19-Year-Old Kristof Milak Shatters Michael Phelps' 200m World Record

Phelps held the 200m record for 18 years, the longest record for a men's swimming event.

Hungarian swimmer Kristof Milak shattered Michael Phelps' world record in the 200m fly on Wednesday as he won gold at the world championships in Gwangju, South Korea.

Malik clocked in at 1:50.73 to take 0.78 seconds off of Phelps’ record-setting pace from the 2009 World Championships as a 15-year-old. 

Phelps held the 200m record for 18 years, the longest record for a men's swimming event. He previously held the four fastest 200m times in swimming history before Milak's performance on Wednesday. 

“As frustrated as I am to see that record go down, I couldn’t be happier to see how he did it,” Phelps told the New York Times on Wednesday. “That kid’s last 100 was incredible. He put together a great 200 fly from start to finish.”

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The 19-year-old Malik finished Wednesday's race 3.13 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Daiya Seto. 

Phelps held the 200m record for 18 years. His 400m record is still intact after 17 years. 

Malik will appear in one more event in the world championships, participating in the 100m butterfly final.