South Africa has a new swimming star on the block. While Pieter Coetze recently confirmed his status as a world champion senior backstroker in Singapore, 18-year-old Kris Mihaylov won the 200m butterfly gold at the World Junior Championships in Romania, marking his first international junior medal.
Mihaylov’s standout performance saw him drop a full two seconds off his personal best from the prelims (1:58.17), touching the wall in a remarkable 1:56.16. He was out fast, splitting 55.52 on the opening 100m before closing out the race for the win.
ALSO READ: Pieter Coetzé joins elite club with three world medals
Despite the significant victory, Mihaylov remains hungry for more. “I would have liked to go a bit faster because the times from youth swimmers have been very fast,” he said. “But I think this is a really good checkpoint for me to keep pushing harder and further.” He added, “I know I should always aim for a really good time, but I think at the back of my mind, I wanted to win as well, so I’m stoked with that and I just tried to swim as well as I can.”
The gold medal is a huge win for Mihaylov, who is primarily regarded as a freestyle specialist and holds more than a dozen South African national age group records in those events. He trains with coach Peter Williams at Waterborn, a former world record holder and Olympic finalist.
ALSO READ: Pieter Coetze wins gold in the 100-metre backstroke at the World Championships
Mihaylov takes inspiration from legendary South African swimmers like Chad Le Clos, Cameron van der Burgh, and Roland Schoeman. “I remember watching the 2004 Olympics although I wasn’t born back then but when I saw them swim for the first time, it felt amazing,” he said.
The young star is now headed to the United States, where he will join the University of Georgia. There, he will team up with South African-born coach Neil Versfeld and have another top backstroker, Ruard van Renen, as a teammate.
Is Kris Mihaylov South Africa’s next swimming star? Let us know on our Facebook page.
One thought on “South Africa’s Kris Mihaylov Wins World Junior Gold, Shattering Personal Best”