2023 HUNGARIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, April 19th – Saturday, April 22nd
- Kaposvár, Hungary
- LCM (50m)
- World Championships Qualifier
- Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap/Day 4 Recap
- Results
Olympic champion and reigning World Record holder Kristof Milak did Kristof Milak things at the Hungarian National Championships which just concluded over the weekend.
Over the course of the 4-day competition, the versatile 23-year-old earned 4 national titles, wreaking havoc on the season’s world rankings in the process.
| Milak’s Time at 2023 Hungarian Championships |
Current World Ranking | Milak’s Personal Best & Date | |
| 100 Free | 48.40 | #18 | 47.47, 2022 |
| 200 Free | 1:46.68 | #17 | 1:45.74, 2021 |
| 100 Fly | 50.80 | #2 | 49.58, 2021 |
| 200 Fly | 1:52.58 | #1 | 1:50.34, 2022 |
Milak has conveyed he has been putting more attention on freestyle lately, targeting the 100m and 200m distances.
“Since this year finally offers a normal calendar with one big event in the summer, it’s easier to plan ahead and build up our preparations on one hand.
“On the other hand, it’s also easier to take some risks and change more things in the practices in order to develop myself to a good freestyle swimmer.
“This is what we’ve done in the camps, and at the nationals, I’ve only taken care of my feelings and sensations the swims gave to me. Honestly, I don’t even know how many medals I got. Never counted. It was all about listening to my senses – those will help me when we sit down to put together my World Championships programme.”
As listed in the chart above, Milak owns lifetime bests of 47.47 in the 100m freestyle, a mark which represents the Hungarian national record, while his PB in the 200m free sits at 1:45.74.
Currently, World Record holder David Popovici of Romania owns the top time in the world in the 100m free with his season-best of 47.61. He leads a list of 10 swimmers who have all been sub-48 seconds on the season already.
In the 200m free, it’s South Korea’s Hwang Sunwoo who owns the top time at 1:44.67, while the top 5 performers have all been under 1:45 on the season.
Last year in Budapest, it took 47.71 to land on the podium in the 100m free and 1:44.98 in the 200m free.
With these times in mind, Milak will need to put up the best performances of his career if he wants to come close to touching a medal at this summer’s World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Even with a focus on freestyle, however, Milak has made it clear he is far from turning his back on the butterfly discipline which carried him into the annals of swimming history.
“Whatever focus I’m putting on the free, the fly and especially the 200m will always be my top event where I will try to do my best again and again. I’ll never let it go.”
Quotes courtesy of LEN.
He just want to have fun in the pool
He’s not winning any of the freestyle events so why bother.
What a stupid comment.
To clarify: he can have many other aspirations, such as
1, Break the NR, which stands at 1:45.5 – he is close to it at 1:45.7.
2, Become the first hungarian under 1:45 – already split 1:44 in a realy 3 times, it’s quite possible he will do it flat start.
3, Collect a minor medal – he’s already done it in the 100 free at euros, so while not particularly likely, it is possible.
4, He just likes swimming it.
Also, most of the guys who swim any distance of any stroke don’t have a chance of even making the final. If all of these people just gave up, winning would quite literally mean nothing.
A bit similar to katie grimes?
His freestyle not as good as his butterfly
Anybody’s fly is far from his at the moment.
i assume there is no overlap with the schedule in those events then?
The 100 free semis clash pretty badly with the 200 fly final, so I assume he will have to scratch the 100 free.
Honestly he’s so far ahead of the others that he could swim the 100 semis and still win the 200 fly 20 minutes later
That might very well be the case, but still, I don’t think they will risk it at the end.
Marchand and Honda could be closing in if he’s not fresh
Absolutely
Yes
Yeah, about 2.5 seconds close. Joke.
I think the same.
His 100 fly has regressed a bit
Yeah because a 50.8 100 fly this time of the season is just terrible
Talk about it after 49.5.
Will still be quicker than chalmers in 200 free
Is this Vinay’s new account or something?
Hahahaha
funny how some of vinay’s comments got auto modded within the last 24 hours, then this new account shows up
Yes.
Vinay, Ventuku, Papanna and Srissay are all very obviously the same person. They use identical phrasing in their comments.
Doesn’t sound like he’s going to make a run at the 100 fly WR in that case unfortunately. I think he can get to 1:43 in the 2 free. 47.4 means he’s got the speed and we all know he’s got incredible 200m endurance. He’s also got that 1:44.6 relay split that showed potential.
No way someone’s got a 1:50.3 200 fly, 47.4 100 free and not being able to drop something special in the 2 free
He split 1:44.4 at euros last year, which is his fastest split I think. My current theory on his relatively weak 200 free is that while he is talented, his technique is inefficient, which doesn’t count as much in the 100 as in the 200.
His 200 was relatively weaker because he was breathing every three, and took it out way too fast.
Only flynn southam from Australia can challenge him not sure about sam short though
His 200 fly endurance is otherworldly because he has an incredibly efficient stroke, something he doesn’t have in freestyle
His efficiency requires incredible consistency and power with speed, so I don’t see why he can’t translate that to a 200.
That’s true for sure but the 200 fly absolutely requires amazing natural endurance. You can not fake 200m if fly with technique