2021 LEN EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Swimming: Monday, May 17th – Sunday, May 23rd, 2021
- Budapest, Hungary
- Prelims at 10:00 am local/Finals at 6:00 pm local
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The women’s 100 backstroke final at the 2021 European Championships will be re-swum due to an error with the timing system.
The final will be re-contested at 8:45 pm local time, or 2:45 pm Eastern, on Friday.
“The Organizers cancelled the women’s 100m back’s result, due to the failure of the timing system,” an official statement said.
Kathleen Dawson of Great Britain set what was a European Championship Record in the initial race in a time of 58.18, with Kira Toussaint of the Netherlands winning silver in 59.02 and Maria Kameneva of Russia earning bronze in 59.13.
SwimSwam received confirmation from the organizers that the times done in the original final are cancelled, meaning Dawson’s 58.18 Championship Record will not hold up. She still holds the record of 58.44 from the semi-finals.
Sweden’s Louise Hansson in particular appeared to be affected by the error at the start, swimming a time of 1:02.29 (with a 30.59 opening 50) after going 1:00.04 in the semi-finals.
According to reports, lanes 7 and 8, which was the Netherlands’ Maaike De Waard and Hansson, couldn’t hear the start.
Initial Race Recap
WOMEN’S 100 BACK FINAL
- European Record: 58.12, Gemma Spofforth (GBR), 2009
- European Championship Record: 58.44, Kathleen Dawson (GBR), 2021
- FINA ‘A’ Cut: 1:00.25
- Kathleen Dawson (GBR), 58.18
- Kira Toussaint (NED), 59.02
- Maria Kameneva (RUS), 59.13
After setting a Championship Record in the semis, Kathleen Dawson would not be denied tonight, winning the women’s 100 backstroke in decisive fashion in a new personal best and meet record of 58.18.
The time lowers Dawson’s previous best of 58.24, set last month, and improves on her 58.44 CR set last night. Dawson thoroughly dominated the field, out-splitting everyone on both 50s (27.99/30.19).
Dawson was the bronze medalist in 2016, and wins Britain’s first gold in the event since Gemma Spofforth in 2010. Dawson also missed Spofforth’s super-suited European and British Record of 58.12 by just .06.
Kira Toussaint, who had tied the initial CR of 58.73 in last night’s first semi, was never close to Dawson and takes the silver in 59.02, her first Euro LC medal in this event.
Maria Kameneva, who scratched out of the 100 free semis to put all of her focus on this race, wins the bronze in 59.13, just .03 off of her Russian Record set in April.
Defending champion Anastasia Fesikova was a distant sixth (tie) in 1:00.33.
Talking to a reporter Hansson said she heard the signal but it was a double beep and she thought it was a recall signal.
If I were Panziera, I would give my medal to Kira. Records remain the same but still it could be a nice gesture to remember
Imagine if Michael Andrew was in the same position to repeat the 200 IM.
Did Kira T boycott the rematch?
Imagine this in 1500…
It’s the right thing to do. Not everyone is going to be happy about this monumental screw up at the start of the race, but there is no other way to fix it. Then first heat of the men’s 200 back should be resume too. JMHO.
I’m confused as “couldn’t hear the start.” is subjective, as we cannot know what they did or didn’t hear.
So it’s “the swimmers *said that* they couldn’t hear the start”
and/or
officials confirmed the speakers were not functioning for lanes 7 and 8.
I’m not meaning to be pedantic. I’m trying to understand what occurred.
This is so unfortunate and all down to the organizers. There were issues in other races too. But an unfair race is an unfair race. Feel sorry for the swimmers
This must be pretty good practice for Dawson.
Imagine if they had to do this for the men’s 100back final, bet the result would’ve been completely different.