The highlight of the first day at the 2014 European Championships will be Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom swimming the first 50 fly since breaking the World Record in the event at the Swedish Championships in early July. She’s swum a meet since then, but skipped this 50 fly. While Monday in Berlin, Germany will only see her race the prelims and the semi-finals, there will be enough competition in the race that we should see her going at least 25-lows if she’s in peak form for this meet.
Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu will also start her marathon 10-individual-event week with the 400 IM and the 200 backstroke.
Note that despite swimming 10 per lane in prelims, only 16 advance to semi-finals and only 8 advance to finals.
2014 LEN European Swimming Championships
- Wednesday, August 13-Sunday, August 24, 2014 (pool swimming Monday, 8/18-Sunday 8/24)
- The Velodrom, Berlin, Germany
- Local time: Prelims 9:30am, Finals 6pm (Monday-Thursday), 4pm (Friday-Sunday)
- Meet website
- Event schedule
- Live stream
- Live results
Men’s 400 Free – Prelims
- 2012 European Champ: Paul Biedermann, Germany, 3:47.84
- 2010 European Champ: Yannick Agnel, France, 3:46.17
- Meet Record: Yuri Prilukov, Russia, 3:45.10 – 2008
- World Record: Paul Biedermann, Germany, 3:40.07 – 2009
- European Record: Paul Biedermann, Germany, 3:40.07 – 2009
The first big test of Frenchman Yannick Agnel’s new training in North Baltimore was a disappointment, as he finished just 11th in this 400 free prelim in 3:50.81. In fact, with he and Germany’s Paul Biedermann (3:50.42 – 9th) both missing the final, the last two champions of this event both missed the final. Agnel would comment after the swim that he wasn’t disappointed because this hasn’t really been a race he’s been training for, and that his focus was on the 400 free relay for Monday’s finals.
Britain’s Stephen Milne wound up with the top seed in 3:48.62. He is part of the exceedingly impressive British team (and specifically, the even more impressive subset from Scotland) who can almost not miss over the last month of competition.
Close behind him was two German swimmers, Andrea D’Arrigo (3:48.77) and Gabriele Detti (3:48.79), with the first finalist of the host nation Germany being Clemens Rapp in 4th with a 3:49.03.
Czech swimmer Jan Micka was 5th (3:49.10), and Velimir Stjepanovic was 6th (3:49.49).
Another British swimmer Jay Lelliott, in the final heat and thereby knowing his target, finished 7th in 3:49.82, and Hungary’s Gergo Kis rounds out the A-Final in 3:50.35.
The top five finishers in prelims all came from heat 6, as did six out of the top eight. Agnel and Biedermann were both in the second circle-seeded heat five, as was 10k champion Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands. The hope for those swimmers is that they didn’t really have swims as poor as the times appear, rather that they just were caught by a slow heat and can recover over the rest of the meet.
Women’s 50 Fly – Prelims
- 2012 European Champ: Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden, 25.64
- 2010 European Champ: Therese Alshammar, Sweden, 25.63
- Meet Record: Therese Alshammar, Sweden, 25.50 – 2010
- World Record: Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden, 24.43 – 2014
- European Record: Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden, 24.43 – 2014
In the women’s 50 fly, things settled down considerably as the top four finishers out of 16 advancing to the semis are the four swimmers who could carry the label ‘favorites’ coming into this meet.
World Record holder Sarah Sjostrom sits atop those four in 25.12 – half-a-second off of her own mark from 6 weeks ago, but good enough to easily break the Meet Record.
Denmark’s Jeanette Ottesen (25.64), the Netherlands’ Inge Dekker (25.71), and Britain’s Fran Halsall (26.06) were the rest of those top four seeds. Belgium’s Kimberly Buys finished 5th in 26.10, which broke her own National Record of 26.10 set in 2013.
Also making the semi’s, as the 7th seed in 26.15, was 36-year old Swede Therese Alshammar. After an extended break from competition and giving birth to her first child, the four-time 50 fly European Champion stated this meet as a goal for the season, and if she can make a final it will widely be considered a successful comeback.
Men’s 100 back – Prelims
- 2012 European Champ: Aristeidis Grigoriadis, Greece, 53.86
- 2010 European Champ: Camille Lacourt, France, 52.11 – 2010
- Meet Record: Camille Lacourt, 52.11 – 2010
- World Record: Aaron Peirsol, United States, 51.94 – 2009
- European Record: Camille Lacourt, France, 52.11 – 2010
Another race, and another success for the British men, as Commonwealth champion Chris Walker-Hebborn took the top seed in the men’s 100 backstroke preliminary in 53.88.
With plenty of cushion on 16 swimmers advancing, that’s a solid morning swim for Walker-Hebborn to ensure his safe progression, though it’s half a second slower than he was in prelims in Glasgow (which had no semi-finals, however).
Opposite him in the evening in lane 4 is France’s Jeremy Stravius, who swam a 54.14 for the 2nd seed. Stravius missed last year’s World Championships with injury, and was even a bit light on his entries here in Berlin, but so far, so good for the 26-year old. His country mate Benjamin Stasiulis took the 3rd seed in 54.27, and Germany’s Jan-Philip Glania was 4th in 54.47.
There were no really big surprises left out of the semi-finals or placing high in them, though Poland’s Radoslaw Kawecki was playing with fire as the 12th qualifier in 55.29. If he’s hit a taper, he’s got the quality to win this race.
The powerful Israeli backstroking contingent that had four of the top 12 prelims qualifiers in this race at the 2012 European Championships was the most disappointing result as they didn’t put anyone into the top 16. David Gamburg was 17th in 55.53, Guy Barnea was 18th in 55.59, and defending bronze medalist Yakov Toumarkin was tied for 19th in 55.61. Gamburg wound up being granted a reprieve, as Italy had three swimmers in the top 16 with rules only allowing two from any one country to advance. That makes Gamburg the 16th seed in the semi-finals and will give him an outside lane tonight.
The defending champion Aristeidis Grigoriadis of Greece didn’t compete in this race, nor did Germany’s defending silver medalist Helge Meeuw. This means that we are assured of an entirely refreshed set of medalists in Tuesday’s final.
Women’s 400 IM – Prelims
- 2012 European Champ: Katinka Hosszu, Hungary, 4:33.76
- 2010 European Champ: Hannah Miley, Great Britain, 4:33.09
- Meet Record: Hannah Miley, Great Britain, 4:33.09 – 2010
- World Record: Ye Shiwen, China, 4:28.43 – 2012
- European Record: Katinka Hosszu, Hungary, 4:30.31 – 2009
Katinka Hosszu of Hungary wasted no time in beginning her quest for 10 unbelievable events in the women’s 400 IM. She posted a 4:31.53, and swimming out of the final heat that was way, way more than she needed to qualify. It broke Hannah Miley’s Meet Record of 4:33.09 from 2010, and was five seconds better than anyone else was in the preliminary heats.
That’s an early message from Hosszu, who separated herself from Spain’s Mireia Belmonte-Garcia on the breaststroke leg, albeit from different heats, by margin of 1:08.46 to 1:11.53. At the least, we know that she hasn’t missed her taper this year as her coach and husband Shane Tusup hinted at after last year’s World Championships.
That will give better context to just how well, in a prelims-semis-finals meet at this level, a swimmer can really hold together 10 entries over 7 days.
For now, Hosszu is holding together quite well on a day one double with the women’s 200 backstroke coming just half-an-hour later.
Belmonte, who is still looking for her first long course European medal of any color in the 400 IM, is on her way with a 4:36.89. While Hosszu separated herself from the field on the breaststroke, Belmonte separated herself from the rest of the top 8 on the freestyle. She split 31.03 in the final 50, which is faster than any of the 8 finalists did in prelims, including Hosszu.
Belmonte, though, was in the slower heat, and after seeing what happened in the men’s 400 earlier that was the safe play. The question is whether she was that much better at the end, or if Czech swimmer Barbora Zavadova (4:38.82) and British swimmer Aimee Willmott (4:39.01) were playing it smart with their energy in prelims or if they were spent by the final 50. Those two actually had among the slowest splits of the A-Finalists over the last 50 meters. Willmott was a 4:33.0 in this race at the Commonwealth Games under a month ago.
Men’s 100 Breast – Prelims
- 2012 European Champ: Fabio Scozzoli, Italy, 1:00.55
- 2010 European Champ: Alexander Dale Oen, Norway, 59.20
- Meet Record: Alexander Dale Oen, Norway, 59.20 – 2010
- World Record: Cameron van der Burgh, South Africa, 58.46 – 2012
- European Record: Hugues Duboscq, France, 58.64 – 2009
Another triumph for the British men, as they took three of the top five spots in the prelims of the men’s 100 breaststroke, including a top-seeded 59.97 for Adam Peaty – the youngest of the British entries.
Peaty was the only swimmer under a minute, though with more internal competition for just a spot into the semi-finals, the Brits had to press harder in the morning heats. Hungary’s Daniel Gyurta, who dropped his specialty the 200 breaststroke to focus on his sprints at this meet, is the 2nd seed in 1:00.13, and Commonwealth champion Ross Murdoch is 3rd in 1:00.16.
The times started to jump after that, with Lithuania’s Giedrius Titenis placing 4th in 1:00.48, and Britain’s Andrew Willis taking 5th in 1:00.88. Willis will be left out of the semi-finals as the third Brit, and though that’s disappointing for him, his time was clearly behind his two country mates.
Germany’s Hendrik Feldwehr took 6th in the morning, with two Russians – Andrewy Nikolaev and Grigory Falko – both swimming just under 1:01 to sit in the top 8.
France’s Giacomo Perez-Dortona, the key leg of their medley relay, was the 9th place finisher in 1:00.94.
Both Russia and Britain had three in the top 16, meaning that Italy’s Andrea Toniato (1:01.68) and France’s Thomas Dahlia (1:01.69) both move up into the semi-finals. Russia, in fact, had four, so Norway’s Sverre Naess moves in as well.
Also making the top 16 is Slovenian Damir Dugonjic, a former dominating figure on the collegiate scene in the United States, in a 1:01.40. Luxembourg’s Laurent Carnol was 13th in 1:01.43.
Women’s 200 Back – Prelims
- 2012 European Champ: Alexianne Castel, France, 2:08.41
- 2010 European Champ: Lizzie Simmonds, Great Britain, 3:07.04
- Meet Record: Krisztina Egerszegi, Hungary, 2:06.62 – 1991
- World Record: Missy Franklin, United States, 2:04.06 – 2012
- European Record: Anastasia Zueva, Russia, 2:04.94 – 2009
The German faithful got their first really exciting moment where two of their own placed in the top three at prelims of the women’s 200 breaststroke, with veteran Jenny Mensing earning the top seed in 2:10.33 and Lisa Graf taking 3rd in 2:10.75. They swam out of the same heat, as did the swimmer in between them Duane da Rocha from Spain (2:10.34), for the top three seeds in prelims.
Mensing has swum well in the early rounds of this event at Euros in the past, only to get pipped in finals. With the defending champion Castel of France skipping the race this year, though, Mensing and da Rocha are the two returning medalists from 2012.
This was a bit of a lackluster preliminary round, which is really indicative of a lack of quality in the event across the continent. That’s good for Katinka Hosszu, though, who coasted to a 2:11.09 for the 4th seed – maybe saving a little energy after expending what seemed to be a ton in the 400 IM.
Spain’s Melanie Costa-Schmid rounded out the top 5 in 2:11.63.
Others who made the semis include Britain’s Lizzie Simmonds (2:12.32), Russian teenager Daria K. Ustinova (2:13.93), and Ukraine’s Daryna Zevina (2:14.79). More is expected from Zevina than that time, so keep an eye on her lane in finals, as she was in the slowest of the three heats.
Men’s 50 Fly – Prelims
- 2012 European Champ: Rafael Munoz, Spain, 23.16
- 2010 European Champ: Rafael Munoz, Spain, 23.17
- Meet Record: Miolrad Cavic, Serbia, 23.11 – 2008
- World Record: Rafael Munoz, Spain, 22.43 – 2009
- European Record: Rafael Munoz, Spain, 22.43 – 2009
Another Championship Record went down in a very fast men’s 50 fly prelims, with Ukraine’s Andriy Govorov taking the top seed in 22.87. That broke his own National Record by a tenth of a second and makes him the 7th-fastest performer in history. Only the two Brazilians, Cesar Cielo and Nicholas Santos, have been better in textile, and not by much (the textile best is 22.76).
Though not in a high-profile event, that might be the best swim of the morning so far.
A couple of tenths back, France’s Florent Manaudou was also under the old Meet Record with a 23.06. He was the only swimmer who looks to have spent as much as Govorov did in the finals, as Germany’s Steffen Deibler was, by a relative margin, pretty far back in 3rd with a 22.38.
The World Record holder and two-time defending champion Rafael Munoz is the 4th seed in 23.43, and Yauhen Tsurkin from Belarus is 5th in 23.54.
Britain’s Benjamin Proud is capable of getting under 23 seconds in this race, as he did at the Commonwealth Games in a British Record time, but it’s going to take more heat than he used in prelims. He was 6th in the morning with a 23.55.
There was one really significant miss for the semi-finals, and that’s Russia’s Evgeny Korotyshkin. Though his focus event is the 100 fly, the country’s top butterflier and a big hope for their medley relay was expected to at least make the semis in the 50 fly, but he didn’t with a 17th-place 24.07. With no triples, that means he’s the alternate in the semi-finals.
Poland’s Konrad Czerniak and France’s Mehdy Metella both scratched this race.
Women’s 400 Free Relay – Prelims
- 2012 European Champ: Germany, 3:37.98
- 2010 European Champ: Germany, 3:37.72
- Meet Record: Netherlands, 3:33.62 – 2008
- World Record: Australia, 3:30.98 – 2014
- European Record: Netherlands, 3:31.72 – 2009
With only 7 entries, this race was advanced straight through to the finals. France, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Russia, and Denmark all qualified without racing.
Men’s 400 Free Relay – Prelims
- 2012 European Champ: France, 3:13.55
- 2010 European Champ: Russia, 3:12.46
- Meet Record: Russia, 3:12.46 – 2010
- World Record: United States, 3:08.24 – 2008
- European Record: France, 3:08.32 – 2008
For the top contenders, there really was no challenge in the men’s 400 free relay to make the final, but that didn’t stop swimmers fighting for spots on finals relay from pushing in the morning heats. The Russian men swam a 3:14.17, with their team of Andrey Grechin, Sergey Fesikov, Oleg Tikhobaev, and Nikita Lobintsev combining for a 3:14.17. All swimmers split 48’s, including a 48.25 lead-off from Grechin.
Italy took 2nd in 3:14.38, and while they didn’t have the same consistency of split as the deep Russians, Luca Leonardi, the relay’s youngest swimmer at 23, did swim a 47.80 on their third leg.
Poland was the 3rd qualifiers in 3:15.78 and cot a 49.6 split from 18-year old Sebastian Szczepanski, while France was 4th in prelims with a 3:16.24.
Both France and Russia have saved their biggest bullets, in the form of Vlad Morozov and Yannick Agnel, respectively, for finals.
Other qualifiers: Belgium took 5th in 3:16.91, Spain took 6th in 3:17.47, Israel was 7th in 3:18.95, and Lithuania was 8th in 3:19.91.
Hosszu 4:31.03… That piano hit hard at 350m, but still stunning swim.
Hosszu is really going for it, hold on to your hats…
Ottesen didn’t have the best possible finish so there is still room for improvement for her. Anyway, Sarah Sjöström seems to be unbeatable this time in the 50m fly. One of the Finnish TV commentators said that Sjöström’s swimming doesn’t look as relaxed as it was in her record swim. Let’s see what happens in the final. I don’t believe she is able to improve her world record this time (I hope it for sure), but she proved already that her swim at the Swedish Nationals was not a fluke.
Stravius looked good but probably not that good what I expected.
I don’t believe Sarah has a chance to beat the WR here. Partly because it was a perfect relaxed race, but also because the 100 free semifinal is 10 minutes before the 50 fly final tomorrow. She was going for it here in the semi, tomorrow is about winning.
Sarah Sjostrom 24.87… wow. That WR is not looking like a fluke.
Sjostrom: 52.14 split to beat the Dutch in the 400 FR. Blazing fast.
Stjepanovic wins the 400 free in 3.45.66
D’Arrigo second.
Lelliott third.
Good show by British men.
How come they didn’t have free relay?
Bad decision. France will not have a chance against Russia without agnel. He hasn’t been a good. 400m swimmer in a while now.
I thought it interesting that there were only 7 women relay teams competing. Men out number the women. Interesting trend developing!
I think the Youth Olympics could be a reason for the low number of the teams. For example, I think Hungary would have a relay in Berlin, but two possible members are in China at the moment (Liliána Szilágyi, Melinda Novoszáth). Although we have two other swimmers who could swim 56 in 100m freestyle, unfortunately they are only 12 years old and cannot compete in LEN events.