2026 Hungarian National Championships
- April 15-19, 2026
- Prelims
- Day 1, 3, 5: 9:00 am local (3:00 am ET)
- Day 2 & 4: 10 am local (4:00 am ET)
- Finals — 5:30 pm local (11:30 am ET)
- Sopron, Hungary — Lővér Swimming Pool
- LCM (50 Meters)
- SwimSwam Preview
- Meet Central
- Live Results and Start Lists
- Livestreams on YouTube
- Day 1 Finals Recap
Kristof Milak has scratched out of the finals of the 200 fly, an event where he holds the World Record, at this week’s grueling Hungarian National Championships, according to the Hungarian Swimming Association.
“Here is still noticeably not where he used to be, so at the end of the day his coach, Almos Szabo, indicated that he would step down from this distance, leaving the 100 free.”
Milak’s scratch doesn’t mean a day off, as indicated by the MUSZ. The federation has incorporated semi-finals into its five-day national championship meet. On Wednesday, Milak swam the semi-finals of the 100 free, where he ranked 2nd in 49.34, and the 200 fly, where he ranked 4th in 1:59.88.
While there was little time pressure to make the finals of either race (2:02.60 was the 8th qualifier in the 200 fly), that swim was more than nine seconds off his best, and it appears that his coach expected more signals in the semis.
Richard Marton is the top seed in the 200 fly (1:56.56) and Nandor Nemeth is the top seed in the 100 free (48.11).
Milak is the National Record holder in both events – with bests of 47.47 in the 100 free and 1:50.34 in the 200 fly. While his training and presence have become unreliable for Hungary, the country will still benefit from any presence from Milak at the European Championships this summer. He didn’t compete at last year’s World Championship meet.
There, Hungary placed 6th in the 400 free relay in 3:12.75, about three seconds away from the medals. In spite of being the National Record holder, he didn’t swim the relay at the Paris Olympics either, where Hungary placed 8th. His best effort on that relay likely wouldn’t have lifted Hungary much higher than about 5th.
Milak has only raced once since the Paris Olympics, at the 2025 National Championships.
This week, his is still scheduled to race the 50 free, 200 free, 50 fly, and 100 fly. None of those events are scheduled for Thursday.
Grass is green ah article
Why doesn’t he just swim at Texas next year?
Milak 48.36 for the win in 100 free. His speed is still there.
I can’t figure him out anymore. Maybe because of the stupid schedule he’ll qualify for the 200 fly later? I have no idea. 48:36 is normal for him in April, it’s impossible to tell where he is exactly.
Maybe his endurance is still not there due to lack of training? Speed recovers faster. Nobody can figure him out really. We only observe.
I feel like he’s been more than hinting for a while now that he simply likes the 100s better than the 200s. But maybe that’s just me.
This man just does Olympics or Worlds in Hungary
Man said screw that double I ain’t doing that again lol
Which unfortunately probably is a he’s washed in the event moment, once that masochism is gone it doesn’t really come back
Whatever is going on, the SwimSwam peanut gallery doesn’t know what it is and can not solve it.
Nothing SwimSwam commenters love more than declaring a career dead or calling someone washed
I really wish Kristóf would open up sometimes, about how he’s feeling, what he’s been through, what his center of life is these days. Don’t leave those of us who still care about him so lost and wondering.
he is not responsible for your state of mind, being lost and wondering
Fair point. But the silence is still silence.
let’s hope he will open up for you but especially that he will swim WRs again.
he has to remember that repetition is an illusion. i bet he forgets that