Overview
- World Aquatics confirmed McEvoy’s 20.88, which trims 0.03 off César Cielo’s 17-year-old record of 20.91.
- The Olympic and world champion won decisively at the China Swimming Open, with Jack Alexy second in 21.57 and Kyle Chalmers third in 22.01.
- The time is the fastest ever in textile suits, underscoring the significance of eclipsing a benchmark set during the now-banned polyurethane supersuit period.
- McEvoy credited a late-career shift toward strength and power work with reduced pool volume for the breakthrough, describing the 50m as a strength-based skill.
- Cielo congratulated McEvoy on social media, and the result returns the sprint world record to an Australian for the first time since Eamon Sullivan in 2008.