GWANGJU, SOUTH KOREA. (THECOUNT) — Michael Phelps‘ world record in his signature event was shattered by 19-year-old Hungarian Kristof Milak at the world championships in Gwangju, South Korea on Wednesday.
Milak clocked 1:50.73, taking .78 off Phelps’ mark from the 2009 World Championships, where since-banned high-tech swimsuits contributed to a bevy of fast times, reports NBCSports.
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Phelps won eight combined Olympic and world titles in the 200m fly, the event where he made his Olympic debut in 2000 (placing fifth), broke his first of 39 world records in 2001 and won his first world title, also in 2001. He held the 200m world record for 18 straight years, lowering it eight times total.
Phelps, who retired after his record 28th Olympic medal in Rio and has brushed off comeback questions for the last three years, still owns world records in the 100m butterfly and 100m butterfly and 400m individual medley.
Milak became the first man to break a Phelps world record since Milorad Cavic took the 100m fly at the 2009 Worlds, where Phelps took the record back the following day.
Geo quick facts: Gwangju is a city in the southwest corner of South Korea. It’s known for a pro-democracy uprising in 1980. The event is commemorated by the 5·18 Memorial Park, with tree-lined paths and dramatic bronze sculptures, and the 5·18 National Cemetery. East, the craggy Mudeungsan Mountain National Park has striking rock formations. In the foothills, the rebuilt 6th-century Jeungsimsa Temple has a Silla-era stone pagoda – wikipedia.