Egor Kornev tied a world record last week. He broke one outright on Saturday.
Kornev, a 22-year-old Russian, swam the fastest short-course 50m butterfly in history — 21.28 seconds at a World Aquatics World Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Kornev went four hundredths better than Swiss Noe Ponti’s world record set at the 2024 World Short Course Championships.
Eight days ago, Kornev tied the 100m freestyle short course world record of 44.84 seconds at the first of three World Cup stops in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The World Cup series is held in short-course (or 25-meter) pools as opposed to 50-meter (long-course) pools used at the Olympics.
Kornev is a recent breakout sprinter. In long course this year, he became the third-fastest man in history in the 100m free and 50m fly and the fifth-fastest ever in the 50m free.
He took silver in the 50m and 100m frees and gold in the 50m butterfly in long course at the European Championships in August.
He was fifth in the 50m and 100m frees in his long-course World Championships debut in 2025.
The 50m fly makes its Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028, along with the 50m backstroke and 50m breaststroke.
The World Cup moves next week to Astana, Kazakhstan, from Thursday through Saturday, live on Peacock.
