Budapest 2024, Day 6 Finals: Hubert Kos Wins 200 Back with ER, Brush with WR
The home fans at the Duna Arena in Budapest have been treated to one home-country gold medal this week, courtesy of Zalan Sarkany.
A man who knows about winning world titles supplied the second on Sunday.
Hubert Kos set a meet record in the men’s 200 backstroke to cap the 2024 World Short-Course Championships, routing the field by more than three seconds to win gold in 1:45.65.
Kos’s time downs the meet record set way back in 2010 by Ryan Lochte at 1:46.63. It brushes within .02 of the resilient world record that has stood since 2015 in the hands of Australian Mitch Larkin at :145.63.
“Winning in front of our fans – this mattered only this evening, nothing else,” Kos said. “To live the joy together, to give them back something for their outstanding support over the years. I was a little kid, jumping up and down on the stands at several World Championships, cheering for our swimmers, including the one we had here in 2017.
“In 2022, I swam here but I wasn’t good enough to make a splash. Now I came here to win and now I did, and it’s a fantastic feeling.”
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Kos adds another accolade to his bag. The native of Telki won this event at the 2023 World Championships over long-course and is the reigning Olympic champion in the event.
He left no doubt Sunday, leading at every wall from the very first, his margin of victory 3.31 seconds.
“I missed the world record by 0.02, a bit annoying, but at least I know that there are still something to work for,” Kos said. “Honestly, it’s the second best time ever, kind of world record swim as beating Ryan’s CR from 2010 is a great feat, I’d say.”
Italy’s Lorenzo Mora swept up the silver medal in 1:48.96, never challenging for gold but in a podium position from the midpoint of the race on. Mewen Tomac of France made it an all-European podium in 1:49.93 for bronze.
“I achieved a personal best last year, so that was the time that I wanted to get here,” Mora said. “Now I didn’t reach it, but I’m so happy with the medal.I tried to go faster for the first 100 and I saw Kos near me, so I just tried to follow him, but he was too fast. Overall, I’m really happy for the silver, I have a bronze from Melbourne, so that’s another step for me.”
“It was a really tough race, but I was able to go with the front, so I knew I might have a shot at the podium,” Tomac said. “And I managed to do it, so I’m happy.”
Japan’s Daiki Yanagawa was seventh at the 150-meter mark before closing hard to get to fourth in 1:50.28, .35 seconds away from overhauling Tomac. Jack Aikins of the United States was in an outside lane, but ended up fifth in 1:50.60. It is a best time for him.
