WARDROBE MALFUNCTION

Butterfly Champ Blames Ripped Trunks for Missed World Record in Tokyo

Hungary’s Kristof Milak was determined to break his own world best in the 200-meter butterfly—but a pair of ripped bottoms made that impossible.

Hungary’s Kristof Milak had a golden excuse after missing out on a world record attempt at the Tokyo Games—a pair of ripped trunks. Milak came to Japan determined to beat his own world record in the 200-meter butterfly, but a rip in his bottoms broke his concentration. “They split 10 minutes before I entered the pool and in that moment I knew the world record was gone. I lost my focus and knew I couldn’t do it,” Milak said. After changing his uniform, Milak still managed to finish 2.5 seconds ahead of his nearest rival, and to beat Michael Phelps’ 13-year-old Olympic mark, but that wasn’t enough for the 21-year-old. “I wasn’t swimming for the medal, I was swimming for the time. I said earlier I wanted a personal best. And my personal best is a world record.”