Teen swimming sensation Kris Mihaylov surges to 200m butterfly gold at world junior champs

Rising SA swimming star Kris Mihaylov powered to gold in the 200m butterfly at the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships in Romania on Sunday night, becoming the country’s latest swimming world champion following Pieter Coetze’s record-breaking backstroke performance at the senior championships in Singapore. 

Mihaylov was fast off the blocks, clocking 55.52 in the opening 100m in Otopeni after topping the morning heats in a time of 1:58.17. He then closed out the final to earn gold in 1:56.16.

Mihaylov took more than two seconds off his pre-championship career best of 1:58.18 in earning South Africa’s only medal of the meet.

David Antal of Hungary clocked 1:56.87 to take the silver medal, while Turkey’s Tuncer Erturk took the bronze in 1:58.14.

The win was a huge one for the South African teen, especially considering Mihaylov is regarded as a freestyle specialist, though he has some solid individual medley and butterfly times. 

The young swimmer holds more than a dozen South African national age group records, all of which are in freestyle events.

South Africa now boasts the 100m backstroke champion in Coetze, and 200m junior butterfly champion, with its medal prospects for the LA Olympics growing with each new competition. 

Coetze’s impressive medal haul at the World Aquatic Champs in Singapore included silver in the 50m and 200m backstroke events. He shattered the continental records in becoming the only man to reach the podium in all three backstroke events at the championships.

Mihaylov is also expected to take a huge leap in his swimming development when he heads to the US next year, where he will join the University of Georgia. He will team up with South African-born coach Neil Versfeld and have another top backstroker, Ruard van Renen, as a teammate.