Men’s 50 Fly Medal Favorite Ilya Kharun Misses Qualifying for Final by .01 Seconds

• 2025 World Championships

  • July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
  • Singapore, Singapore
  • World Aquatics Championships Arena
  • LCM (50m)
  • Meet Central
  • How To Watch
  • SwimSwam Preview Index
  • Entry Book
  • Live Results
  • Live Recaps
    • Prelims: Day 1
    • Finals: Day 1

And in the end, all roads lead to Noe Ponti.

A number of big names missed out in the final of the men’s 50 fly on Sunday in the first evening session of the 2025 World Aquatics Championships. That includes gold medal favorite Ilya Kharun of Canada, who swam 22.92 to finish 9th in the semis. Barring a scratch, that will leave him out of the final.

Kharun’s prelims time of 22.85 would have put him into the final (and created a swimoff situation for 8th), but neither swim was as good as the lifetime best of 22.68 that he swam in June at the Canadian Trials – which was a huge drop for him.

That’s a disappointing first result for the Canadian-American, who looked poised for a big meet after a breakthrough NCAA season that included the fastest 50 yard fly split in history on a 200 medley relay and, in general, a lot of progress in the department of ‘speed.’

Now he will have to turn his attention to the 200 fly on Tuesday and the 100 fly on Friday, plus his relay obligations – though Canada isn’t using him on their 400 free relay on Sunday.

Other swimmers to miss the final include Kharun’s teammate Josh Liendo, who was 13th in 23.11. A very good 50 freestyler and 100 butterflier, Liendo has never really pulled together a 50 fly of the caliber one might expect given his other talents. He too was faster in prelims (23.06).

Both Americans, Dare Rose (12th – 23.02) and Michael Andrew (16th – 23.23) also missed the final. Andrew trains with Kharun at Arizona State, albeit as a pro, and has two long course World Championship medals in this event (silver in 2024, bronze in 2022).

Abdelrahman Sameh of Egypt, who set a new African Record in May in 22.80, also missed the final. He swam 23.12 in the semis to finish 14th.

The result now leaves Ponti, the World Record holder in short course who has been very fast over the last 12 months, as the only of the medal favorites remaining in the field, though Frenchman Maxime Grousset broke a National Record in prelims to take the top seed and possibly spoil the party. That time is .04 better than Ponti’s long course best, and Grousset has more quietly had a really good 12 months.

Britain’s powerful sprinter Ben Proud is not far behind in 22.74, and Dutchman Nyls Korstanje continued a successful year to qualify 4th as well.

Men’s 50 Fly Semifinals Results