Ukrainian swimmer Govorov sets new world record

Crimean-born Ukrainian Andriy Govorov has just set a new world record in swimming.

The 26-year-old Ukrainian became the fastest men’s 50-meter butterfly swimmer in history in the finals of the Sette Colli Trophy swimming competition in Rome, Italy on July 1.

Govorov clocked a time of 22.27 seconds, beating previous record-holder Rafael Muñoz of Spain by 0.16 seconds. Muñoz set the previous record of 22.43 seconds in 2009 at the Spanish Championships.

“I’ve created history, left my mark on it,” Govorov told SwimSwam, a top swimming publication.

“I’m really excited to do something spectacular as a human being,” he added.

The previous record was set by Muñoz during the super-suit era, when world records fell like bowling pins as new technology in racing swimwear advanced. The suits were banned in 2010.

Govorov has been threatening to break the world record in recent weeks: he was just one-tenth of a second off Muñoz’s record a few weeks ago at the Mare Nostrum Tour, clocking 22.53. The record-breaking time in the final of the butterfly in Rome was the sixteenth time he’d clocked under 23 seconds in his career.

Following Russia’s invasion and occupation in 2014 of his native Crimea, Govorov, born in Sevastopol, opted not to change his nationality and continues to compete for Ukraine.

Moscow offered him to swim for Russia in 2016, though. According to Andriy Pavelko, the president of the Football Federation of Ukraine, who is also friends with Govorov, the Russians offered the swimmer $1 million to switch nationality.

At the 2016 European Aquatics Championships in London, Govorov won the gold medal in the 50-meter butterfly. In the semifinals, he swam a time of 22.73, which broke his own national and championship records.