With his victory in the men’s 50 butterfly at the 2021 Short Course World Championships, Brazilian Nicholas Santos set a new record for the oldest swimmer ever to win a world championship title—a record that he already held.
At the 2018 World Championships in Hangzhou, China, Santos became the oldest swimming world champion in history at the age of 38. Now three years later, at the age of 41, he’s done it again.
For reference, the oldest man to win an Olympic gold medal is Anthony Ervin, who was 35 years old when he won the 50 freestyle in 2016.
Santos came into the event as the co-world record holder in the event, having set the mark of 21.75 back in October of 2018. Two months later he set the SC World Championship Record en route to winning gold in Hangzhou in 21.81.
Then last month, Hungarian Szebasztian Szabo tied Santos’ 21.75 world record at the SC European Championships, setting up an epic clash between the two in Abu Dhabi.
Santos won gold in a time of 21.93, followed by Trinidad and Tobago’s Dylan Carter (21.98) and Italy’s Matteo Rivolta (22.02). Szabo was locked out of the podium in fourth, recording a time of 22.14.
Santos also won a medal at the 2019 LC World Championships—a bronze in the 50 fly—which made him the oldest World Championship medalist in history at the age of 39. He lowers that mark here as well, continuing to prove that age is just a number.
Previously reported by Michael Hamann
Men’s 50 fly Final
- World Record: 21.75 – SANTOS Nicholas (BRA) 6 OCT / SZABO Szebasztian (HUN) 6 NOV 2021
- Championship Record: 21.81 – SANTOS Nicholas (BRA) 15 DEC 2018
- World Junior Record: 22.34 – MINAKOV Andrei (RSF) 18 DEC 2020
Top 8 finishers:
- Nicholas Santos (BRA): 21.93
- Dylan Carter (TTO): 21.98
- Matteo Rivolta (ITA): 22.02
- Szebasztian Szabo (HUN): 22.14
- Grigori Pekarski (BLR): 22.35
- Nyls Korstanje (NED): 22.39
- Tom Shields (USA): 22.42
- Oleg Kostin (RUS): 22.43
In a battle of the current World Record holders, Brazil Nicholas Santos came out on top in 21.93. Santos initially set the World Record at 21.75 in 2018 in Budapest. In a disappointing finish, Hungary’s Szebasztian Szabo finished off the podium in fourth in 22.14, just a month after matching Santos’ World Record at the European Championships.
Three years ago, Santos became the oldest person to ever win a world title, winning this event in World Record fashion as a 38-year-old. He returned this year, as a 41-year-old, to show that he still has plenty left in the tank and can compete with athletes nearly half his age.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Dylan Carter touched in second for the silver in 21.98, while Italy’s Matteo Rivolta came in for the bronze in 22.02.
Stop the co world record holding nonsense. The first one should be the only holder.
To assume this time is suspect and probably the result of PEDs is really wrong. As proven my a number of masters swimmers, it is very possible to swim a lifetime best in the 50 Fly in your 40s by focusing one’s training on the 50 Fly. Almost all training programs over train if the goal is only the 50 Fly. I swam faster in the 50 Fly at 50 than I did at Texas when I was 20. No PEDs of any kind!! The keys were building strength in the weight room, speed in the water and resting so the body could fully rebuild after high intensity workouts. I will note however, I couldn’t come close to my college… Read more »
#THIS
As a masters swimmer in my mid-40s, I too am getting faster in my 50 free/fly. The keys are exactly what TexasLonghornAlum have stated: short, high quality, technique focused practices; a focus on one’s diet; lifting heavy (within reason); and recovery, recovery, recovery. Most importantly, one must stop conflating fitness with speed–there is overlap, but they are not the same. This approach may not work for a 200 but it can for a 50 and maybe even for 100s. I think we are just scraping the surface of our understanding of how to swim fast well into our 40s and 50s. I’m excited to see what the next generation of masters/older swimmers can do as our knowledge continues to… Read more »
ZERO testing in US Masters Swimming.
Lots of PED use there.
LOOOOL !!!!!!
https://swimswam.com/brazilian-doping-scandal-barbosa-could-take-brunt-of-punishment/
This isn’t sus at all? Right, not at all.
Yeah there’s no way he’s clean lmao
he just eats very healthy okay >:( /s
Eat clen, tren hard and anything is possible
Considering how over specialized being a 50 fly specialist is I don’t think it points toward foul play
So let´s talk about Dara Torres?
I thought she volunteered to undergo extra testing
And Nicholas on worlds, isl and world cup did not get tested??
WADA testing (or whoever is running antidoping at this meet) is relatively easy to beat, as long as you have a competent biochemist in your corner. Biological passports (essentially testing within your own particular reference range) are quite harder to circumvent (though still not impossible), and I have no clue why swimming has yet to implement this.
Swimming does use biological passports. FINA adopted the program in 2011. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/fina-adopts-biological-passport-program-1.987571