2019 European Short Course Championships Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2019 LEN EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, December 4th – Sunday, December 8th
• Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Glasgow, Scotland
• SCM
• Entry List 
• Competition Schedule
• Results Documents 
• Live Video – LEN TV

KEEP REFRESHING THIS PAGE FOR LIVE, EVENT-BY-EVENT UPDATES OF ALL THE ACTION FROM GLASGOW.

For a World Record, athletes will earn a bonus of €10,000 (about $11,000), with European Records earning them €5,000 (about $5,500). The European Swimming Federation will also offer €220,000 (about $245,000) as prize money for the 12 best performances in the Men’s and Women’s events respectively. The best single-performance according to the FINA points table will receive €20,000.

WOMEN’S 50M BACKSTROKE – SEMIFINALS

• WR     25.67 MEDEIROS, Etiene (BRA) Doha (QAT) 2014
• WJR   26.13 STANDARD TIME
• ER      25.70 JOVANOVIC, Sanja (CRO) Istanbul (TUR) 2009
• EJR    26.15 KAMENEVA, Maria (RUS) Windsor (CAN) 2016
• CR      25.70 JOVANOVIC, Sanja (CRO) Istanbul (TUR) 2009

Dutch record holder and 100m backstroke gold medalist here, Kira Toussaint of the Netherlands, got things off to a speedy start in the semi-final of the women’s 50m back. Hitting the wall in a time of 25.75, that outing clears her previous national record of 25.79 put up at the Martinez Cup this past October.

Behind her heading into the final later in tonights’ session is Denmark’s Julie Jensen, who touched in 26.31, well ahead of her 26.63 morning swim. That time also checks in as a new national record for her, overtaking Mie Nielsen’s previous Danish standard of 26.39.

France has 2 women making it to the final in Beryl Gastaldello and Mathilde Cini, the former of which took silver in the 100m freestyle already here.

There are 2 women tied for the reserve spot: Georgia Davies of Great Britain and Daryna Zevina of Ukraine. Davies took 100m back bronze here in Glasgow, while Zevina is the 200m back silver medalist already at this meet.

MEN’S 50M BUTTERFLY – SEMIFINALS

• WR     21.75  SANTOS, Nicholas (BRA) Budapest (HUN) 2018
• WJR   22.43 STANDARD TIME
• ER      21.80  DEIBLER, Steffen (GER) Berlin (GER) 2009
• EJR    22.43  STANDARD TIME
• CR      22.07 DIETRICH, Johannes (GER) Istanbul (TUR) 2009

Russia’s Oleg Kostin maintained his status as the man to beat from the prelims to this semi-final of the men’s 50m fly. He followed up his speedy 22.52 field-leading effort from this morning to another quick result of 22.43.

However, French 50m free silver medalist here, Florent Manaudou, is also sitting atop the field in the same mark of 22.43. Right behind him is Hungary’s Szebasztian Szabo, the man who used to represent Serbia and won a bronze medal back in Copenhagen in this very event. Tonight so far he’s 22.47 before the final.

Turkey’s Uemitcan Gueres is still very much in the mix as the 4th seed, as is Marius Kusch, the man who established a new German national record of 49.06 en route to 100m fly gold in Glasgow.

WOMEN’S 100M BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• WR    1.02.36 MEILUTYTE, Ruta (LTU) Moscow (RUS) Oct 2013 + ATKINSON, Alia (JA) Doha (QAT) Dec 2014
• WRJ  1.02.36 Standard Time
• ER     1.02.36 MEILUTYTE, Ruta (LTU) Moscow (RUS) Oct 2013
• EJR   1.02.36 Standard Time
• CR     1.02.92 MEILUTYTE, Ruta (LTU) Herning (DEN) Dec 2013

The Italians made it a 1-2 finish in the women’s 100m breaststroke final, as Martina Carraro took the top prize in a time of 1:04.51, followed by teammate Arianna Castiglioni. Castiglioni took silver in 1:05.01, while Finnish Olympian Jenna Laukkanen produced a solid outing of 1:05.12 for bronze.

Splitting 30.65/33.85, 26-year-old Carraro came within a half-second of her own Italian national record, which is represented by the 1:04.11 she posted just last month while competing at the International Swimming League Derby.

As for Laukkanen, she was downgraded to bronze from her 2017 silver in Copenhagen in this event. There she set a national record of 1:04.25, which remains on the books today.

MEN’S 100M FREESTYLE – SEMIFINALS

• WR     44.94 LEVEAUX, A (FRA) Rijeka (CRO) 2008
• WJR   46.12 CHALMERS, Kyle (AUS) Tokyo (JAP) 2016
• ER      44.94 LEVEAUX, A (FRA) Rijeka (CRO) 2008
• EJR    45.68 STANDARD TIME
• CR      44.94 LEVEAUX, A (FRA) Rijeka (CRO) 2008

Despite the spotlight laying heavily on Russian teammates Vlad Morozov and Vladislav Grinev, it was Italy’s Alessandro Miressi who wound up with lane 4 for tomorrow night’s men’s 100m free final.

Splitting 22.15/23.88, Miressi posted the fastest time of his career in 46.03, establishing a new Italian national record to take the top seed. His semi outing overtook the previous Italian standard held by speedster Marco Orsi at 46.04 since 2015.

Grinev is next in line, however, carrying a time of 46.26 from tonight’s semi into tomorrow’s final. He was 46.16 this morning, so the man is consistent in his pursuit of gold. Morozov, the men’s 50m freestyle victor here, is also in hot pursuit, lurking as the 3rd seed in 46.42.

Great Britain’s Duncan Scott already came up with a 200m free silver here in Glasgow and will look to add to his medal haul with a possible piece of hardware as the 6th seed. He dropped his time of 46.72 from this morning to a 6th seeded 46.68 tonight. He was the bronze medalist at the 2017 edition of this competition in a time there in Copenhagen of 46.65.

Of note, Belgian silver medalist from Copenhagen, Pieter Timmers, missed making the final, posting a semi time of 47.39 to place 13th.

WOMEN’S 200M IM – FINAL

• WR     2.01.86 HOSSZU, K (HUN) Doha (QAT) 2014
• WJR   2.04.64 SANCHEZ, K (CAN) Sheffield (GBR) 2018
• ER      2.01.86 HOSSZU, K (HUN) Doha (QAT) 2014
• EJR    2.07.65 STANDARD TIME
• CR      2.02.53 HOSSZU, K (HUN) Netanya (ISR) 2015

Winning her 20th European Short Course Championships gold medal tonight was Hungarian superstar Katinka Hosszu. The 30-year-old multi-Olympic medalist doubled up on her 400m IM victory from earlier this competition with a dynamite 200m IM performance this evening. She ultimately stopped the clock in 2:04.68 to beat the field by almost a second.

Hosszu won this event in 2017 in a time of 2:04.43, but holds the Championships Record with the 2:02.53 posted in Netanya, just for perspective.

Runner-up behind the Iron Lady was Maria Ugolkova of Switzerland. The 30-year-old punched a time of 2:06.59 to blow away her previous lifetime best and Swiss national record of 2:08.40 from Copenhagen where she landed off the podium.

British silver medalist behind Hosszu in the 200m IM in Rio at the 2016 Olympic Games, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, rounded out the top 3 tonight with an effort of 2:06.74. The Loughborough athlete registered the British national record of 2:05.13 at the 2015 edition of these European SC Championships in Netanya where she took silver in both the 200m IM and 100m IM.

MEN’S 100M IM – SEMIFINALS

• WR     50.26 MOROZOV, V (RUS) Eindhoven (NED) 2018
• WJR   50.63 KOLESNIKOV, K (RUS) Hangzhou (CHN) 2018
• ER      50.26 MOROZOV, V (RUS) Eindhoven (NED) 2018
• EJR    50.63 KOLESNIKOV, K (RUS) Hangzhou (CHN) 2018
• CR      50.76 MANKOC, P (SLO) Istanbul (TUR) 2009

The men’s 100m IM is set to be a firestorm for tomorrow night’s final, as Kliment Kolesnikov produced a big-time mark of 51.46 to lead the men’s field, despite his persistent wearing of a lengthy necklace. Kolesnikov had a disastrous start to this championships, missing out on the 200m back final, but he battled back big-time to clinch 100m back gold already here in Glasgow.

Greek ace Andreas Vazaios busted out the swim of his life last night to take 200m IM gold in a monster new European Record of 1:50.85. He held his nation’s record of 51.89 in this 100m IM sprint entering this semi-final but brought that down to 51.75 en route to landing the 2nd seed.

Kolesnikov’s teammate Sergei Fesikov, put up a fight to log 51.78 and snare the 3rd seed, while yesterday’s 200m IM silver medalist, Tomoe Hvas of Norway, just logged his 2nd national record of this meet with a 52.00 4th seed-worthy time tonight.

WOMEN’S 200M FREESTYLE – FINAL

• WR     1.50.43 SJOSTROM, S (SWE) Eindhoven (NED) 2017
• WJR   1.52.85  SANCHEZ, K (CAN) Sheffield (GBR) 2018
• ER      1.50.43 SJOSTROM, S (SWE) Eindhoven (NED) 2017
• EJR    1.53.77 STANDARD TIME
• CR      1.51.17 PELLEGRINI, F (ITA) Istanbul (TUR) 2009

18-year-old Freya Anderson shut down some major players en route to 200m freestyle gold tonight in Glasgow. In front of a British crowd, the multi-European Championships and multi-Commonwealth Games relay medalist busted out a huge 200m free swim of 1:52.77 to beat Italian icon Federica Pellegrini by just .10.

Pellegrini, the 2019 long course World Champion in this event, put up a quick 1:52.88 to represent the only other swimmer under 1:53 in the race. Dutch Olympian Femke Heemskerk, bronze medalist here in the 100m, placed 3rd in 1:53.35.

Heemskerk took silver in 2017 in a time of 1:53.41 behind absent French swimmer Charlotte Bonnet, so she was a hair swifter this time around.

Pellegrini’s quickest is the 1:51.17 she produced at the 2009 European Short Course Championships.

For Anderson, the Ellesmere Titan crushed her previous personal best and British national record of 1:53.33 she registered just last month at the ISL Derby. She already took gold in the 100m free here, following a similar strategy of hanging with the field through the first 100, only to unleash her fury at the end.

Anderson was 6th at the 150m mark but threw down a final 50 of 27.31 to crush her 1:52.77 performance for gold. Look for a separate post on this teen’s gold medal performance.

MEN’S 100M BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• WR    55.61   VAN DE BURGH, Cameron (SA) Berlin (GER) Nov 2009
• WJR  57.27  MARTINENGHI, Nicolo’ (ITA) Copenhagen (DEN) Dec 2017
• ER – 55.89  SHYMANOVICH, ILYA (BLR) Glasgow, Scotland Dec 2019
• EJR    57.27  MARTINENGHI, Nicolo’ (ITA) Copenhagen (DEN) Dec 2017
• CR – 55.89  SHYMANOVICH, ILYA (BLR) Glasgow, Scotland Dec 2019

Although Belarusian athlete Ilya Shymanovich put his mark on this 100m breaststroke event by way of his 55.89 European Record established during last night’s semi, it was Dutchman Arno Kamminga who ultimately made it happen when the medals were on the line.

Splitting 26.38/29.68, 24-year-old Kamminga crushed a time of 56.06 to lay waste to his previous lifetime best of 56.24 national record. His time tonight outperformed Shymanovich comfortably, with the Belarusian hitting the wall .36 later in a final time of 56.42 for silver.

Also getting on the podium is Italian Fabio Scozzoli, who touched in 56.55 for bronze. Scozzoli took silver 2 years ago in Copenhagen in a national record of 56.15 after having won the European short Course Championships gold in 2012.

Finishing off the podium, Turkey’s Emre Sakci lowered his newly-minted national record from the semi-final, touching in 56.58 for 4th place tonight.

WOMEN’S 100M BUTTERFLY – SEMIFINALS

• WR     54.61 SJOSTROM, S (SWE) Doha (QAT) 2014
• WJR   55.99 IKEE, R (JAP) Tokyo (JAP) 2017
• ER      54.61 SJOSTROM, S (SWE) Doha (QAT) 2014
• EJR    56.42 STANDARD TIME
• CR      55.00 SJOSTROM, S (SWE) Copenhagen (DEN) 2017

Italy’s Elena Di Liddo repeated her role as the top seed for this women’s 100m fly, although this evening’s effort of 56.63 was slightly off her morning swim of 56.46. The competition is gaining on her, as Denmark’s Emilie Beckmann now is in the hunt with a time of 56.75. She’s been as fast as 56.22 from Copenhagen where she earned bronze.

Belarusian 16-year-old Anastasiya Shkurdai is a promising prospect for a medal, surging from 6th seed to 3rd seed with her 56.85 swim this evening. That’s a new national record, outdoing Olympian Aliaksandra Herasimenia’s 57.05 from 2012.

Greek swimmer Anna Ntountounaki lowered her national record of 57.41 from the morning to a huge PB of 57.18 to make the top 8 as well.

MEN’S 50M BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• WR     21.75  SANTOS, Nicholas (BRA) Budapest (HUN) 2018
• WJR   22.43 STANDARD TIME
• ER      21.80  DEIBLER, Steffen (GER) Berlin (GER) 2009
• EJR    22.43  STANDARD TIME
• CR      22.07 DIETRICH, Johannes (GER) Istanbul (TUR) 2009

Surging to the top of the men’s 50m fly podium tonight was Russia’s Oleg Kostin, the 27-year-old silver medalist in the long course version of his event at this year’s World Championships in Gwangju, Korea.

Tonight, Kostin busted out a time of 22.23 to top the field, although he was even faster just last month with the 22.07 national record he produced at Russian Nationals.

Hungary’s Szebasztian Szabo logged a time of 22.35 for silver, upgrading his bronze from the 2017 edition of these European Short Course Championships in Copenhagen. What’s unique is that there, Szabo was Sebastian Sabo, competing for Serbia at the time. He officially switched nations earlier this year.

Turkey’s Uemitcan Gueres put his nation on the map in Glasgow, throwing down a 22.38 to land on the podium in bronze, only .03 behind silver. His outing is a new Turkish national record.

Frenchman Florent Manaudou was denied a spot on the podium, as the Frenchman finished 5th in 22.42 in this men’s 50m fly event.

WOMEN’S 50M BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• WR     25.67 MEDEIROS, Etiene (BRA) Doha (QAT) 2014
• WJR   26.13 STANDARD TIME
• ER      25.70 JOVANOVIC, Sanja (CRO) Istanbul (TUR) 2009
• EJR    26.15 KAMENEVA, Maria (RUS) Windsor (CAN) 2016
• CR      25.70 JOVANOVIC, Sanja (CRO) Istanbul (TUR) 2009

25-year-old Kira Toussaint of the Netherlands got it done for double gold, adding the 50m top prize to her 100m distance from earlier in the competition.

In this women’s 50m back, the Olympian charged to the wall in a time of 25.84, representing the only swimmer of the final to notch a sub-26 second outing. Toussaint was actually a little faster in the semi at the beginning of the session, hitting 25.75 for a new national record.

Runner-up was Beryl Gastaldello of France, the women’s 100m freestyle silver medalist already here in Glasgow. Gastaldello punched the wall in 26.03, to produce a new national record and add a medal to her haul.

The 50m back silver medalist from 2015, Alicja Tchorz of Poland, hit a time of 26.16 to grab the bronze, just off her 26.09 from 2 years ago in Copenhagen.

MIXED 4X50M FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL

• WR    1.27.89 USA, Hangzhou (2018)
• ER     1.28.39 NETHERLANDS, Copenhagen (DEN) 2017
• CR    1.28.39 NETHERLANDS, Copenhagen (DEN) 2017

Finishing the night in style was the nation of Russia, as the combination of Vlad Morozov, Vladislav Grinev, Arina Surkova and Mariia Kameneva collectively clocked a mixed freestyle relay time of 1:28.31 for gold.

Russia’s time tonight checks-in as a new national and European record, outperforming the 1:28.39 the Netherlands put up at this same competition 2 years ago.

Splits for the Russian squad included 20.65 for Morozov, 20.65 for Grinev, 23.87 for Surkova and 23.14 for Kameneva.

The British squad also nailed a new national record, with the combination of Duncan Scott, Scott McLay, Anna Hopkin and Freya Anderson getting it done in a time of 1:28.64.

France also produced a national record, with Maxime Grousset, Florent Manaudou, Melanie Henique and Beryl Gastaldello earning bronze in 1:28.86, sliding under the previous French standard of 1:29.64 from 2012. Of note, Manaudou split 20.09 as the 2nd leg.