Cseh Cracks Hungarian Record, Ascends To World #1 With 50.86 100 Fly

2016 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 6

  • Monday, May 16th – Sunday, May 22nd
  • Prelims: 10:00 AM (London Time) / 5:00 AM (Eastern Time)
  • Finals: 6:00 PM (London Time) / 1:00 PM (Eastern Time)
  • London Aquatics Center, London, UK
  • Meet Central
  • Psych Sheet
  • Live Results
  • Live Stream

Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh continued his European Championships hot streak on Saturday night, going 50.86 to take over the top world ranking for the season in the 100 fly.

Cseh becomes the first man under 51 seconds in the 2015-2016 season, displacing former world leader Chad le Clos (51.09) of South Africa.

2015-2016 LCM Men 100 FLY

JosephSIN
SCHOOLING
08/12
50.39*OR
2Laszlo
CSEH
HUN50.8605/21
3Michael
PHELPS
USA51.0007/02
4Chad
LE CLOS
RSA51.0911/07
5Tom
SHIELDS
USA51.2007/02
View Top 26»

The time also shaves .01 seconds off of Cseh’s own Hungarian national record in the event. He set the mark at a 50.87 at last summer’s World Championships in Kazan, winning the silver medal. That time would finish the season ranked third worldwide, behind only world champ le Clos (50.56) and American national champ Michael Phelps (who went 50.45 swimming at U.S. Nationals in the same week as Worlds).

Cseh won the European title handily, beating Poland’s Konrad Czerniak by about four tenths of a second. The Olympic frontrunners in the 100 fly are interestingly spread out very evenly over the major continental federations: Cseh is in Europe, le Clos in Africa, Phelps in the Americas and World Champs bronze medalist Joseph Schooling in Asia. Those were the only four men to break 51 seconds last season.

In This Story

17
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

17 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Jon Beardsley
7 years ago

Also, he came back 26.7 I think, so with some rest he may swim a seriously fast time.

Jon Beardsley
7 years ago

Was there for this! Unreal noise.

masters swimmer
7 years ago

They all want the true WR in this event: 50.45 from Ian Crocker at the 2005 Worlds in Montreal. Think about how long that pre-suit record has held.

simplified
Reply to  masters swimmer
7 years ago

11 years.
Thorpe’s 400 m free WR is even older: 14 years.

Irish Ringer
Reply to  simplified
7 years ago

Yes, but Thorpe wasn’t in a jammer. Amazing time regardless and that full body suit wasn’t a super suit but it still provided an advantage over a jammer.

Swim/Swam/Swum
Reply to  masters swimmer
7 years ago

50.40 is the textile world record. Phelps went 50.45 at nationals.

DMNP
7 years ago

If Cseh and Phelps beat Le Clos at this year’s Olympics, I will be soooooo satisfied.

Batman
7 years ago

Would love to see him break the 50 second barrier in Rio. <3 Probably a long shot though, so I'm predicting a low 50 from him. Especially since he says he's not at his peak.

Tom from Chicago
7 years ago

I am definitely skeptical of the old boys. Phelps had ONE good meet at last years nationals. Now Cseh has ONE good meet, actually two if you count last years worlds.

I think Cseh has more cardiovascular gifts than Phelps, especially when you look at his stroke. Cseh may not be as affected by age as Phelps. I think Phelps has had the advantage with his freakish flexibility and stroke efficiency, but for someone who claims to be in 2008 shape, Phelps isn’t doing so well lately, especially in the 200s.

Not that I want it to happen, but I just think 2 meets (Trials & Rio) is too much for Phelps to put up good back to back meets… Read more »

Irish Ringer
Reply to  Tom from Chicago
7 years ago

Come on TOM…for someone who regular trolls the Phelps fans I would expect more from you. The argument, these two old guys only swim good at the big meets, is pretty weak. Especially considering the rankings. Most tapered swimmers don’t swim as fast as Phelps does without a taper in the 100m fly (51.38) and 200m IM (1:57.61) this year. His 1:56.11 in the 200m fly is lowest ranked best time of the season.

True, he isn’t swimming great times now, but better than he was last year heading up to that “one good meet” that he had which I believe to be a positive sign for him. He’s not doing these half/full tapers like everyone else mid year so… Read more »

Tom from Chicago
Reply to  Irish Ringer
7 years ago

In 2008, nobody could touch Phelps in-season times, even with a taper. Now Phelps needs a taper to get to the top. I am observing Phelps seems to have much consistency and many poor swims. “Poor” swims being relative in context, because the only question around Phelps is can he win another gold medal. I think his best chance is the 200IM, but Hagino should be tough (and now maybe Cseh).

My point about Phelps breaststroke (which making finals at Nationals is impressive) is the way he so easily through out the comment that he “sucked at breaststroke.” I am addressing his sense of confidence. In 2008, Phelps had a whole bag of tricks to unveil; a much improved breaststroke,… Read more »

AR NC
Reply to  Tom from Chicago
7 years ago

If you knew anything about swimming you’d know INSEASON SWIMMING MEANS NOTHING !!!! all that matters is taper time, phelps is 30 and way more muscular. As an actual swimmer speaking I can tell you all that matters is your taper times

Irish Ringer
Reply to  Tom from Chicago
7 years ago

I personally think there’s probably a big difference in Phelp’s confidence between 2016 and 2012. In 2012 he knew he hadn’t been putting in the training, which is no longer the case today. He also knows what he did at Nationals last summer and that his in-season swims this year are better than last and from a historical perspective actually pretty good minus the 200m free.

Looking at the 2007 in season times here are a few prior in season which are actually slower than what he’s been swimming in 2016. I just think at the time he was so far ahead of the competition that you remember it differently:

200m Free 1:49.39 2007 Eric Namesnik GP 5/17/2007
200m… Read more »

Billabong
Reply to  Irish Ringer
7 years ago

From memory, Phelps didn’t win anything last year, apart few domestic titles.????

Billabong
Reply to  Irish Ringer
7 years ago

Any objective observer can see that Tom from Chicago is making valid points. Having a view that is different from a biased crowd is certainly not trolling. Anyway, he forgot to mention that it is not only gold medals that may elude Phelps in the Fly events. The way Le Clos, Cseh and Schooling are going at the moment, in both the 100m and 200m fly, means that Phelps may find himself shut out of the medals. His 200IM looks very solid and he is still the favourite for gold, with Hagino and Lochte his only real challengers. A medal there is assured, but if may not be gold.

Irish Ringer
7 years ago

I wonder where all these people are who claimed that the 200 fly was too much for a 30 something year old man. Now we have two of them at 1:52 high in the 200 and 50 high/mid in the 100.

Old man CSEH is looking tough and just threw down the gauntlet for Rio. Hopefully he has a little more to improve on in two months.

Burn
7 years ago

You forgot to mention that Czerniak also swam a great time – 51:22 ranks him 3rd in the world.

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

Read More »