2021 European Short Course Championships: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2021 LEN EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, November 2nd – Sunday, November 7th
• Aquatics Palace, Kazan Russia
• SCM (25m)
• Entries
• Results

Day 2 of the 2021 European Championships will begin with the staging for a brewing backstroke battle between Italy’s Margherita Panziera, Kira Toussaint, and Ingeborg Loeyning, who hold the top 3 seeds in the women’s 200 back. They’ll be joined by fellow backstrokers in the prelim but will be the ones to beat as the only swimmers who are entered with a time quicker than 2:04.

Following the 200 back, the sprinters will take to the pool in the men’s 50 freestyle where Russia’s Vlad Morozov is on top. Morozov is entered with a 20.40, while Pawel Juraszek is next in a 20.82. The ones to watch will be the duo of Dutchmen who played a part in the nation’s 4×50 freestyle gold on day 1, Thom De Boer and Kenzo Simons.

One of the races of the meet will be the men’s 100 breaststroke in which heavy hitters Ilya Shymanovich, Emre Sakci, Arno Kamminga, Anton McKee, and Nicolo Martinenghi will engage in a battle. While those 5 aren’t the only men with a shot at the podium, they will certainly be the frontrunners considering their elite histories in the event.

In addition to the 200 back, 50 free, and the 100 breast, stay tuned for the women’s 200 fly, headlined by Tokyo finalist Svetlana Chimrova, the women’s 100 IM, led by Maria Kameneva and Anastasiya Shkurdai.

The session will end with the men’s 4×50 medley relay and the men’s 1500 freestyle.

The following was reported by Annika Johnson.

Women’s 200 Backstroke

• SC Euros Record: Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 1:59.84 (2015)
• European Record: Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 1:59.23 (2014)
• World Record: Kaylee McKeon (AUS) – 1:58.94 (2020)

TOP 16

1. TOUSSAINT Kira  2:06.17
2. LOEYNING Ingeborg  2:06.22
3. GRABOWSKI Lena  2:06.51
4. PANZIERA Margherita 2:06.64
5. BURIAN Kata  2:06.67
6. SZABO FELTOTHY Eszter  2:06.78
7. PEDA Paulina  2:06.84
8. USTINOVA Daria K.  2:07.38
9. BERNAT Laura  2:07.50
10. AVRAMOVA Ekaterina  2:07.64
11. TOMA Federica  2:07.76
12. KLYAROVSKAYA Anastasia 2:07.77
13. ROSVALL Hanna  2:08.26
14. POTOCKA Tamara 2:08.33
15. MENSING Jenny 2:08.49
16. NYSTRAND Lisa  2:10.78

Norway’s Ingeborg Loeyning took out this race fast in heat one with a 29.95 on the first 50 meters. She barreled into the wall, touching first at 2:06.22.

The only swimmer to outdo her was the Netherlands’ Kira Toussaint who finished with the top time this morning with a 2:06.17. Loeyning’s splits were faster on the first half, but Toussaint’s finishing speed (especially her 31.74 split on the third 50 meters) snagged the win. She was still 4 seconds off her lifetime best time from the FINA World Cup in October, meaning we may see more speed in finals from her.

Loeyning posted a lifetime best of 2:03.67 in September so she definitely has the speed to chase Toussaint.

Austrian 19-year-old Lena Grabowski rounded out the top 3 in prelims with a 2:06.51, within about 1 second of her lifetime best from March. As predicted, Italy’s Margherita Panziera is in medal contention after finishing 4th this morning just .13 behind Grabowski.

Men’s 50 Freestyle

• SC Euros Record: Vlad Morozov (RUS) – 20.31 (2017)
• European Record: Florent Manaudou (FRA) – 20.26 (2014)
• World Record: Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 20.16 (2020)

TOP 16

1. ZAZZERI Lorenzo 20.92 PERSONAL BEST
2. DE BOER Thom 21.02
3. SZABO Szebasztian  21.02
4. PUTS Jesse  21.12
5. JURASZEK Pawel 21.17
6. MOROZOV Vladimir  21.23
7. ORSI Marco 21.23
8. KOLESNIKOV Kliment  21.30
9. AERENTS Jasper  21.39
10. GIGLER Heiko 21.39
11. ZAITSEV Daniel  21.39
12. COLL MARTI Carles  21.41
13. SAKCI Emre 21.59
14. LIA Nicholas  21.60
15. LENTZ Frederik Riedel 21.68
16. ELIASSON Isak 21.73

The Netherlands’ sprinters really showed up this morning, making up half of the top 6. Unsurprisingly, national record holder Thom de Boer led the pack with a 21.02, tying for 2nd with Hungary’s Szebasztian Szabo. 100 free national record holder Jesse Puts grabbed 4th (21.12) and 20-year-old Kenzo Simons finished 6th (21.22).

Italy’s Lorenzo Zazzeri crushed his lifetime best time from the 2018 FINA World Short Course Championships by .40 to claim the top spot in the semifinals. He is now .23 off Marco Orsi‘s national record in the event from the 2014 World Championships in Qatar.

Notably, Russia’s Vlad Morozov, who has won this event for the past two European Short Course Championships, placed 7th in a tie with Orsi at 21.23.

Women’s 200 Butterfly

• SC Euros Record: Mireia Belmonte (ESP) – 2:01.52 (2013)
• European Record: Mireia Belmonte (ESP) – 1:59.61 (2014)
• World Record: Mireia Belmonte (ESP) – 1:59.61 (2014)

TOP 16

1. CHIMROVA Svetlana 2:05.63
2. BACH Helena Rosendahl  2:06.49
3. HUFNAGL Claudia  2:09.53
4. JAKABOS Zsuzsanna  2:09.63
5. FAIN Katja 31  2:09.96
6. PUDAR Lana 2:10.00
7. KOEHLER Angelina  2:10.96
8. BIANCHI Ilaria  2:11.24
9. UESTUNDAG Nida Eliz  2:11.31
10. SALIKHIANOVA Asia 2:12.20
11. LAHTINEN Laura  2:12.78
12. CREVAR Anja  2:13.13
13. POLIERI Alessia  2:13.29
14. KULLMANN Leonie  2:13.66
15. SHTEYMAN Sharon  2:13.72
16. RUOHONIEMI Tanja  2:14.67

Russia’s Svetlana Chimrova took control of this event with a 2:05.63, within 2 seconds off the lifetime best time she posted as part of the New York Breakers during the International Swimming League in September.

Helena Rosendahl Bach of Denmark came within .4 of her lifetime best from the 2019 European Short Course Championships to snag 2nd in prelims. She finished 5th in 2019.

15-year-old Lana Pudar of Bosnia and Herzegovina made it into the top 6 just 1.8 seconds off her national record from October. She had one of the fastest first 50 meter splits, 28.70, beating Chimrova’s split by .08.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke

• SC Euros Record: Ilya Shymanovich (BLR) – 55.89 (2019)
• European Record: Ilya Shymanovich (BLR) – 55.34 (2020)
• World Record: Ilya Shymanovich (BLR) – 55.34 (2020)

TOP 16

1. SHYMANOVICH Ilya  56.04
2. MARTINENGHI Nicolo’  56.39 personal best
3. KAMMINGA Arno  56.42
4. SEMYANINOV Danil  56.72
5. SCOZZOLI Fabio  56.93
6. KOSTIN Oleg 56.95
7. SAKCI Emre  57.02
8. PERSSON Erik  57.51
9. VIQUERAT Antoine 57.65
10. ZABOJNIK Matej  57.73
11. REITSHAMMER Bernhard  57.82
12. OEGRETIR Berkay Oemer 57.84
13. STEVENS Peter John  57.92
14. MCKEE Anton Sveinn 57.98
15. KOKKO Olli  58.05
16. KOCH Marco  58.09

Belarus’ Ilya Shymanovich broke out with a 26.16 on the first 50 meters. The only one close to him was Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi who split a 26.25 and ultimately cracked his lifetime best time from the ISL in November 2020 by .07.

Shymanovich’s closing speed made him untouchable. He was the only swimmer to break 30.00 on the back half with a 29.88.

Arno Kamminga, who won gold in this event at the 2019 European Short Course Championships, finished 3rd. His lifetime best of 55.82 is still pretty fresh, from the FINA World Cup in October, so he might have some extra speed up his sleeve for the final.

Russia’s Danil Semyaninov is another name to watch – he posted a dangerous 30.06 on the final 50 meters which was faster than Martinenghi’s last 50.

There were some big names who will be swimming in outside lanes in the semifinals – including PJ Stevens of Slovenia, Anton McKee of Iceland, and Marco Koch of Germany. Koch, the defending 200 breaststroke bronze medalist at this meet, wouldn’t have qualified if it weren’t for the two-per-country rule to the semifinals.

Women’s 100 IM

• SC Euros Record: Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 56.67 (2015)
• European Record: Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 56.51 (2017)
• World Record: Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 56.51 (2017)

TOP 16

1. SJOESTROEM Sarah  58.65
2. SHVAEVA Irina 58.99
3. STEENBERGEN Marrit 59.08
4. KAMENEVA Maria  59.16
5. BUSCH Kim 59.29
6. COCCONCELLI Costanza  59.30
7. UGOLKOVA Maria  59.38
8. SHKURDAI Anastasiya  59.54
9. TCHORZ Alicja 59.62
10. KREUNDL Lena  59.73
11. FAST Emelie  59.86
12. PAMMER Cornelia  1:00.15
13. RYPESTOEL Malene 1:00.33
14. MUNOZ DEL CAMPO Lidon 1:00.41
15. LAHTINEN Laura  1:00.45
16. POTOCKA Tamara 1:00.59

The sprint queen is back – Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom dominated this event. She posted a 26.16 on the first half, a full .91 ahead of Russia’s Irina Shvaeva who ultimately finished 2nd after her blistering back half.

Sjostrom’s best time is still 57.10 from the 2017 FINA World Cup while Shvaeva’s is 58.89 from the FINA World Cup in October. The Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen came within a second of her lifetime best from December 2020 to make the top 3.

Russia’s Maria Kameneva and Belarus’ Anastasiya Shkurdai were both ranked with sub-58 times so who knows what they’re capable of in the semifinal.

Men’s 4×50 Medley Relay

• SC Euros Record: Russia – 1:30.44 (2017)
• European Record: Russia – 1:30.44 (2017)
• World Record: Russia – 1:30.44 (2017)

TOP 8

1. RUSSIA 1:32,69
2. ITALY 1:32.98
3. TURKEY 1:33.06
4. NETHERLANDS 1:33.07
5. SWEDEN 1:34.30
6. FRANCE 1:35.41
7. AUSTRIA 1:35.58
8. ISRAEL 1:36.34

After establishing a powerful lead on the front half of the race, Russia’s Pavel Samusenko, Danil Semyaninov, Daniil Markov, and Sergey Fesikov out-touched the Italian team by .29 to earn the top spot in finals. Samusenko’s 23.09 split was within .20 of his lifetime best 50 back time.

But it was a strong race by the Italians who nearly wore down their lead on the back half. The Russians were nearly one second ahead at the 100-meter mark until the butterfly where Italy’s Thomas Ceccon blasted a 21.99 compared to Markov’s 22.48. Italy’s Leonardo Deplano kept wearing down that lead on the freestyle leg, splitting a 20.92 compared to Fesikov’s 21.10.

Not long after finishing 7th in the 100 breast, Emre Sakci made all the difference for Turkey’s relay. He dropped the fasted 50 breast split in the field, a 25.45, which outdid Seymaninov by more than half a second and Kamminga by .11. Ultimately, Turkey came within .25 of their national record from 2019.

Men’s 1500 Freestyle

• SC Euros Record: Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) – 14:08.06 (2015)
• European Record: Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) – 14:08.06 (2015)
• World Record: Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) – 14:08.06 (2015)

TOP 8

1. PALTRINIERI Gregorio  14:27.35
2. WELLBROCK Florian 14:29.59
3. ACERENZA Domenico  14:32.56
4. JOLY Damien  14:35.98
5. EGOROV Aleksandr 14:41.34
6. SCHWARZ Sven 14:41.74
7. CHRISTIANSEN Henrik  14:43.01
8. MARTYNYCHEV Kirill 14:43.51

It’s set up to be a close finals race with the top 4 finishers touching the wall within 10 seconds of each other. As expected, Italian world record holder Gregorio Paltrinieri lead the field.

Olympic medalist Florian Wellbrock of Germany had a slightly faster finishing speed than Paltrinieri. They split a 57.68 and a 58.04 on the last 100 meters, respectively.

Paltrinieri’s Italian teammate Domenico Acerenza snagged the third spot in the final by dropping 1.33 seconds from his lifetime best time from the 2018 FINA World Short Course Championships. This was a great swim for Russia’s Aleksandr Egorov who crushed his lifetime best time from 2019 by 12.5 seconds.