Luca Urlando Rips 1:52.37 In 200 Fly To Break Own PSS Record, Now #4 Performer Of All-Time

2025 Pro Swim Series — Sacramento

• April 2-5, 2025
• North Natomas Aquatic Center, Sacramento, CA
• LCM (50 Meters)
• Start Times
  • Wednesday Distance: 8 pm (ET)
  • All Prelims: 12 pm (ET)
  • Thurs-Sat Finals: 8 pm (ET)
• Livestream Information
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results

During the third finals session of the 2025 Sacramento Pro Swim Series, 23-year-old Luca Urlando threw down a time of 1:52.37 in the men’s 200 butterfly.

Not only did Urlando’s time break his own Pro Swim Series record by 1.47 seconds, but it also marked a personal best by the same margin. The performance elevates him to the fourth-fastest performer in history and makes him the second-fastest American ever, only behind Michael Phelps and his 2009 American record of 1:51.51.

All-Time Rankings – Men’s 200 Butterfly:

1. Kristof Milak – 1:50.34
2. Leon Marchand – 1:51.21
3. Michael Phelps – 1:51.51
4. Luca Urlando – 1:52.37
5. Daiya Seto – 1:52.53
6. Tomoru Honda / Laszlo Cseh – 1:52.70
7. N/A
8. Ilya Kharun – 1:52.80
9. Chad le Clos – 1:52.96
10. Takeshi Matsuda – 1:52.97

Urlando hadn’t approached his personal best in this event for nearly six years — his previous top time of 1:53.84 was set at the 2019 Clovis stop of the Pro Swim Series.

Most of Urlando’s improvement stemmed from the front half of the race, particularly the first 100 meters. He opened the first 100 1.07 seconds ahead of his previous pace and then split 0.52 seconds faster on the penultimate 50. He only closed 0.12 seconds slower on the final 50, even after going out much faster than his previous best performance.

It’s no surprise that his speed played a key role in this race, as earlier in the meet, Urlando posted a personal best in the 100 fly. He finished 2nd with a time of 51.32, just 0.02 seconds behind 2023 World Champion Maxime Grousset of France.

See a full splits comparison between Urlando’s two performances below.

Splits Comparison:

Urlando’s struggled with serious shoulder issues over the past few years but seems to have regained his form in a big way. He earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in this event last year, placing 17th in the prelims in Paris with a time of 1:56.18. The month prior at the U.S. Olympic Trials, he secured his ticket to Paris by finishing 2nd in 1:55.08, behind rising star Thomas Heilman, who won the event in 1:54.50.

Urlando’s time tonight would have been quick enough to win bronze at last summer’s Olympics. Ilya Kharun of Canada finished 3rd in Paris with a time of 1:52.70, which ranks him as the 8th-fastest performer of all time.

Just last week, Georgia redshirt senior Urlando broke the NCAA record in the 200-yard butterfly at the NCAA Championships. He touched the wall in 1:36.43 there, lowering his previous mark of 1:37.17 to claim his first-ever NCAA title. That was the second time Urlando had broken that record this college season, with the first coming during the Georgia vs. Tennessee dual meet in January.

Race Video: