The 21-year-old athlete improved his previous position by four places.Continue reading
Hungarian swimmer sets new European benchmark in 200m backstroke at Singapore World Aquatics Championships.
Hungary’s Hubert Kós surged to gold in the men’s 200-meter backstroke at the World Aquatics Championships on Friday, delivering a stunning performance that shattered the European record and reaffirmed his place among the sport’s elite.
The 22-year-old Olympic champion touched the wall in 1:53.19, slicing nearly a full second off his previous Hungarian record (1:54.14) and breaking the 2021 European record of 1:53.23, previously held by Russia’s Evgeny Rylov.
Kós entered the final as the third-fastest qualifier, having clocked 1:54.64 in the semifinals. Remarkably, just an hour before that race on Thursday, he had clinched bronze in the 200m individual medley—a testament to his resilience and stamina.
Hubert Kós in Singapore. (Photo: MTI/Illyés Tibor)
The final, held exactly one year to the day after the 2024 Paris Olympics 200m backstroke showdown, featured several returning swimmers from that Olympic field. With five personal bests set in the semifinals, expectations were high for a fiercely contested final.
South Africa’s Peter Coetze, fresh off a victory in the 100m backstroke, led the early pace. But Kós stayed close, executing a powerful final turn to emerge ahead at the last 50 meters.
For a fleeting moment, he was even on pace to challenge Aaron Peirsol’s longstanding world record of 1:51.92.
Though the world mark remained untouched, Kós’s performance was enough to hold off the charging Coetze and rewrite the European record books.
This victory marks Hungary’s 36th gold medal in the history of the swimming world championships, and Kós’s second medal in Singapore following his medley bronze. His triumph cements Hungary’s continued presence on the global swimming stage and signals even greater promise as the 2028 Olympic cycle begins.
Via MTI; Featured image: MTI/Illyés Tibor