Cameron McEvoy Breaks Men’s 50m Freestyle World Record With 20.88 in Shenzhen

Overview

• His 20.88 seconds eclipsed César Cielo’s 20.91 set on December 18, 2009.
• The record came at the China Open in Shenzhen, where he topped American Jack Alex (21.57) and Australian Kyle Chalmers (22.01).
• McEvoy trimmed his personal best by 0.18 seconds from 21.06 set in 2023.
• World Aquatics banned polyurethane and neoprene suits at the end of 2009, adding weight to comparisons with times from that period.
• Cielo praised the swim on social media, and McEvoy replied by calling the Brazilian a role model; the time also places McEvoy in the sub-21-second group alongside Cielo and Frédérick Bousquet.