Egor Kornev equalled the men’s 100m freestyle short course world record on day two of the opening 2026 World Cup in Baku, clocking 44.84 as he held off the challenge of Australia’s world and Olympic 50m freestyle champion Cameron McEvoy, who finished in 45.36.

Kornev, who won 50m and 100m freestyle silver as well as 50m butterfly gold for NAB at this year’s European Aquatics Championships in Paris, earned a $10,000 World Aquatics bonus after matching the mark set by Australia’s Kyle Chalmers during the 2021 World Cup series.

In the first of three scheduled meetings on the Silk Road Tour comprising this year’s World Cup schedule, Kornev had warmed up by setting a World Cup record in the men’s 50m backstroke in 22.23, bettering the mark of 22.58 set by Australia’s Isaac Cooper in 2024.

Marrit Steenbergen of The Netherlands, who had won 100m individual medley and 50m backstroke gold the previous evening, consolidated her position on top of the women’s points standings with victory in the women’s 100m backstroke, finishing 1.3sec clear in 55.17.

There were winning flourishes from two other top European female swimmers.

Belgium’s 21-year-old Roos Vanotterdijk won the women’s 50m butterfly in 24.96, finishing 0.2 ahead of Sweden’s Sara Junevik, and Ireland’s Paris 2024 medallist Mona McSharry won the women’s 100 breaststroke in 1:04.21, nearly a second clear of Kornev’s compatriot Evgeniia Chikunova, who recorded 1:05.13.

Vanotterdijk’s fellow Belgian Lucas Henveaux won the men’s 1500m freestyle in14:34.98, just 0.43 up on Germany’s European 800m silver medallist Sven Schwarz.

Italy’s Alberto Razzetti picked up silver and bronze on the night, finishing second in the men’s 200m individual medley in 1:52.41 behind American Luke Barr, and then placing third in the 200m butterfly in 1:51.53.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics