Hungarian swimmer Kristof Milak didn’t let a rip in his trunks tear him away from an Olympic gold medal. But he said it did cost him a world record.
“They split 10 minutes before I entered the pool,” he said, per the BBC, “and in that moment I knew the world record was gone. I lost my focus and knew I couldn’t do it.”
Milak had been getting ready to compete in the 200-meter butterfly final at the Tokyo Games on July 28 when the wardrobe malfunction occurred. After changing into a new suit, the 21-year-old athlete won the event, even topping Michael Phelps‘ Olympic record of 1:52.03 from the 2008 Games with a time of 1:51.25. But it was his time of 1:50:73—a world record he set at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships that had been previously held by Phelps with a time of 1:51:51—that he was really trying to beat.
“It was a problem for me,” he said, per the BBC. “I have a routine, a rhythm, a focus. This broke my focus and that problem impacted my time.”