2018 European Championships: Day 4 prelims live recap

2018 LEN EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• August 3-9, 2018 (swimming portion)
• Glasgow, Scotland
• Tollcross International Swimming Centre
• Meet Central
• Program
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• Live Stream (Europe w/ English commentary)
• Full Results

It’s day four in Glasgow and the action continues today with the preliminaries of: Men’s 200 freestyle, 50m butterfly and the women’s 200m breaststroke, 100m backstroke , 1500m freestyle and the 4x100m MIXED medley relay.

Men’s 200m freestyle

• World Record (WR): 1;42,00 – Paul Biedermann, 2009
• World Junior Record (WJ):  1:46,40 – Ivan Girev, 2017
• European Record (ER): 1;42,00 – Paul Biedermann, 2009
• European Junior Record (EJ): 1:43,90 – Target Time
• Championship Record (CR): 1:44,89 – Pieter van den Hoogenband, 2002

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. RAPSYS Danas    LTU       1:46.55
2. VEKOVISHCHEV Mikhail  RUS      1:46.67
3. GUY James          GBR      1:47.67
4. SWITKOWSKI Jan              POL       1:48.09
5. MEGLI Filippo     ITA        1:48.15
6. STJEPANOVIC Velimir     SRB       1:48.22
7. DOVGALYUK Mikhail       RUS      1:48.24
8. HEIDTMANN Jacob          GER      1:48.34
9. AUBOECK Felix  AUT      1:48.37
10. LOKTEV Denis     ISR         1:48.42
11. SCOTT Duncan W              GBR      1:48.53
12. ATSU Jonathan  FRA       1:48.62
13. BRZOSKOWSKI Maarten                NED      1:48.72
14. LIESS Nils              SUI        1:49.00
15. JARVIS Calum     GBR      1:49.19
16. ANDRUSENKO Viacheslav             RUS      1:49.21
17. MAJCHRZAK Kacper        POL       1:49.23
18. STOLK Kyle          NED      1:49.34

Danas Rapsys is entered in this event with the fastest time worldwide in 1:45,12. The men’s 200m freestyle promise to show thrilling races with much European speed. The British swimmers won the 4x200m freestyle relay yesterday. Duncan Scott (1:45,48 – third relay starter) and James Guy (1:45,60 – anchor) put up some speed to secure the victory. Guy cancelled the 200m butterfly final for the team’s success. The anchor of the Italian team, Filippo Megli, grew beyond himself and set a 1:45,44.

Hungarian Bence Biczo won the second heat with a time of 1:51,12, not far off is personal-best time (1:51,08). The third heat featured the first swimmers who stayed under 1:50, fastest in this heat was Spain’s Alex Ramos Frnandez. Heat 4/7 was won by Belgium’s Thomas Thijs. James Guy took the lead in heat 5 after 150m and brought it home in 1:47,67 ahead of Italy’s Filippo Megli (1:48,15). Velimir Stjepanovic wasn’t able to get more morning speed in the water than James Guy, the Serbian was clocked at 1:48,34 in heat 6. Danas Rapsys showed a relaxed race and finished first in 1:46,55 ahead of Russia’s Mikhail Verkovishchev. One Russian and on British swimmer didn’t advance to the semi-final because two teammates were faster.

Women’s 200m breaststroke

• World Record (WR): 1:19,11 – Rikke Moeller-Pedersen, 2013
• World Junior Record (WJ): 2:19,64 – Viktoria Gunes, 2015
• European Record (ER): 1:19,11 – Rikke Moeller-Pedersen, 2013
• European Junior Record (EJ): 2:19,64 – Target Time
• Championship Record (CR): 2:19,84 – Rikke Moeller-Pedersen, 2014

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. DEN       PEDERSEN Rikke Moeller              DEN      2:25.73
2.  DEN      BLOMSTERBERG Thea     DEN      2:25.98
3.  ESP       GARCIA URZAINQUI Marina         ESP       2:26.01
4.  RUS      SIMONOVA Vitalina         RUS      2:26.82
5.  GBR      RENSHAW Molly               GBR      2:26.88
6.  ESP       VALL MONTERO Jessica  ESP       2:26.94
7.  POR      KAMINSKAYA Victoria     POR      2:27.34
8.  GBR      TUTTON Chloe   GBR      2:27.37
9.  RUS      EFIMOVA Yuliya                RUS      2:27.66
10.  GER      STEIGER Jessica  GER      2:27.71
11.  ITA        FANGIO Francesca           ITA        2:27.77
12.  DEN      WERMUTH Anna              DEN      2:27.78
13.  SUI        MAMIE Lisa         SUI        2:27.80
14.  BEL        LECLUYSE Fanny                BEL        2:28.77
15.  FRA       DEBERGHES Fanny           FRA       2:29.07
16.  TUR      GUNES Viktoria Zeynep  TUR      2:29.33
17.  ITA        PIROVANO Anna              ITA        2:29.46

Yuliya Efimova leads the World Ranking with a time of 2:20,72. She grabbed the gold medal yesterday in the 100m breaststroke in 1:05,53. The next fastest European swimmer in 2018 in the 200m is Great Britain’s Molly Renshaw (2:23,28). Also the World Junior Record Holder, Viktoria Gunes, and 29-year-old World Record Holder, Rikke Moeller-Pedersen, are found in the psych sheet.

Vitalina Simonova (RUS) and Jessica Vall Montero (ESP) controlled heat 2 of 4 with the two fastest times: 2:26,82 for Simonova and 2:26,94 for Vall Montero. Denmark’s Thea Blomsterberg showed some teenage speed and won heat 3 with a time of 2:25,98. The 16-year-old improved her personal-best time by nearly 2 seconds (previous personal-best: 2:27,83).

No surprises in the fastest heat, World Record Holder Rikke Moeller-Pedersen touched the wall first in 2:25,73. Yuliya Efimova took it easy and was clocked at 2:27,66.

Two Danish ladies were the fastest swimmers into the semi-finals with Rikke Moeller-Pedersen and youngster Thea Bolmsterberg. Her teammate Anna Wermuth was the only swimmer who is out of the semi-finals (only two swimmers per nation rule).

Men’s 50m butterfly

• World Record (WR): 22,27 – Andriy Govorov, 2018
• World Junior Record (WJ): 23,22 – Michael Andrew, 2017
• European Record (ER): 22,27 – Andriy Govorov, 2018
• European Junior Record (EJ): 23,28 – Target Time
• Championship Record (CR): 22,73 – Andriy Govorov, 2016

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. GOVOROV Andriy            UKR      22.90
2. PROUD Benjamin             GBR      23.29
3. KORSTANJE Nyls Jan        NED      23.40
4. GKOLOMEEV Kristian      GRE      23.42
5. CZERNIAK Konrad             POL       23.45
6. KOSTIN Oleg       RUS       23.45
7. CSEH Laszlo         HUN     23.53
8. WIERLING Damian            GER      23.56
9. ZAITSEV Daniel  EST        23.58
10. GOOSEN Mathys Cornelis             NED      23.60
11. TSURKIN Yauhen              BLR       23.60
12. VERGANI Andrea              ITA        23.61
13. BLASKOVIC Bruno            CRO      23.68
14. CODIA Piero        ITA        23.71
15. METELLA Mehdy              FRA       23.72
16. CHERUTI Meiron Amir    ISR        23.75

Andriy Govorov is the defending European Champion. He also set a new World Record (22,27) last month. Great Britain’s Ben Proud won the gold medal at the 2017 World Championships. Proud certainly has ambitions to go for the title.

Netherland’s Nyls Jan Korstanje reached a personal-best time in heat 5 of 23,54. The 19-year-old was surpassed in the next heat by Ben Proud (23,29). World Rercord Holder Andriy Govorov set the fastest time in the last heat. With a time of 22,90, he was the only man under 23 seconds.

Women’s 100m backstroke

• World Record (WR): 58,00 – Kathleen Baker, 2018
• World Junior Record (WJ): 58,83 – Regan Smith, 2018
• European Record (ER): 58,12 – Gemma Spofforth, 2009
• European Junior Record (EJ): 59,62 – Polina Egorova, 2017
• Championship Record (CR): 58,73 – Mie Nielsen, 2016

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. PANZIERA Margherita    ITA        59.86
2. FESIKOVA Anastasiia       RUS      59.87
3. NIELSEN Mie Oe.              DEN      59.99
4. DAVIES Georgia  GBR      1:00.03
5. ZOFKOVA Carlotta            ITA        1:00.07
6. TOUSSAINT Kira Marije  NED      1:00.12
7. HOSSZU Katinka                HUN     1:00.15
8. BURIAN Katalin  HUN     1:00.28
9. JALLOW Mimosa               FIN        1:00.28
10. BAUMRTOVA Simona     CZE       1:00.29
11. DAWSON Kathleen          GBR      1:00.30
12. CINI Mathilde     FRA       1:00.55
13. USTINOVA Daria K.           RUS      1:00.67
14. RIEDEMANN Laura           GER      1:00.77
15. VERMEULEN Tessa           NED      1:00.79
16. SCALIA Silvia       ITA        1:00.92
17. EGOROVA Polina              RUS      1:01.05
18. AVDEEVA Anastasiia        RUS      1:01.17
19. DRAKOU Theodora          GRE      1:01.18
20. DA ROCHA MARCE Duane             ESP       1:01.36

Today Hungarian star Katinka Hosszu is set to swim her first individual event. The 2016 Olympic Champion in the 100m backstroke entered a lighter schedule that we’re used to seeing from her. The 29-year-old enters the event as the top seed with her time of 58.80 from last summer’s World Championships, but only ranks 52nd in the world this year with a 2018 best of 1:00.70. The fastest European backstrokers will compete against Hosszu: Anastasia Fesikova, Mie Nielsen, Georgia Davies and Daria Ustinova.

Italy’s Carlotta Zofkova improved her lifetime-best to 1:00,07 and was the fastest woman after 3 heats of 5. Anastasiia Fesikova (RUS) was the first woman under 1 minute in heat with a time of 59,87. Only two other women joined Feskova in the sub-1-minute club today: Italy’s Margherita Panziera (59,86) and Denmark’s Mie Nielsen (59,99). Katinka Hosszu advanced into the round of the sixteen fastest on the 7th spot in 1:00,15. This is a new season-best time.

4x100m Mixed Medley Relay

• World Record (WR): 3:38,56 – USA, 2017
• World Junior Record (WJ): 3:45,85 – Russia, 2015
• European Record (ER): 3_41.56 – Great Britain, 2017
• European Junior Record (EJ): 3:47,99 – Russia, 2018
• Championship Record (CR): 3:44,02 – Great Britain, 2014

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. Netherlands 3:45,34
2. Germany 3:46,22
3. Russia 3:36,48
4. Great Britain 3:47,44
5. Italy 3:47,73
6. Poland 3:49,51
7. Sweden 3:49,58
8. Switzerland 3:49,86

The Dutch team took the top spot ahead of Germany. Both nations swam with a different strategy than the rest of the field: Maaike de Waard (NED) and Jenny Mensing (GER) competed against men in the opening backstroke leg. Germany and Netherlands decided to swim a woman/man/man/woman tactics the other nations prefer man/man/woman/woman. Italy chosed the man/woman/man/woman order.

Women’s 1500m freestyle

• World Record (WR): 15:20,48 – KatieLedecky, 2018
• World Junior Record (WJ): 15:28,36, Katie Ledecky, 2014
• European Record (ER): 14:38,88 – Lotte Friis, 2013
• European Junior Record (EJ): 16:02,29 – Target Time
• Championship Record (CR): 15:50,22 – Boglarka Kapas, 2016

Top 8 qualifiers:

1. QUADARELLA Simona     ITA        16:05.33
2. KOEHLER Sarah  GER       16:06.72
3. KESELY Ajna        HUN     16:19.14
4. HASSLER Julia     LIE         16:19.89
5. ODER Tjasa          SLO       16:21.82
6. PEREZ BLANCO Jimena   ESP       16:25.02
7. HOLUB Tamila Hryhorivna            POR      16:25.29
8. RIEDER Celine    GER       16:27.79

Germany’s Sarah Köhler swam a solid race and was clocked at 16:06,72. Liechtenstein’s Julia Hassler finished second in heat 1 of 2 in 16:19,89. Köhler and Hassler train together in Heidelberg, Germany, their coach is Dr. Michael Spikermann.

Boglarka Kapas (HUN) is the defending champion but didn’t enter the 1500m freestyle event. But her teammate Ajny Kesely did her best to represent the Hungarian colors in heat 2. Until the 800m mark, she followed Simona Quadarella constantly. At the finish, it was Simona Quadaraella first (16:05,33) and Kesely second in 16:19,14.