Hungary’s Hubert Kós claimed the gold medal in the 200-metre backstroke at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Friday, setting a new European record in the process.
The 22-year-old Olympic champion touched the wall in 1:53.19, shaving nearly a full second off the Hungarian national record of 1:54.14—also held by him. Kós had qualified for the final with the third-fastest time (1:54.64), despite having competed just an hour earlier in the 200-metre individual medley final, where he took bronze.
Remarkably, the final took place exactly one year after the Paris Olympic final in the same event, with half the current field having also competed in that showdown. In Thursday’s semi-finals, five swimmers set personal bests, prompting questions about who would still have reserves left for the final.
South Africa’s Peter Coetze, the reigning 100-metre backstroke champion, led the field early, but Kós stayed close. After the final turn, the Hungarian surged ahead—briefly swimming inside the world record pace set by American great Aaron Peirsol (1:51.92).
While Peirsol’s world record remained intact, Kós succeeded in breaking the European record of 1:53.23, set by Russia’s Evgeny Rylov in 2021. In a dramatic finish, he held off a late charge from Coetze to secure the title.
The victory marks Kós’s second medal in Singapore and the second overall for Hungary’s pool swimming team at this year’s world championships.
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