2023 HUNGARIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, April 19th – Saturday, April 22nd
- Kaposvár, Hungary
- LCM (50m)
- World Championships Qualifier
- Preview
- Start Lists/Results
- Day 1 Recap
- Day 2 Recap
- Day 3 Recap
Make that four national titles in four days for Kristof Milak.
The 23-year-old world champion won the 100-meter butterfly in 50.80 at the 2023 Hungarian National Championships on Saturday, completing an impressive week of racing in Kaposvár. Milak’s new season-best time is tied for second in the world this season with Shaine Casas behind Josh Liendo‘s 50.36 from last month’s Canadian Trials.
2022-2023 LCM Men 100 Fly
Grousset
50.14
| 2 | Josh Liendo | CAN | 50.34 | 07/29 |
| 3 | Dare Rose | USA | 50.46 | 07/29 |
| 4 | Matthew Temple | AUS | 50.76 | 07/28 |
| 5 | Nyls Korstanje | NED | 50.78 | 07/28 |
Milak was out in 23.82 before coming home in 26.98. He reached the wall well under the 2023 World Championships ‘A’ cut of 51.96 along with second-place finisher Richard Marton (51.70), who missed the Paris 2024 Olympic ‘A’ cut (51.67) by just .03 seconds.
Milak’s lifetime best still stands at 49.68 from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when he became the second-fastest performer ever behind Caeleb Dressel. Last year, he went 51.03 at the 2022 Hungarian Nationals, 50.14 to claim the world crown in Budapest, and 50.33 to win European title later that summer. His haul from this year’s Hungarian Nationals features national titles in the 100 free (48.40), 200 fly (1:52.58), 200 free (1:46.68), and 100 fly (50.80) along with runner-up finishes in the 50 free (22.06) and 50 fly (23.27).
Hungary will also be sending two swimmers to Worlds in Fukuoka this summer in both 200 backstroke events.
Benedek Kovacs put up one of the biggest swims of the day in the men’s 200 back, where he clocked a 1:56.11 that ranks fourth in the world this season. The 24-year-old was less than a tenth off his personal-best 1:56.03 from last year’s European Championships, where he took silver.
20-year-old Hungarian Hubert Kos wasn’t competing this week in Kaposvár, but he blazed a 1:55.95 at the Pro Swim Series stop in Westmont last weekend.
2022-2023 LCM Men 200 Back
Kos
1:54.14
| 2 | Ryan Murphy | USA | 1:54.83 | 07/28 |
| 3 | Roman Mityukov | SUI | 1:55.34 | 07/28 |
| 4 | Joshua Edwards-Smith | AUS | 1:55.42 | 12/13 |
| 5 | Evgeny Rylov | RUS | 1:55.50 | 04/21 |
Runner-up Adam Telegdy also finished under Worlds ‘A’ cut (1:58.07) and Paris 2024 Olympic ‘A’ cut (1:57.50) with a 1:57.35. It would be the third Olympics for the 27-year-old Telegdy, who competed at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021.
In the women’s 200 back, Eszter Szabo-Feltothy triumphed with a personal-best 2:08.85, shaving nearly a full second off her previous best from last year’s Mare Nostrum tour. The 21-year-old now ranks 12th in the world this season with a new Paris 2024 Olympic ‘A’ cut (2:10.39). Second-place finisher Ktalin Burian went 2:10.92 to sneak under the Worlds ‘A’ cut (2:11.08), just about half a second off the Olympic ‘A’ cut at 28 years old.
Dalma Sebestyen pulled off an impressive double with the women’s 50 breast and 100 fly separated by just one event on Saturday. The 26-year-old started off her session by dropping a couple tenths in the 50 breast en route to the victory before earning silver in the 100 fly (59.29) behind 18-year-old Panna Ugrai (59.00). Sebestyen was just off her best time in the 100 fly (58.85 from the 2021 European Championships) while Ugrai shaved over half a second off her lifetime best from last year’s Hungarian Nationals.
21-year-old Gal Oliver was just about a second off the Worlds ‘A’ cut (27.33) during his men’s 50 breast win in 28.32.
No one from Australia can challenge milak?
Milak told Hungarian media yesterday he was happy with his 100fly time, and that butterfly is still the main focus but he’s excited to put together a decent 200free one day. I think he’s gonna swim the individual race at Worlds this year.
It doesn’t conflict with anything as far as I can remember so I think he will swim it.
Either Liendo or Milak. Maybe Casas.
I think Casas will show his true colors at trials. I would not be surprised at a 50 low from him.
I don’t think there’s grounds to pick favorites until we see Dressel swim again. When you’re a 49.5, even being away from the pool for the better part of a year isn’t gonna take you out of contention.
Nice knowing you America! All because we like to play in bathtubs and not with the big boys.
What do you mean by this?
This lad is gonna win 100 fly in Fukuoka
Not sure why you’re getting downvotes. It’s not a foregone conclusion but at this stage he is definitely the favourite
I would almost certainly say Liendo’s the favorite at this point.
Liendo swam 50 low only one time in his career while Milak has done it several times already (not to mention their personel bests). Liendo is far from a favourite.
I would not write Dressel off either. We do not know in what form he will return, but his qualities cannot be ignored.
Dressel has too much ground to make up.
Why are you so certain? I could see the probability but it’s far from certainty.
Liendo now leading the world rankings doesn’t mean he’s the favorite. Milak didn’t even break 51 at last year’s trials but was 50.14 at the World championships. While Liendo added time from trials to Worlds (50.88 to 50.97).
Milak can drop 1 second in the 100s and at least 2 in the 200s.
Liendo has shown his hand because he was clearly tapered given his 50.3 came 1 week after NCAA’s whereas there’s more chance Milak will drop as he doesn’t need to go hard here
The Canada fans are wild right now.
Another notable swim from today: David Betlehem shaved 11 seconds off his PB in the 800 free to go 7:49 and qualify for Paris.
Liendo has a great shot this year if he goes sub 50 at worlds he likely takes down milak
He would need it.
just going sub 50 isn’t enough. Milak has swam faster than Liendo 6 times, including his pb of 49.68. He’ll need to swim 49 low minimum to secure the gold.
Milak didn’t go sub 50 to win last year, he’s not as fast as he was during Olympic year liendo starting to peak at the right time, could be unbeatable next year
The problem for Liendo is that he plays right into Milak’s hand. Milak swam that 49.6 right next to Dressel, a world class sprinter. If he’s next to Liendo in the world’s final he’ll win
The main problem is that Milak is faster. The same as in the case of Dressel or Popovici was for Milak.
Yeah, he is faster, look at the 50s. No way Liendo or anybody will beat him.
Look at the age liendo is entering his prime years 21/22 is when male swimmers dominate liendo is taking milak down
Not taking anyone’s side but historically male swimmers are usually in their prime at 23/24 which is Milak’s age right now.
Milak under performed last year in the 100 and he still won by a lot
Yes. As impressive as Liendo’s 50.36 is, all of Milak’s winning times were faster last year (50.14 and 50.33, with Milak going 50.14 in the semis at worlds as well), and Liendo added compared to trials as it has been stated above. I’d say the clear favourite is still Milak with Liendo being the most prominent challenger (although again, we haven’t seen what Casas is truly capable of yet, and who knows what Dressel’s up to).
Also, in last year’s semis Milak was clearly holding back on the last 25 meters, to conserve energy for the 4×200. That swim at full effort would have been a 49.
Sigh…. Are you finally gonna get a breather from fast swims? It’s been nonstop for about 2 months
Sigh. Prolly not.
Keep them coming please.
We still have US and Australian trials before Fukuoka.
But I think have at least a few weeks of less high profile meets
The second of two Chinese selection meets starts in a week but they’re not exactly easy to follow.
if any huge swims come out of those meets then we’re bound to be noticed