Zirk's time of 1:54.22 set in the semifinal is also a new domestic Estonian record, surpassing the previous benchmark, which he himself set, by 1.26 seconds, and he and Eneli Jefimova together are the first Estonian swimmers to reach an Olympic final since the country regained its independence over 30 years ago.

Zirk had on Saturday already swum in the 400 meter freestyle heats, but even by his own admission this was a warm-up, as the discipline is not his strong suit.

Zirk completed the 200 meter butterfly Tuesday morning heat in 1:55.52, just four hundredths of a second slower than his national record from the World Championships in Doha.

He finished fourth in his heat and advanced with the tenth-best time overall.

"I wasn't focused on the time, just on securing a spot," Zirk told Estonian journalists.

"I gave it my all, just in case... In the butterfly, you can't see where you are or what the others are doing," he went on, noting his appreciation for the Estonian flags waved by traveling supporters in the crowd.

The men's 200-meter butterfly semifinals started just before 9.45 p.m. Estonian time on Tuesday evening.

Swimming in lane two, Zirk was third at the first turn, second at both the 100 and 150-meter marks, and finished with a time of 1:54.22.

This placed him third in his semifinal, behind Leon Marchand (France, 1:53.50) and Ilya Kharun (Canada, 1:54.01).

In the overall standings across both semifinals, Zirk advanced to the finals with the fifth-best time.

The men's 200-meter butterfly final is scheduled to start at 9.36 p.m. Estonian time Wednesday evening.

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