2021 LEN EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Swimming: Monday, May 17th – Sunday, May 23rd, 2021
- Budapest, Hungary
- Prelims at 10:00 am local/Finals at 6:00 pm local
- Event Site
- Entry List
- Live Results
- Live Stream
Day 3 of the European Championships brought a new World Junior Record, courtesy of Hungary’s Hubert Kos. The 18-year-old claimed the top time of the 200m IM field, crushing a personal best of 1:56.99 in semifinal #2 in Budapest.
Entering this meet, Kos’ lifetime best rested at the 1:57.58 he logged just earlier this year, a time which checked in as the new European Junior Record. However, tonight, Kos mustered another gear to drop over half a second en route to overtaking the previous WJR of 1:57.06 set by China’s Qin Haiyang from the 2017 FINA World Championships.
Splits for Kos’ previous lifetime gest versus his new WJR are below, showing how Kos ripped a back half over a second quicker than his previous result.
1:57.58 – 53.37/1:04.21
1:56.99 – 53.90/1:03.09
At just 18 years of age, Kos leads the 200m IM field into tomorrow night’s final here, holding a .40 advantage over Italy’s national record holder Alberto Razzetti. Also in the mix are 3rd-seeded Jeremy Desplanches of Switzerland and Duncan Scott of Great Britain who earned semi semis of 1:57.42 and 1:57.48, respectively.
Kos is carrying the IM torch from Olympic icon Laszlo Cseh who, at 35 years of age, is competing at his 10th European Championships. Cseh will also be in the final, having produced a time of 1:58.45, good enough for 7th place.
As fast improving as the guy is I think the medals are gonna be out of reach for him this summer. With the Japanese, the Americans a Duncan Scott in the mix it will probably take around 1:55low/mid to medal in Tokyo and I can’t see Kos swimming that just yet.
Larkin too
I wonder when Larkin will reveal which he’s gonna swim. I reckon he’ll choose the 200 back.
Let’s see what he can do in the final tonight. If he can further down his time to 1:56 mid at least – untapered – he will have no problem doing 1:55 low in Tokyo. If he can handle the Olympic pressure – of course.
Don’t tell me he’s untapered for this meet…that would be pretty cool indeed to go 1:56high if he really is untapered but I have feeling most Hungarians did rest for this meet and we’re only gonna see small improvements from them come Tokyo.
1:55 low to medal is a bold prediction, especially since only 4 active swimmers have been under 1:55.5 – Lochte, Hagino, Cseh, and Kalisz. And it’s generally acknowledged that these four aren’t quite in the same form as when they set their PBs. We’ll see at the games of course, but I’d be shocked if three people are at 1:55.5 or better.
Must feel good to go 1:56 by the smallest margin! Kos has been on an impressive, steady trajectory lately. Time progression:
July 2020 1:59.06
December 2020 1:58.31
March 2021 1:57.58
And now 1:56.99
This puts him at 6th in the world this year. He is a medal contender now – he could improve to 1:56 low-mid in Tokyo.
His strokes were long and absolutely beautiful. He definitely has the Hungarian style which has always been technically gorgeous.
His technique is outstanding!
A few weeks ago I wrote here that Kos was going to be a beast in the near future. I had a few downvotes. I still don’t understand why…
At this point with the time left before Tokyo I think he’s not aiming to to be in the 2IM final only…A medal is getting pretty realistic, only the color of it is yet unknown. I wonder what he targets.
*2 sour people entered the chat*
Hungary must have the most swimming talent per capita, right? It’s hard for them to win a relay, but the number of individual goals they get is must be up there with every country but the USA. Hosszu, Kapas, Milak, and a lot of promising new swimmers like this one.
1:55.94 is the true WJR I think
ain’t nobody gonna touch that any time soon, that time would have won worlds!
Seeing how fast Kos improves, he can beat that time this summer.
I’m a Kos’ supporter since Eyof19 (and I presume that Kos is a Phelps’ supporter considering his routine pre-start), the first time I watched him swimming, but I don’t think that he’ll swim faster than 1.55.94 this Summer. Anyway, 1.55.94, swum in 2003, has an enormous value: the difference with the second fastest swimmer in the World was like 3 seconds and a half: 200 IM at Worlds 2003: first Phelps 1.56.04 ( and in the next weeks he swam 1.55.94 at Nats), second Thorpe 1.59.66.
Fast swimming makes me happy