.52)
Johannes Liebmann – Germany
- 1500 Freestyle – No. 1 (14:26.79)
Pieter Coetze – South Africa
- 100 Backstroke – No. 2 (51.71)
Simone Cerasuolo – Italy
- 50 Breaststroke – No. 3 (26.23)
