Zac Stubblety-Cook sets world record in 200m breaststroke

Stubblety-Cook clocked 2 min 05.95 seconds to improve on the previous mark of 2:06.12 set by Russia’s Anton Chupkov in 2019.

Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook reacts after setting a new world record in the men's 200-metre breaststroke final.

Olympic champion Zac Stubblety-Cook set a world record in the men’s 200-metre breaststroke at the Australian swimming championships on Thursday.

Stubblety-Cook finished in 2 minutes, 05.95 seconds in the final to improve on the previous mark of 2:06.12 set by Russian swimmer Anton Chupkov at the 2019 world championships in Gwangju, South Korea.

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“It’s a bit surreal, to be perfectly honest. It doesn’t feel real,” Stubblety-Cook said.

“It will probably sink in over the next few days. I was obviously hoping to swim fast and hoping to swim close to my best but that is just something else.”

The 23-year-old Stubblety-Cook set an Olympic record in winning gold at last year’s Tokyo Games.