2022 EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, August 11 – Wednesday, August 17, 2022 (pool swimming)
- Rome, Italy
- Parco Del Foro Italico
- LCM (50m)
- Start Times
- Prelims: 9:00 am local / 3:00 am ET
- Finals: 6:00 pm local / 12:00 pm ET
- Meet Central
- Event Schedule
- Entries
- Live Results
- Live Stream
- Day 4 Finals Heat Sheet
- Day 4 Finals Live Recap
Hungary’s Kristof Milak competed in three events on night four of the European Championships swimming in finals of the men’s 100 butterfly and 4×100 freestyle relay as well as the semi-final for the men’s 200 freestyle. He was busy the whole finals session, swimming in the first event as well as the last.
Kicking off the night, Milak captured a win in the men’s 100 butterfly swimming a 50.33. He was just off his European Championship Record which stands at a 50.18 which he swam at this meet in May 2021. Milak has a best time of 49.68 which stands as the overall European Record as he swam the time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He spoke after the race saying he “want(s) to do 49s all the time.”
Just over ten minutes after winning the 100 fly, Milak was back in the competition pool swimming in the second semi-final of the men’s 200 free. Milak is more known for being a butterfly specialist as he did not compete in the freestyle events individually at the 2020 Olympics or at Worlds earlier this summer.
So far through this meet though, Milak has shown some strength in the freestyle events as he broke the Hungarian National Record in the 100 freestyle on night 3 earning a silver medal in the process. He also spoke after that race saying he wants to swim the 100 free at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Tonight in the 200 free semi-final though, Milak was unable to make the final swimming a 1:47.37 finishing 10th and 0.25 seconds off eighth place. That was notably off the 1:46.26 that he swam this morning to be the top seed for semi-finals. He was fifth in the event at last year’s edition of the meet in May 2021 as he swam a 1:45.74 in finals then.
Even after swimming two individual events, Milak was not done yet as he anchored the Hungarian men’s 4×100 freestyle relay. About an hour after swimming the 200 freestyle, Milak brought the Hungarian relay home in a 47.24 to help them secure the silver medal, passing Great Britain in the process. The Hungarian relay touched in a 3:12.43 just ahead of Great Britain who was third in 3:12.70. Milak had the fastest split anyone in the field.
Milak spoke after the relay and had mixed emotions as he had “tears in one of my eyes, smiling the other. I’m still a bit upset because of the 200m free where my duel will not happen with David (Popovici).” Popovici will be the top seed in the men’s 200 free tomorrow night after swimming a 1:44.91.
Milak also spoke of his triple saying, “I could have swum way better than today in the semis, minutes after the 100m fly final. What makes me happy is this relay silver.” He also described the busy day as “extremely exhausting.”
Prime Phelps like schedule
47,24 is his second best relay split after this year’s Worlds, where he has 46,89.
He will go sub 47 in a few years
That was truly a brutal schedule, especially that 10 mins brake between the 100 fly final and the 200 free semi. After the relay he seemed quite upset about that 200 free which shows his perfectionist behaviour. Surely if he only swam his two main events his time in the 100 fly would have been better, but instead he chose this experimental path. He still has 200 fly though. He is the swimmer of the meet so far considering how many events he has entered and what results he achieved in them.
Let’s wait till 200 fly and perhaps mixed relays, but he can have the most medals among the boys. And Steenbergen among the girls.
Ceccon could win it also. We”ll see.
Let’s wait until Popovici swims the 2 and 4 free.
Exactly, a guy that has gone under 47 & WR in 100 free, his best event 200 free to come & also big chance in 400. I think lets wait before proclaiming anything.
Warrior