Milak Wins Fly Round #1 Against Seto At Japan Open

2019 JAPAN OPEN

• Thursday, May 30th – Sunday, June 1st
• Tokyo International Swimming Pool
• LCM
• World Championships Qualifying Meet
• Psych Sheets
• SwimSwam Meet Preview #1/Preview #2/Preview #3
• Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Finals Recap
• Live Results

While 4 Americans battled in the men’s 200m fly event at the FINA Champions Series stop in Indianapolis last night, another skirmish was settled in Tokyo in the same event.

On day 3 of the 2019 Japan Open, Hungary’s Kristof Milak topped the men’s 200m fly podium over host country Olympian and reigning SCM 200 fly World Record holder Daiya Seto.

19-year-old Milak laid claim to the event in the prelims, putting up the fastest mark of the morning in 1:56.18. Masayuki Umemoto followed in 1:56.67, while Seto lurked as the 3rd seeded swimmer of the morning in 1:56.83.

Tonight, the Hungarian multi-Youth Olympic Games gold medalist turned up the heat, clinching the top prize ahead of the Japanese racers in a winning 1:54.71. Milak fired off a quick 53.93 opener, the fastest first 100 by almost a second, and closed in 1:00.78 to produce the 1:54.71 effort.

On-fire Milak has already been as fast as 1:53.19 this year to claim his World Championships roster spot at the Hungarian Nationals in March. That time represents the fastest outing in the world this season.

For Seto tonight in Tokyo, the 25-year-old claimed silver in 1:55.36. The pressure is off of Seto here at this competition, as he already qualified in this event with the 1:54.44 he threw down in April. There he also clinched Gwangju berths in the 200m IM and 400m IM in marks of 1:56.69 and 4:09.98, respectively.

Finishing with the bronze this evening was Masato Sakai, the man who reaped silver in Rio behind Michael Phelps, just hundredths off of the gold. He clocked 1:55.78 tonight.

In 2018 Sakai underwent surgery to address a Ganglion cyst affecting one of his shoulders. The issue caused the swimmer pain and hindered his swimming, rendering Sakai off of the Pan Pacs and Asian Games rosters for Japan.

At the FINA Champions Series in Budapest, Sakai logged his fastest 200m fly since Rio with a 1:55.40 to earn silver behind Milak’s 1:53.64 at that meet in mid-May.

For Sakai, however, a minimum mark of 1:55.55 was needed to qualify for the World Championships in this event, so it appears Seto will be the sole Japanese racer in the event come Gwangju.

Milak and Seto will take on Singapore’s Joseph Schooling tomorrow in the 100m fly on the final day of competition at this Japan Open.