Kristóf Milák

2.1.1. Junior Championships Debut

In July 2016, at the 2016 European Junior Swimming Championships in Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary, at just 16 years old, Milák secured a gold medal in the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly with a time of 1:56.77. He also placed fifth in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly, clocking 52.98 seconds, and seventh in the 164 ft ^{(50 m)} butterfly with a time of 24.42 seconds.

The following year, at the 2017 European Junior Swimming Championships in Netanya, Israel, Milák further showcased his prowess. He won another gold medal in the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly, finishing in 1:53.79, which also set a new world junior record and a new Championship record for the event. At this championship, he also earned silver medals in the 164 ft ^{(50 m)} butterfly, 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly, and the NaN Q ft ^{(NaN Q m)} freestyle relay, as well as a gold medal in the NaN Q ft ^{(NaN Q m)} freestyle relay. He also received a bronze medal in the NaN Q ft ^{(NaN Q m)} mixed freestyle relay.

2.1.2. First World Championships Appearance

Milák made his debut at the senior World Aquatics Championships in 2017, held in his home city of Budapest. In the semifinals of the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly, he set a new world junior record and a new Hungarian national record with a time of 50.77 seconds. Earlier in the preliminary heats of the same event, he had already broken his first world junior record of the Championships with a time of 51.23 seconds. In the final, he improved his time to 50.62 seconds, securing the silver medal and establishing his third world junior record and second national record in the event. Additionally, he contributed to the Hungarian NaN Q ft ^{(NaN Q m)} medley relay team, which finished seventh in the final and set a new national record of 3:32.13.

2.1.3. World Junior Championships Success

On August 26, 2017, at the 2017 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Indianapolis, United States, Milák was part of the NaN Q ft ^{(NaN Q m)} freestyle relay team that set a new world junior record and Championship record of 7:10.95 in the final. His individual performances at these Championships also included gold medals in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly and 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly, and a bronze medal in the 164 ft ^{(50 m)} butterfly. He also secured a gold medal in the NaN Q ft ^{(NaN Q m)} freestyle relay, demonstrating his versatility and impact in team events.

2.2.1. Youth Olympic Games Triple Gold

Milák achieved remarkable success at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October 2018, securing a total of four medals: three gold and one silver. His first gold medal came in the 1312 ft ^{(400 m)} freestyle with a time of 3:48.08, finishing almost half a second ahead of silver medalist Marco De Tullio of Italy. He maintained splits under 30 seconds for every 164 ft ^{(50 m)} of the race.

His second gold medal was in the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} freestyle, where he was the only swimmer to finish under 1:48.00, winning in 1:47.73. Milák's third gold medal was in a butterfly event, the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly, where he finished exactly 1 s ahead of second-place finisher Denys Kesil of Ukraine with a time of 1:54.89. In the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly, Milák earned his sole silver medal of the Games, ranking second behind Andrei Minakov of Russia with a time of 51.50 seconds.

After returning to Hungary from the Youth Olympics, Milák set a new national record in the short course 164 ft ^{(50 m)} backstroke with a time of 23.49 seconds on November 10, 2018, at the Hungarian Winter National Championships.

2.2.2. Historic World Record at 2019 World Championships

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At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships held in Gwangju, South Korea, in July 2019, Kristóf Milák made history. On July 24, he won the gold medal and set a new world record of 1:50.73 in the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly. This monumental achievement shattered Michael Phelps' decade-old world record by 0.78 s, a record that had stood since 2009. Milák's performance also marked the first time in an 18-year period that a swimmer other than Phelps held the world record in the men's long course 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly event. This was also the first time in almost a decade that any swimmer, other than Phelps, held a long course world record in a butterfly event at either the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} or 656 ft ^{(200 m)} distance. In addition to his gold medal in the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly, Milák also placed fourth in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly at the 2019 World Championships.

2.2.3. International Swimming League Debut

In 2019, Milák became a member of Team Iron in the inaugural season of the International Swimming League. He showcased his dominance by winning the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly event in both matches he competed in, contributing significantly to his team's performance.

2.3.1. Impact of COVID-19 (2020)

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted Milák's training and competition schedule in 2020. Due to testing positive for COVID-19, he was unfortunately unable to participate fully in the 2020 International Swimming League season, despite being on Team Iron's roster. This period presented challenges for athletes globally, affecting their preparation for major events.

2.3.2. 2020 Summer Olympics Gold

The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic, saw Kristóf Milák achieve his first Olympic gold medal. In the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly, he set a new Olympic record with a time of 1:51.25, finishing more than 2 s and over one body length ahead of the silver medalist, Japan's Tomoru Honda. Prior to the race, Milák faced an unexpected challenge when his swim trunks ripped just before the final, requiring an emergency suit change. Despite this, he composed himself to deliver a historic performance.

In the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly, Milák secured a silver medal, finishing in 49.68 seconds, less than three-tenths of a second behind the gold medalist. This time also established a new European record and Hungarian national record, placing him as the second-fastest swimmer globally in the event's history, behind only Caeleb Dressel and ahead of Michael Phelps. In the semifinals of this event, he had already broken the Olympic record of 50.39 set by Caeleb Dressel, achieving a time of 50.31 seconds. Milák also participated in the NaN Q ft ^{(NaN Q m)} freestyle relay, helping the Hungarian team finish fifth and set a new national record.

2.3.3. 2021 Swimming World Cup Performance

Milák participated in the 2021 FINA Swimming World Cup stop in Budapest, competing in short course meters. On October 7, he advanced to the final of the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly with a time of 50.60 seconds and also qualified for the 164 ft ^{(50 m)} freestyle final with a personal best of 21.62 seconds. In the evening finals, he won a silver medal in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly with a personal best time of 49.92 seconds, and ranked fifth in the 164 ft ^{(50 m)} freestyle with a time of 21.44 seconds.

On October 8, he set a new Hungarian national record in the 164 ft ^{(50 m)} backstroke with a time of 23.34 seconds in the preliminaries, qualifying first for the final. He further improved this to a new national record of 23.08 seconds in the final, earning a gold medal. He also secured a bronze medal in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} freestyle with a personal best of 46.93 seconds, and a silver medal as part of the mixed NaN Q ft ^{(NaN Q m)} freestyle relay, splitting 20.94 seconds for his leg.

On the final day, October 9, Milák placed fourth in the 164 ft ^{(50 m)} butterfly with a personal best of 22.64 seconds. He then earned a bronze medal in the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} freestyle, dropping over 2 s from his previous best to 1:42.61. His overall performance at the Budapest World Cup stop placed him fifth among male competitors in terms of total points.

2.3.4. 2021 European Short Course Championships

Following his World Cup performances, Milák competed at the 2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia, starting November 2. He entered five events across three different strokes: 164 ft ^{(50 m)} backstroke, 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly, 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly, 328 ft ^{(100 m)} freestyle, and 656 ft ^{(200 m)} freestyle.

On day one, he qualified for the semifinals in the 164 ft ^{(50 m)} backstroke and 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly, improving to a personal best of 49.71 seconds in the latter to rank second for the final. On day two, he placed eighth in the 164 ft ^{(50 m)} backstroke final (23.34 seconds) and fourth in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly final (49.88 seconds).

On day three, Milák qualified for the semifinals of the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly and then advanced to the final ranking first with a time of 1:51.33. The next day, he chose to rest during the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} freestyle preliminaries to focus on the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly final. In the final, he secured his first medal at a European Short Course Championships, earning a silver medal in the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly with a time of 1:51.11. On the fifth day, he swam a near-best time of 47.16 seconds in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} freestyle preliminaries, ultimately finishing ninth in the semifinals.

2.3.5. 2022 World Championships Dominance

At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships held in Budapest, Kristóf Milák continued his dominance. In the NaN Q ft ^{(NaN Q m)} freestyle relay, he swam the second-fastest split among all finalists (46.89 seconds), helping Hungary secure a fifth-place finish in 3:11.24.

Three days later, in the final of the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly, Milák once again broke his own world record, setting a new mark of 1:50.34 and winning the gold medal. He finished an astounding 3.03 s ahead of the silver medalist, Léon Marchand of France, further solidifying his status as the greatest 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly swimmer of all time. He also swam the anchor leg of the NaN Q ft ^{(NaN Q m)} freestyle relay, splitting 1:44.68 to help his team finish fifth in 7:06.27. The following day, he won another gold medal in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly with a time of 50.14 seconds, finishing eight-tenths of a second ahead of Japan's Naoki Mizunuma.

2.3.6. 2022 European Aquatics Championships Success

Milák continued his medal-winning streak at the 2022 European Aquatics Championships in Rome, Italy, in August. On the first day, he anchored the NaN Q ft ^{(NaN Q m)} freestyle relay with a split of 1:44.42, contributing to a gold medal and a new Hungarian national record of 7:05.38.

The next day, he qualified for the semifinals of the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} freestyle, and in the semifinals, he swam a personal best of 47.76 seconds, qualifying for the final in second place. On day three, he won a silver medal in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} freestyle with a Hungarian record time of 47.47 seconds. Later, he qualified first for the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly final with a semifinal time of 51.01.

On day four, Milák qualified first for the semifinals of the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} freestyle. He then won the gold medal in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly with a time of 50.33 seconds. Approximately 15 minutes later, he placed tenth in the semifinals of the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} freestyle. About an hour after that, he earned a silver medal in the NaN Q ft ^{(NaN Q m)} freestyle relay, splitting 47.24 for the anchor leg. On day five, he qualified first for the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly semifinals. The following day, he secured his third gold medal of the Championships, winning the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly with a time of 1:52.01, which was 2.77 s ahead of fellow Hungarian silver medalist Richárd Márton.

Later in 2022, at the Hungarian National Short Course Swimming Championships in November, Milák achieved several personal best times, including 1:49.86 in the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly and 49.56 in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly.

2.4.1. 2023 Hungarian National Championships

At the 2023 Hungarian National Championships in April, Milák demonstrated his ongoing national dominance. On day two, he won the national title in the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly with a time of 1:52.58, which served as a qualifying time for both the 2023 World Aquatics Championships and the 2024 Summer Olympics. On the fourth and final day of the championships, he secured the national title in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly with a time of 50.80 seconds, also meeting the qualifying standards for both the World Championships and Olympics. Furthermore, he claimed national titles and World Championships qualifying times in the 328 ft ^{(100 m)} freestyle, clocking 48.40 seconds on day one, and the 656 ft ^{(200 m)} freestyle, with a time of 1:46.68 on day three.

2.4.2. 2024 Olympic Performance

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Kristóf Milák continued his impressive Olympic record. He earned a gold medal in the men's 328 ft ^{(100 m)} butterfly and a silver medal in the men's 656 ft ^{(200 m)} butterfly, adding to his collection of Olympic hardware and solidifying his status as one of the world's elite swimmers.

3.2.1. Long course metres (164 ft ^{(50 m)} pool)

3.2.2. Short course metres (82 ft ^{(25 m)} pool)

3.4.1. Long course metres (164 ft ^{(50 m)} pool)

3.4.2. Short course metres (82 ft ^{(25 m)} pool)