National Records Broken on Day 1 Of World University Games

By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam

2025 World University Games

• July 17th-23rd, 2025
  • Prelims: 9 a.m. local time (3 a.m. EST)
  • Finals: 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. EST)
• Berlin, Germany
• LCM (50 Meters)
• Meet Central
• Entries List
• Live Results
• Livestream
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1
  • Finals: Day 1

Khiew Hoe Yean broke the Malaysian record in 400 freestyle, becoming the fastest Southeast Asian swimmer in history. He also won the silver medal in the event to become the 2nd ever Malaysian swimmer to win a WUGs medal.

There were also a trio of 50 fly National Records by Kalia Antoniou from Cyprus, Edlorbek Usmonov from Uzbekistan and Benedicton Rohit Beniston Manickaraj from India.

Men’s 400 Freestyle – Final

• World Record: 3:39.96 – Lukas Märtens (GER), 2025
• World Junior Record: 3:44.31 – Petar Mitsin (BGR), 2023
• World University Games Record: 3:45.96 – Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR), 2017

Top-8 Finishers:

1. Nikolai Kolesnikov (AIN) – 3:46.66 (GOLD)
2. Khiew Hoe Yean (MAS) – 3:47.38 (SILVER) *Malaysian National Record*
3. Ryan Erisman (USA) – 3:47.52 (BRONZE)
4. Davide Marchello (ITA) – 3:47.88
5. Eduardo Oliveira De Moraes (BRA) – 3:47.97
6. Leonardo Barbieri Alcantara (BRA) – 3:49.96
7. Alec Enyeart (USA) – 3:50.06
8. Kyo Nakayama (JPN) – 3:52.45

Khiew finished 2nd in the men’s 400, touching in 3:47.38 to take almost a second off his former Malaysian National Record time of 3:48.36 that he set in April of last year.

He started off the race very smooth and controlled. He was in 5th through the 150 mark before jumping to 3rd at the 200 where he flipped in 1:52.61. At that point, he dropped back into 4th overall until the final 50 when he roared home in 27.60 to end up with the silver medal.

He swam this race similarly to how he swam his previous National Record with a smooth start and a fast finish, though much of his improvement came at the beginning of the race, with his first 200 coming in almost a second faster this year.

Split Comparison

With this time, Khiew also becomes the fastest Southeast Asian swimmer in history in the event. He overtakes Nguyen Huy Hoang from Vietnam who previously held the distinction at 3:48.06.

He is also only the 2nd Malaysian swimmer to ever win a WUGs swimming medal, the first being Jeffrey Ong who won a silver in the men’s 1500 freestyle back in 1991.

Khiew still has the 200 backstroke and 200 freestyle individual events remaining, and he is also a member of Malaysia’s men’s 400 medley and 800 freestyle relays.

Women’s 50 Butterfly – Semifinals

• World Record: 24.43 – Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2014
• World Junior Record: 25.46 – Rikako Ikee (JPN), 2017
• World University Games Record: 25.20 – Zhang Yufei (CHN), 2023

Advancing to Final:

1. Caroline Larsen (USA) – 26.06
2. Viola Scotto Di Carlo (ITA) – 26.16
3. Daryna Nabojcenko (CZE) – 26.24
4. Josephine Crimmins (AUS) – 26.27
5. Ella Welch (USA) – 26.48
6. Kalia Antoniou (CYP) – 26.51 *Cypriot National Record*
7. Ciara Schlosshan (GBR)/Julia Ullmann (SUI) – 26.55

Kalia Antoniou finished 6th in the women’s 50 fly, coming in at 26.51 to earn her spot in tomorrow’s final.

Her time was a new Cypriot record, breaking her own record of 26.80 from the end of May.

She will have another chance to lower the record tomorrow in finals, and she will also be competing in the 50 free and 100 free later this week.

Men’s 50 Butterfly – Semifinals

• World Record: 22.27 – Andrii Govorov (UKR), 2018
• World Junior Record: 22.96 – Diogo Ribeiro (POR), 2022
• World University Games Record: 22.90 – Andrii Govorov (UKR), 2017

Advancing to Final:

1. Simone Stefani (ITA) – 23.23
2. Ole Mats Eidam (GER) – 23.24
3. Eldorbek Usmonov (UZB) – 23.31 *Uzbekistan National Record*
4. Lorenzo Gargani (ITA) – 23.36
5. Pawel Uryniuk (POL) – 23.63
6. Matthew Klinge (USA) & Bjorn Kammann (GER) – 23.67
7. N/A
8. Ihor Troianovskyi (UKR) – 23.71

There were two new National Records set in the men’s 50 fly semifinal. Eldorbek Usmonov from Uzbekistan swam 23.31 to finish 3rd and lock up lane three for tomorrow’s final. This time was also one-hundredth of a second faster than his former National Record time of 23.32 that he swam at the Central Asian Championships at the end of May.

The other record belonged to Benedicton Rohit Beniston Manickaraj from India, who swam 23.96 to take four hundredths off the record he set in prelims of 24.00, and finish 13th in the event.

The previous record before him was 24.09, and it belonged to Virdhawal Khade at 24.09 from the 2018 Asian Games.

Usmonov has the final tomorrow, and he is also entered in the 100 fly and 50 freestyle events.

Beniston Manickaraj will be swimming the 100 fly on Monday.

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