Andrej Barna Resets Serbian Record For 4th Time This Year To Lead Men’s 50 Free Heats In 21.44

2025 World Championships

• July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
• Singapore, Singapore
• World Aquatics Championships Arena
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• How To Watch
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

Andean Barna set a new Serbian Record in the 50 free for the fourth time this year already as he blasted a time of 21.44 to take the top seed into tonight’s semi-finals of the men’s 50 free.

He came in tonight with an entry time of 21.77 which he set at the Pro Swim Series back in May, but had set a brand new best just two weeks ago at the Serbian Summer Championships. There, he rocked a time of 21.52 to take a quarter of a second off his record and announce himself as a contender in this event.

He has now taken nearly half a second off the Serbian Record just this season, and has dropped the mark by a whopping 0.83 seconds since he first broke Milorad Cavic’s mark in 2018, setting or equalling the record on ten occasions.

Andrew Barna’s Serbian Records, Men’s 50m Freestyle

1. 22.27 – 2018 European Championships
2. 22.27 (=) – 2020(1) European Championships
3. 22.14 – 2020(1) European Championships
4. 22.09 – 2022 European Championships
5. 21.93 – 2024 World Championships
6. 21.89 – 2024 World Championships
7. 21.82 – 2025 Serbian Open Championships
8. 21.77 – 2025 Pro Swim Series
9. 21.52 – 2025 Serbian Summer Championships
10. 21.44 – 2025 World Championships

He is now well clear in the Serbian Rankings, although both Justin Cvetkov, a Yale commit, and Nikola Avon have set new bests this year. Acin cleared Cavic’s old record by 0.07 seconds at the Banja Luka Open in May.

Serbian Top-5 Performers, Men’s 50m Free

1. Andrej Barna (2025) – 21.44
2. Nikola Acin (2025) – 22.22
3. Milorad Cavic (2008) – 22.29
4. Justin Cvetkov (2025) – 22.43
5. Stefan Sorak (2019)  – 22.63

He now ranks 4th in the world rankings so far this season, and his time tonight would have earned him bronze in Paris last summer, as well as silver at the 2023 World Championships.

Barna only entered this event here in Singapore, dropping the 100 freestyle where he has consistently been a semi-finalist in recent years. That looks to have worked out for the former University of Louisville swimmer, and could lead to Serbia’s first worlds swimming medal since Milorad Cavic won gold in the 50 fly and silver in the 100 fly back in 2009.

There have been five men to break 21.5 so far this year, which does not include Olympic silver medalist Ben Proud.

There were already four swimmers in the heats who swam faster than the 21.56 Florent Manaudou swam for bronze last summer, setting up a fierce battle for the medals in this splash’n’dash event.

Barna will go again in semifinal 2 tonight, scheduled for 7:39 am EST.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE– Prelims

• World Record: 20.91  – Cesar Cielo, Brazil (2009)
• World Junior Record: 21.75 – Michael Andrew, USA (2017)
• Championship Record: 20.91 – Cesar Cielo, Brazil (2009)
• 2023 World Champion – Cam McEvoy(AUS), 21.06
• 2024 Olympic Champion – Cam McEvoy(AUS), 21.25

Top 16 Qualifiers

1. Andrej Barna (SRB) – 21.44
2. Jack Alexy (USA)/Egor Kornev (NAB) – 21.52
3. —
4. Cameron McEvoy (AUS) – 21.53
5. Leonardo Deplano (ITA) – 21.62
6. Meiron Amir Cheruti (ISR) – 21.64
7. Guilherme Caribe (BRA) – 21.67
8. Benjamin Proud (GBR) – 21.71
9. Ji Yuchan (KOR) – 21.80
10. Ian Yentou Ho (HKG) – 21.82
11. Szebasztian Szabo (HUN)/Vladyslav Bukhov (UKR) – 21.83
12. —
13. Jere Hribar (CRO) – 21.86
14. Lorenzo Zazzeri (ITA)/Thomas Fannon (IRL) – 21.87
15. —
16. Martin Kartavi (ISR)/Santo Condorelli (USA) – 21.91 *Condorelli won the swim off