Milak reclaims butterfly crown in fastest European final ever

Kristof Milak proved he remains the undisputed king of the 100m butterfly, winning the European Championships final in Paris in the fastest time ever recorded for the event. This marked his return to major international competition after skipping the World Championships last year.

The final saw three swimmers break the 50-second barrier for the first time in a continental championship. Milak, the French swimmer Maxime Grousset, and the Swiss swimmer Noé Ponti were locked in a fierce battle. Grousset, the reigning world champion, aimed to prove his previous victory wasn't solely due to Milak's absence, while Ponti sought redemption after a goggles issue cost him in the 50m butterfly final.

Milak, who suggested his absence from the World Championships was due to a lack of motivation, has regained the drive that led him to Olympic gold. He managed to resist Grousset's fast start, completing the first 50 meters in 22.97 seconds. Milak then surged in the final stretch to win in 49.48 seconds, a new European record that shaved 0.14 seconds off Grousset's mark from last year.

The Hungarian swimmer's time was just 0.03 seconds shy of Caeleb Dressel's world record set at the Tokyo Olympics. Milak also contributed to Hungary's victory in the 4x100m freestyle relay. In other notable results, Italy's Sara Curtis broke her own world record in the 50m backstroke, winning the final in 26.56 seconds.