This is the Swim Poll of the Week for Wednesday, August 31, 2022, sponsored by Strechcordz Swim Training Products. In our last poll, we wanted to know: Which world record set by a male swimmer this summer was most impressive?
In April, Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook became the first man to ever break 2:06 in the 200 breaststroke when he recorded a time of 2:05.95 at Australia’s national championships. Stubblety-Cook went on to win a world title and Commonwealth Games gold in the event to add to the Olympic crown he won last year.
At the World Championships, a pair of world records went down. First, Italy’s Thomas Ceccon knocked a quarter-second off Ryan Murphy’s world record in the 100 backstroke with his time of 51.60, and one day later, Kristof Milak thrilled the home crowd in Hungary as he lowered his own world record in the 200 butterfly, although he narrowly missed becoming the first man ever under 1:50 in the event.
Finally, 17-year-old David Popovici beat Cesar Cielo’s 13-year-old world record in the 100 freestyle at the European Championships. Popovici narrowly missed the mark at Worlds, but swimming in the same pool in Rome where Cielo first broke the record in 2009, Popovici used a blistering 24.12 closing split to finish in 46.86, five hundredths faster than Cielo’s former mark.
Swim Poll of the Week: Which world record set by a male swimmer this summer was most impressive?
Zac Stubblety-Cook, 200 Breaststroke (2:05.95) — 8.8%
Thomas Ceccon, 100 Backstroke (51.60) — 6.8%
Kristof Milak, 200 Butterfly (1:50.34) — 16.7%
David Popovici, 100 Freestyle (46.86) — 67.7%