Hubert Kos Continued Ascendancy With Masterful World Cup Efficiency
Greater than two years have handed since Hubert Kos secured his standing because the world’s prime 200 backstroker when he surpassed Ryan Murphy for gold within the occasion on the 2023 World Championships. The next 12 months, the Hungarian captured Olympic gold within the occasion plus a brief course world title, coming inside two hundredths of the world document within the 25-meter format. However it has been his accomplishments over the previous eight months which have put him on the quick checklist for world’s finest swimmer.
Not on the prime of the checklist, after all — that honor nonetheless belongs to Leon Marchand, the Frenchman who Kos has skilled alongside for the previous three years — however Kos has pulled off some performances that echo Marchand at his finest. In 2024, Kos was a supporting participant as Marchand’s generational efficiency lifted Arizona State to an NCAA staff title, and one 12 months later, it was Kos moving into that position for the title-winning College of Texas Longhorns. On the school degree, Kos crushed the quickest instances in historical past in each the 100 and 200 backstroke whereas shifting to second all-time within the 200 IM, trailing solely Marchand.
In lengthy course, he would take the following step by blasting into 1:53 territory within the 200 again. Confronted with a problem from South Africa’s Pieter Coetze within the Worlds last, Kos notched a time of 1:53.19 to maneuver to No. 5 all-time and break the European document held by his predecessor as Olympic champion, Evgeny Rylov.
The Singapore meet additionally marked the primary event Kos significantly contended for medals in extra occasions at a significant lengthy course competitors. He certified for 3 extra finals, scoring bronze behind coaching companions Marchand and Shaine Casas within the 200 IM whereas taking fourth within the 100 again, lower than three tenths out of the medal combine, and eighth within the 50 again. He completed the summer season ranked top-12 on the planet in 5 particular person occasions; along with the backstroke and IM performances, he topped out within the 100 butterfly at 50.55.
Hubert Kos (proper) with Gretchen Walsh throughout the World Cup circuit — Photograph Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
And most not too long ago, within the three stops of the World Cup circuit, Kos was the one male swimmer to win three occasions at every cease, going nine-for-nine in backstroke whereas taking second to Casas within the 100 IM in any respect three stops. The sequence began with Kos dealing with off in opposition to Marchand within the 200 again, his coaching companion making a uncommon look contesting his weakest stroke, and Kos might solely giggle as Marchand’s underwaters had him within the lead for a lot of the occasion. From there, Kos constructed up into a blinding world-record finale in Toronto.
In his signature occasion, Kos blasted the 200 again world document that had narrowly eluded him 10 months earlier. His mark of 1:45.12 got here in a half-second underneath the decade-old customary held by Mitch Larkin.
“It’s sort of unbelievable,” Kos stated. “You’ll be able to’t actually course of these items right away and it’s simply going to take me a while, particularly since I’m nonetheless processing the Olympic gold, so who is aware of how lengthy this can take to course of? I knew I could possibly be fairly shut.”
Later within the session, Kos would leap to sixth all-time within the 100 IM with a mark of fifty.56, and the following day introduced his quickest time of the sequence within the 50 again, a 22.67 that was solely three hundredths off his finest and 6 hundredths exterior of the all-time top-10. And in his last race of the sequence, Kos clinched the general males’s title together with his second world document, a time of 48.16 within the 100 again beating the earlier international mark by 0.17.
“ It was nice. The final 25 actually, actually damage, however I simply wished to get that one,” Kos stated. “I got here right here eager to get that document. I didn’t anticipate the 200, however we’ll take two. I’m actually, actually pleased with (how I) carried out over these three weeks and actually unhappy it’s come to an finish.”
Following the World Cup, Kos deliberate to show his consideration to his last collegiate season, together with his Longhorns favored for a repeat nationwide championship. Anticipate Kos to problem or decrease his data within the yards backstroke occasions, though his third race comes into query with the brand new adjustments to the NCAA Championships format.
As for his surging worldwide profession, Kos figures to stay on the helm of the 200 again whereas pushing towards 1:52-territory, possibly even near the world document of 1:51.92 that has survived for the reason that polyurethane period. An extended course 100 again breakthrough is unquestionably imminent. Actually, Kos would have an opportunity to contend for international medals in all 5 of his occasions if the race schedule had been to line up in his favor. The World Cup was proof that Kos goes to turn into a fair larger drawback for his competitors within the coming years.
