Maxime Grousset Uses Electric Opening 50 to Break European Record in the 100 Fly, #2 All-Time

2025 World Championships

• July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
• Singapore, Singapore
• World Aquatics Championships Arena
• LCM (50m)
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  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7

Frenchman Maxime Grousset won the 100 fly on Saturday in a new European Record as the French team continues to be one of the few that has consistently lived up to expectations this week.

Grousset won on Saturday in 49.62, breaking the European Record of Hungarian Kristof Milak. Milak, who skipped this year’s World Championships, swam 49.68 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The swim also broke Grousset’s own French Record in the event, bettering the 50.11 that he swam at the French Championships in June. Prior to that, the standard was a 50.14 that Grousset set at the World Championships in 2023.

Splits Comparison:

Grousset took the swim out aggressively in what is probably the fastest first 50 we’ve ever seen in a serious 100 fly. Grousset won the 50 fly earlier in the meet in 22.48, another French Record, but the way he took out his race more than three-tenths ahead of the renowned speedster Ponti was illuminating.

Grousset’s swim is now the third-best 100 meter fly in history, behind only a pair of swims by American Caeleb Dressel. Dressel swam 49.45 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and 49.50 in the semifinals at the 2019 World Championships. Dressel still holds 8 of the 11 fastest performances in history.

Silver medalist Noe Ponti moved up to 5th in the all-time performer rankings in 49.83, Canadian Ilya Kharun improved to 8th with his bronze medal time of 50.07, though Josh Liendo still holds the Canadian Record in 49.99. Liendo was 4th on Saturday in 50.09.

All-Time Top Performers in the Men’s 100 LCM Butterfly

1. Caeleb Dressel, USA – 49.45 (2021)
2. Maxime Grousset, France – 49.62 (2025)
3. Kristof Milak, Hungary – 49.68 (2021)
4. Michael Phelps, USA – 49.82 (2009)
5. Noe Ponti, Switzerland – 49.83 (2025)
6. Milorad Cavic, Serbia – 49.95 (2009)
7. Josh Liendo, Canada – 49.99 (2024)
8. Ilya Kharun, Canada – 50.07 (2025)
9. Matthew Temple, Australi – 50.25 (2023)
10. Joseph Schooling, Singapore – 50.39 (2016)

Ponti’s swim broke his own Swiss Record of 50.16 from last year’s Swiss Championships; 7th-place Simon Bucher (50.92) broke the Austrian Record in semis with a 50.88. Both swimmers also broke National Records in the 50 fly earlier in the meet.

Grousset conquered a fast field where 50.09 didn’t medal. By comparison, at the Olympics last year, Ponti finished 4th in 50.55; at the 2023 World Championships, Matthew Temple was 4th in 50.81.

The French have now set records this week in both the 100 backstroke (Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, 51.92) and the 100 fly (Grousset, 49.62), and the breaststroker on their medley relay Leon Marchand obliterated the World Record in the 200 IM. While they are a little weak on their anchor leg (presuming Grousset swims fly on the relay), a 48.33 from 18-year-old Rafael Fente-Damers in the individual event should be enough to make them at least co-favorites with the Neutral Athletes B team and Italy in the men’s medley relay.