2023 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – BUDAPEST
- Friday, October 20th – Sunday, October 22nd
- Duna Arena, Budapest, Hungary
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- Entries
Hungarian spectators and swim fans around the world were let down today as it’s been revealed that World Record holder Kristof Milak would not be racing at this weekend’s World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Budapest after all.
After withdrawing from this summer’s World Championships, as well as the first two stops of this three-meet series due to training ill-preparation, 23-year-old Milak was expected to make his 2023 return at this competition. Although not entered in his signature 200m fly, Milak was set to take on the 50m/100m/200m free and 50m/100m fly events.
Milak only recently made his return to heavy training after withdrawing from Fukuoka due to mental and physical fatigue. He took a 2+ month break from training, getting back to training just last month.
Milak said in early October, “During those two and a half months, I tried to rest as much as possible, to withdraw from swimming and not to deal with it at all. I got back up in September, but not with such a serious effort as I usually do.” (M4Sport)
Several weeks later Milak’s coach Balasz Virth now says of his pupil, “We are talking about a competitor who has won everything, the most difficult task for him is to find motivation.
“However, I think that now is the moment when he is doing something in his life that he is the best in the world at.
“In his civilian life, it will probably be difficult to find something in which he can once again be the best in the world. He should live this period in such a way that it makes him happy.” (Telex Sport)
Hungarian national team coach Csaba Sós expressed a more dire message this week, however.
“I’ll be honest, it’s not going to work like it did for the past month and a half. It’s a sport that requires hard work. You have to work hard here, you can’t avoid it. Lots of people have tried, but no one has succeeded yet.”
Sos continued to Eurosport, “Still, we are talking about a genius. At the time when the coronavirus was raging and caught him hard, he was bedridden for weeks, or lost eight kilos of his muscles, came out, trained for three weeks and then swam two and a half seconds worse than the world record. I simply didn’t want to believe it.
“But you can’t play around with that all the time. And it’s different when it happens that someone has been working hard continuously for ten or so years before, and it looks completely different if they missed three months before that.
“In retrospect, I am convinced that he decided much earlier that he did not want to compete in the World Cup than he announced. And what I regret is that his coach also found out about this late.” (Eurosport)
As for this specific World Cup, Sos conveyed, “No one thought he was going to swim world records or great times here, but I think he needed to see where he was.”
Additionally, Sos made it known that Milak’s trouble with coming back to form is not just an insulated affair. Hungary’s aim is to take 7 relays to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, including the men’s 4x200m free relay for which the nation has yet to qualify.
Since only the top 3 teams from this year’s World Championships have earned Olympic berths, the remaining squads will be selected primarily from performances at the 2024 World Championships taking place in February, just 4 months away.
With Milak on the men’s 4x200m free relay at the 2022 World Championships, Hungary placed 5th overall in a time of 7:06.27. This year sans Milak in Fukuoka, Hungary fell to 15th, out of the final in a time of 7:11.57.
| 2023 World Championships – 15th | 2022 World Championships – 5th | 2022 European Championships – 1st |
| Nándor Németh (1:47.98) | Richárd Márton (1:48.12) | Nándor Németh (1:46.28) |
| Richárd Márton (1:48.63) | Nándor Németh (1:45.73) | Richárd Márton (1:47.01) |
| Balázs Holló (1:47.18) | Balázs Holló (1:47.74) | Balázs Holló (1:47.67) |
| Kristóf Rasovszky (1:47.78) | Kristóf Milák (1:44.68) | Kristóf Milák (1:44.42) |
| 7:11.57 | 7:06.27 | 7:05.38 |
Milan took a ” burnout” break..there is no guarantee that he will ever want to put in the work necessary to stay on top. What does he have to chase anymore? Wishing him the best!!
He’s accomplished great things, and if he doesn’t have the motivation to keep going, then there’s nothing wrong with him either taking an extended break or deciding to move on.
I know this happens every cycle but it seems crazy to me how many fairly dominant winners in Tokyo are now not favoured to take a single event in Paris. Milak, Dressel, Finke, Rylov, Peaty, McKeon, Ohashi.
Some have been banned, some have just slowed a little bit or had phenoms jump in front of them, but multiple on the list have had major issues.
I would say Ledecky is the only individual winner in Tokyo who is heavily favoured to repeat. Kaylee favoured but obviously not to Ledecky’s level. Then that’s kind of it.
Titmus has been swimming amazingly in the last few years and still might not win any
Yeah absolutely. She’s definitely not heavily favoured in either event. She has a chance at both her events but I wouldn’t say she’s the favourite in either
On the men’s side Hafnaoui might repeat.
True. But he was a surprise in Tokyo and wasn’t dominant in his win. He may be slightly favoured to repeat but obviously Short beat him at Worlds so even then it’s probably even.
Finke?
He convincingly won both distance events in Tokyo and is now not favoured to win either. That tracks with what I said, no?
He has Hafnaoui to contend with in both events.
I’d still put Dressel and Milak as favorites in the 100/200 fly.
Just go for 100 fly and 100 free
Sounds like he’s no longer willing to put in the hardwork that comes with all the success he enjoyed.
Makes me appreciate Phelps, Lichtenstein, Thorpe and all the swim legends for their dedication to the sport of swimming.
How do you know that? Perhaps he is simply not ready yet!
The quote from the National Coach is essentially saying that, is it not?
is “Lichtenstein” some sort of Lochte autocorrect??
Thank you for typing this. I had no clue who Lichtenstein was.
Yes
I am a massive Phelps fan, and I will preface how awesome it was to see his come back in such successful fashion. THAT SAID…I’m not sure what you saw that I didn’t after Beijing/09Worlds through to maybe 2015 that showed dedication to the sport of swimming.
Winning both the 200 IM and the 100 fly at the 2012 Olympics? That doesn’t happen, no matter how great the talent, without at least some dedication and perseverance.
I hear you. But Phelps has admitted in multiple interviews that he wasn’t training at his highest capability in the lead up to London. I wish I could site them right now because I’m surprised you have never heard this. He swam faster four years later in Rio in the 100 fly albeit just a tenth or two.
Regardless, the point isn’t that he showed “some dedication” – it’s that he wasn’t at the highest level of dedication in this period.
There’s a huge difference between saying that “he wasn’t at his highest level of dedication during that period,” versus saying that he “wasn’t dedicated to the sport of swimming.”
His 200 fly and 200 IM were both faster in London than Rio; not much but still faster.
Yes, I’m aware of all the struggles he had leading up to 2012 and I understand what you’re saying. However, it’s those struggles that make me even more appreciative of the level of dedication he was able to dredge up to accomplish what he did at those Olympics.
You’re kidding right? London Olympics Phelps won 4 gold medals and 2 silver medals and in Rio won 5 Gold medals and 1 silver. That’s what I saw. You think you can just show up and accomplish that?
Phelps and Thorpe both had motivational/ mental issues for some time in their career.
And Thorpe never won an international medal again after the age of 22 (!).
To be fair, Thorpe retired at 24 and (to my knowledge) never entered another international level meet after 22 (Athens Olympics) so that kind of tracks. He did have a “comeback” 5 years later that consisted of one poor trials meet and then he never competed again.
If they replicated the 7:06.27 from 2022, then they would have squeaked in the finals at 8th. While it’s a great goal to have all seven relays competing in the Olympics, I question how important it really is when they are not highly competitive.
Big surprise that a sport which requires your entire body, mind and soul, as well as robbing you of your youth, would cause burnout in its top athletes. Best wishes to him as he navigates his young life.
Battle of the burn outs in the 100 fly