(Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
Ukraine’s Vladyslav Bukhov is the new fastest man in the pool after outracing previous world champions Cameron McEvoy and Benjamin Proud in the men’s 50m freestyle at the Doha 2024 World Aquatics Championships on Saturday (17 February).
The 21-year-old previously only won international medals at a junior level and earned his first senior win with a time of 21.44.
"I'm very excited. It's amazing," Bukhov told Olympics.com after the race. "My [goal] was to break my PB. It was 21.70, so I just did my job, trying to beat my PB."
The Ukranian swimmer not only lowered his personal best, but also broke the national record in the semi-finals where he touched the wall in 21.38 seconds.
It was a welcome change from the previous world championships, at Fukuoka 2023, where Bukhov missed the 50m free final by one spot.
He also shared how the millitary attacks in Kyiv had affected his preparation.
“We train while Russian rockets are flying [near] swimming pools or other training buildings, so you never know if you stay alive or not," Bukhov said.
Defending champion McEvoy came in as the fastest qualifier, but added more than 0.20 seconds to his time in the final, to finish one hundredth of a second behind Bukhov. The 29-year-old Australian won a bronze in the 50m butterfly at Doha 2024 earlier in the week.
The 2022 world champion and two-time Olympian Benjamin Proud of Great Britain wrapped up the podium, and was the only swimmer in the top 3 to go faster than his qualifying time.