Men’s 50 Fly Worlds Final Shakes Up All-Time Performers List

2025 World Championships

• July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
• Singapore, Singapore
• World Aquatics Championships Arena
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
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• Live Results
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  • Prelims: Day 1
  • Finals: Day 1

The men’s 50m butterfly final took place on day two of the 2025 World Championships and the fast and furious event brought an onslaught of national records and top-ever performances.

When the white water settled, it was Frenchman Maxime Grousset who got to the wall first, ripping a lifetime best of 22.48.

His effort overtook his newly minted national record and previous PB of 22.61 notched during last night’s semi-finals of this event.

The 26-year-old Olympic relay medalist now becomes the 4th-fastest 50m fly performer of all time.

Behind Grousset by only .03 was Swiss Olympic medalist Noe Ponti.

24-year-old Ponti scorched a mark of 22.51 to snag the silver, rewriting his former PB and Swiss standard of 22.65 put on the books at last year’s Swiss Championships.

Ponti is now the 5th-swiftest performer of all time.

Rounding out the podium was reigning 100m backstroke world record holder and Olympic champion in that event Thomas Ceccon of Italy.

Ceccon demonstrated his versatility with a personal best in this 50m fly event, bagging the bronze in 22.67.

That shaved .01 off the Italian’s former PB and record of 22.68 established at the 2023 World Championships.

Finally, Diogo Ribeiro of Portugal may have found himself off the podium in 4th, but the 20-year-old reigning world champion from Doha hit a PB of 22.77.

That erased his previous best-ever performance of 22.80 from the 2023 World Championships.

Last year in Doha, Ribeiro turned in a time of 22.97 for gold, putting up the sole time of that field under the 23-second barrier.

All-Time Men’s LCM 50 Butterfly Performers

1. Andrii Govorov (UKR) – 22.27, 2018
2. Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 22.35, 2019
3. Rafael Munoz (ESP) – 22.43, 2009
4. Maxime Grousset (FRA) – 22.48, 2025
5. Noe Ponti (SUI) – 22.51, 2025
6. Nicholas Santos (BRA) – 22.60, 2019
7. Oleg Kostin (RUS) – 22.62, 2023
8. Milorad Cavic (SRB) – 22.67, 2009 & Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 22.67, 2025
9. Ilya Kharun (CAN) – 22.68, 2025
10. Henrique Martins (BRA) – 22.70, 2017

Of note, Stergios-Marios Bilas posted a new Greek national record of 23.00 in the semi-finals, and Simon Bucher of Austria nailed a new NR during the semi-finals as well. Bucher clocked 22.95 to get under the 23-second barrier for the first time.

Men’s 50 Butterfly – Final

• World Record: 22.27 – Andriy Govorov, Ukraine (2018)
• World Junior Record: 22.96 – Diogo Ribeiro, Portugal (2022)
• World Championships Record: 22.35 – Caeleb Dressel, United States (2019)
• 2023 World Champion: Thomas Ceccon, Italy (22.68)

Final: 

1. Maxime Grousset (France) — 22.48
2. Noe Ponti (Switzerland) — 22.51
3. Thomas Ceccon (Italy) — 22.67
4. Diogo Ribeiro (Portugal) — 22.77
5. Ben Proud (Great Britain) — 22.79
6. Nyls Korstanje (Netherlands)/Luca Armbruster (Germany) — 22.84
7. (tie)
8. Gui Caribe (Brazil) — 22.92