2016 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 4

Reigning world champion Laszlo Cseh was expected to win the 200 fly coming into this event, but no one expected what the 31 year-old managed to produce in the final on day 4 of the European Championships. After posting the 3rd fastest time in the world in the semi’s with a 1:54.29 (a new meet record at the time), Cseh shot himself to the top of the rankings with a blistering swim of 1:52.91, a new meet record and the fastest he has been since his silver medal winning swim at the 2008 Olympics.

The swim is over half a second faster than he went to win the world title in Kazan last summer, and is quoted as saying he had eyes on his European record of 1:52.70 and would be utterly disappointed if he showed up in Rio in this shape. That’s scary news for his rivals Michael Phelps and Chad Le Clos, who will likely both be duking it out with Cseh in the Olympic final. Cseh’s World Championship winning time was 1:53.48, while Phelps won US Nationals in 1:52.94. Le Clos’ best time sits at 1:52.96, the time he swam to win Olympic gold four years ago.

Here’s a look at Cseh’s splits from his 2015 World Championship winning swim, his Euro meet record from today, and his European record from the 2008 Olympics:

2008 Olympic Games, Beijing: 25.58 / 54.59 (29.01) / 1:23.39 (28.80) / 1:52.70 (29.31)

(29.31) 2015 World Championships, Kazan: 25.18 / 54.21 (29.03) / 1:23.54 (29.33) / 1:53.48 (29.94)

(29.94) 2016 European Championships, London: 25.10 / 53.79 (28.69) / 1:23.38 (29.59) / 1:52.91 (29.53)

Cseh was much more aggressive the first 100 in London than either of his other two fastest swims, and managed to hold it together reasonably well.

The swim is the 7th fastest performance in history, as only Phelps has ever been faster. The top-7 all-time swims are as follows:

It is the fastest swim in the world since 2009.

Viktor Bromer of Denmark won silver, well back in 1:55.35, while Cseh’s countryman Tamas Kenderesi touched 3rd in 1:55.39.

This is Cseh’s second European title in this event, as he won four years ago in Debrecen.

Cseh now sits atop the world rankings by over a second over 2nd place Daiya Seto of Japan, but that could change with the US Olympic Trials looming.