Cameron McEvoy breaks 50m freestyle world record, takes down Cielo's elusive super-suit mark

Cameron McEvoy of Australia celebrates after the men's 50m freestyle final of swimming at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Aug. 2, 2025. (Photo by Xue Yuge/Xinhua via Getty Images) Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images For the first time since December of 2009, there is a new fastest man in swimming history.

Australian Cameron McEvoy broke the 50m freestyle world record, shaving 0. 03 off of Cesar Cielo's old mark. At the 2026 China Open, the Australian sprint star swam one length of the pool in a staggering 20.

88 seconds, breaking one of the sport’s oldest and most iconic records. The previous mark, 20. 91, set by Brazil’s Cielo, had survived the rise and fall of the controversial “super-suit” era.

Cielo broke the record one month before 2010, when full body "super-suits" were banned from competition. What just happened?! 🤯 Cameron McEvoy has beaten Cesar Cielo's longstanding 50m Freestyle World Record: the new mark is 20.