Urlando Wins 200m Butterfly, Ends U.S. Drought

Luca Urlando won the men's 200-meter butterfly at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore with a personal best of 1:51.87, becoming the first American man to win this event at Worlds since Michael Phelps in 2011. Urlando joins an elite group of swimmers, including Phelps, Kristof Milak, and Leon Marchand, to break 1:52 in the event and is now the fourth-fastest performer in history. He secured gold after overcoming multiple shoulder injuries that sidelined him for over a year, marking a significant comeback. Poland’s Krzysztof Chmielewski claimed silver, and Australia’s Harrison Turner took bronze with a new national record. Urlando’s victory ended a long U.S. medal drought in the men's 200m butterfly since Phelps' retirement and represents the first U.S. men's gold of the 2025 championships. Urlando described his win as the culmination of a six-year journey through adversity and self-doubt.