World champion and record holder Kristóf Milák and Austrian Felix Auböck were in fine fettle at the Four Nations International on Margaret Island in Budapest this evening.
Milák followed up a swift 51.14 return to racing in the 100m butterfly yesterday with a sharp 1:55.01 win over 200m for Hungary today. He was not the only speedster in town: Auböck, who was Michigan-based at college in the United States and obviously likes racing in Budapest, put his three-year-old national 400m freestyle record on notice with a 3:45.00 triumph. That marked his swiftest 400m since the Hungarian capital hosted the World Championships back in 2017.
Out in 24.82, Milák turned at the 100m mark in 53.28, three seconds clear of Hungary teammate Tamás Kenderesi, before turning for home in 1:23.64, four seconds up on the Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist in the last 200m butterfly race and triumph of Michael Phelps.
With a length to go in Budapest today, Kenderesi lagged Sebastian Lunak (CZE), Michal Poprawa and Damian Chrzanowski (both POL) and Austria’s Xaver Gschwentner. And then he swept passed them on the way to second in 1:58.19, Lunak on 1:58.35, Powra on 1:58.58, Chrzanowski on 1:58.78 and Gschwentner completing the sub-2-minute club in 1:59.37.
Kristof Milak – Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant
A 1:55 flat slips into Kristof Milák’s career bests at No15, on a list topped by the sensational World record of 1:50.73 he clocked for the global crown in Gwangju last year.
A work-day effort in the context of that sizzling speed and the likes of the 1:53.79 in which Milák claimed the 2017 European Junior title, for example, but impressive speed at a time of training not long after lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Indeed, the outstanding talent and grounding of Milák extends to this: he’s far from his best, day sources – he’s just so far ahead of the curve that 51.14 and 1:55.01 look good even the, as he did yesterday, he made a mistake at the turn that cost him valuable time; even in a season when motivation, due to events, has taken a knock.
Kenderesi, too, is making his way back to better form after being well off his mark last year. He made headlines at World titles for other reasons: he was barred from leaving South Korea after being arrested for sexual harassment incurring “public moral outrage”.
He was briefly detained and then held at the athletes’ village pending an investigation, and released after paying a 2,500-US-dollar fine.
The then 22-year-old was handed a written reprimand by the Hungarian Swimming Association (MUSZ) and had his state sports funding withheld for six months in a judgement last November, the MTI new agency reported.
“The committee of MUSZ found that Tamas Kenderesi had committed a single intentional misconduct violation of the organization’s ethical regulations,” stated the MTI report.
The disciplinary committee took into account the statements made by the swimmer and the official court records received from South Korea, MTI added.
Kristof Milák Not The Only Speedster In Town – Felix Auböck At His Best For Three Years
Felix Auböck – Photo Courtesy : Swimming World
In the men’s 400m freestyle on Margaret Island today, Austrian Felix Auböck out his three-year-old national 400m freestyle record on notice with a 3:45.00 triumph.
Back in heats at 2017 World titles at the Duna Arena a couple of miles upstream from where he raced today at the Alfred Hajós Pool on the Danube, Aubock set the Austrian high bar at 3:44.19 to make the final. Once there, he swam 3:45.21. Today was the first moment he raced inside that World-title-final speed. Nearest to him were Hungarian Ákos Kalmár on 3:49.78, and his teammate Kristóf Rasovsky, on 3:51.91.
In other action, Austria enjoyed a 1-2 finish in the men’s 200m breaststroke, Christopher Rothbauer on 2:11.43 ahead of Valentin Bayer, on 2:13.41. Hungarians Dávid Horváth and Dávid Verraszto (whose father Zoltán raced in the 4x100m medley at the 1980 Moscow Olympics 40 years ago this weekend) followed in 2:14.16 and 2:14.49 respectively.
Hungary’s Anja Késely took the 400m freestyle in 4:10.31 after a tight tussle with Austria’s Marlene Kahler, on 4:10.79. Third home was Hungarian Fanni Fabián in 4:12.36.
In the men’s 100m backstroke, Hungarian Ádám Telegdy took the win by a touch over Poland’s Kacper Stokowski 54.75 to 54.87, Austria’s Bernhard Reitshammer right there with them on 54.97.
In other finals, Poland’s Kornelia Fiedkiewicz took the 50m freestyle in 25.61; Katalin Burián won the 100m backstroke by a comfortable 1sec margin in 1:00.69; and Eszter Békési, of Hungary, clocked 2:29.48 at the helm of the 200m breaststroke.