2022 European Championships: Day 7 Finals Live Recap

2022 EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, August 11 – Wednesday, August 17, 2022 (pool swimming)
• Rome, Italy
• Parco Del Foro Italico
• LCM (50m)
• Start Times
  • Prelims: 9:00 am local / 3:00 am ET
  • Finals: 6:00 pm local / 12:00 pm ET
• Meet Central
• Event Schedule
• Entries
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• Day 7 Finals Heat Sheet

The seventh and final night of action from the Foro Italico pool in Rome promises to be another exciting one with a full slate of nine events to close out the 2022 European Championships.

Event Schedule

• Men’s 50 freestyle – final
• Women’s 50 breaststroke – final
• Men’s 100 backstroke – final
• Women’s 200 butterfly – final
• Men’s 200 IM – final
• Women’s 400 freestyle – final
• Men’s 400 freestyle – final
• Women’s 4×100 medley relay – final
• Men’s 4×100 medley relay – final

While we won’t get to see what newly-minted 100 freestyle world record holder David Popovici could do in the 400 free, having scratched out of the final after setting a personal best time in the heats, there are a number of intriguing races to look forward to.

Among those is the women’s 50 breaststroke, where we’ll be treated to a rematch between world record holder and defending champion Benedetta Pilato and reigning world champion Ruta Meilutyte.

Pilato is very much in the same position Meilutyte was in the mid-2010s, and now after her career trailed off and she eventually retired, Meilutyte is back and looking better than ever.

The 25-year-old Lithuanian lowered her nine-year-old best time in the semis of the 50 breast with a clocking of 29.44, putting her just 14 one-hundredths shy of Pilato’s world record set last year (29.30).

Pilato, 17, won the 100 breast both here and at the World Championships over Meilutyte, but the question now becomes if she can respond to what Meilutyte did in the semis and defend her title.

We’ll see another current world record holder in the pool in the men’s 100 backstroke, as Italian Thomas Ceccon is coming off a stunning performance at the World Championships where he annihilated the previous mark in a time of 51.60.

There will be a third current world champion racing in an individual final tonight, and that’s Great Britain’s Ben Proud, who has the opportunity to pull off a rare trifecta of winning the World Championship, Commonwealth Games and European Championship titles in the same event in the same year.

Proud is the big favorite to come out on top in the men’s 50 free, having qualified more than three-tenths of a second clear of the next-fastest swimmer in the semi-finals (21.40).

We’ll also see the women’s 400 freestyle final, where Italy’s Simona Quadarella has the chance to win her third title in a row. If she manages to do so, the 23-year-old will have swept the women’s 400, 800 and 1500 free at three straight editions of the European Championships.

There will also be individual finals in the women’s 200 fly, men’s 200 IM and men’s 400 free, all three of which will see new champions crowned as last year’s winners are not in the field in any of them.

The competition will come to a close with the 4×100 medley relays. The Italian men are the massive favorites after winning the world title in June, while Sweden may be the team to beat on the women’s side as they qualified first in the prelims by more than a second.

For a full preview of tonight’s session, click here.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 20.91, Cesar Cielo (BRA) – 2009
• European Record: 20.94, Fred Bousquet (FRA) – 2009
• European Championship Record: 21.11, Ben Proud (GBR) – 2018
• 2020 European Champion: Ari-Pekka Liukkonen (FIN), 21.61

1. Ben Proud (GBR), 21.58
2. Leonardo Deplano (ITA), 21.60
3. Kristian Gkolomeev (GRE), 21.75
4. Pawel Juraszek (POL), 21.78
5. Maxime Grousset (FRA), 21.87
6. Thom de Boer (NED) / Lorenzo Zazzeri (ITA), 21.90
7. –
8. Vladyslav Bukhov (UKR), 22.19

In a race that was much closer than expected, Ben Proud managed to get his hand on the wall first to win the European title in the men’s 50 freestyle, putting up a time of 21.58 to edge out Italian Leonardo Deplano.

Proud wins the Euro title for the second time, having first done so in 2018, and completes the rare triple of having won gold in the same event at the World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Championships all in the same year.

The Brit was significantly slower than he was in the semis (21.40), but it ultimately didn’t matter.

It was a big swim for Deplano, as he dips under his personal best time from the semis (21.73) in 21.60 to win silver, while Greece’s Kristian Gkolomeev wins a third straight medal in the event, earning bronze in 21.75.

Gkolomeev also won bronze last year, and he was the silver medalist in 2018. On top of that, he was fourth in 2016.

WOMEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 29.30, Benedetta Pilato (ITA) – 2021 European Championships
• European Record: 29.30, Benedetta Pilato (ITA) – 2021 European Championships
• European Championship Record: 29.30, Benedetta Pilato (ITA) – 2021
• 2021 European Champion: Benedetta Pilato (ITA), 29.30

1. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 29.59
2. Benedetta Pilato (ITA), 29.71
3. Imogen Clark (GBR), 30.31
4. Arianna Castiglioni (ITA), 30.43
5. Veera Kivirinta (FIN), 30.86
6. Sophie Hansson (SWE), 31.02
7. Mona McSharry (IRL), 31.15
8. Florine Gaspard (BEL), 31.46

Eight years later, Ruta Meilutyte is once again the European champion in the women’s 50 breaststroke.

After lowering her nine-year-old Lithuanian Record in the semi-finals, clocking a time of 29.44, Meilutyte used an explosive start and dynamic breakout to gain an early advantage on defending champion Benedetta Pilato, and managed to hold her off down the stretch to win gold in 29.59.

The 25-year-old Meilutyte won this title back in 2014, and in her recent career resurgence, beat Pilato head-to-head for World Championship glory in June in a time of 29.70.

Pilato, who set the world record of 29.30 at last year’s Euros, was also quicker than the Worlds final but settles for silver once again, as the 17-year-old produced a time of 29.71. In Budapest, she clocked 29.80 in the final.

Coming in for the bronze was Great Britain’s Imogen Clark, who neared her lifetime best in the semis at 30.10 and snags third here in 30.31 after being stuck in isolation for seven days due to COVID-19.

MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 51.60, Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 2022 World Championships
• European Record: 51.60, Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 2022 World Championships
• European Championships Record: 52.11, Camille Lacourt – 2010
• 2020 European Champion: Robert Glinta (ROU) – 52.88

1. Thomas Ceccon (ITA), 52.21
2. Apostolos Christou (GRE), 52.24
3. Yohann Ndoye Brouard (FRA), 52.92
4. Roman Mityukov (SUI), 53.55
5. Joao Nogueira Costa (POR), 54.01
6. Ksawery Masiuk (POL), 54.05
7. Ole Braunschweig (GER), 54.25
8. Mewen Tomac (FRA), 54.79

Already the world champion and world record holder, Italian Thomas Ceccon can now add the title of European champion to his resume in the men’s 100 backstroke, winning a tight battle in the final with Greece’s Apostolos Christou by three one-hundredths of a second.

Ceccon got out to a blistering start, flipping in 25.15 at the 50, and then had to hold off a late push from Christou to touch first in a time of 52.21.

The 21-year-old Ceccon won the world title in June in a world record time of 51.60. This marks his third gold medal of the competition—with the chance add a fourth in the men’s medley relay—after claiming the 50 fly and men’s 400 free relay earlier.

Christou, who tied for bronze in this event last year and was fifth at the World Championships, stormed home in 26.88 to nearly run down Ceccon, clocking 52.24 for the silver medal. The 25-year-old set a lifetime best of 52.09 in the World Championship semis.

200 back winner Yohann Ndoye Brouard cracked 53 seconds for the second straight night, earning bronze in a time of 52.92. Ndoye Brouard was fourth at Worlds in a lifetime best of 52.50, and was the swimmer who tied for bronze last year with Christou.

Placing fourth was Roman Mityukov, who clocked 53.55 to break the Swiss National Record of 53.75 that he set in the semis.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record: 2:01.81, Liu Zige (CHN) – 2009
• European Record: 2:04.27, Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 2009
• European Championships Record: 2:04.79, Mireia Belmonte (ESP) – 2014
• 2020 European Champion: Boglarka Kapas (HUN), 2:06.50

1. Lana Pudar (BIH), 2:06.81
2. Helena Bach (DEN), 2:07.30
3. Ilaria Cusinato (ITA), 2:07.77
4. Laura Stephens (GBR), 2:08.47
5. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN), 2:09.03
6. Keanna MacInnes (GBR), 2:09.59
7. Ana Catarina Monteiro (POR), 2:10.79
8. Antonella Crispino (ITA), 2:10.97

Lana Pudar held nothing back in the early stages of the women’s 200 fly final, opening up a lead before holding strong down the stretch to win the European title at 16 years of age in a time of 2:06.81.

Pudar’s swim breaks her own Bosnian and Herzegovinian record of 2:07.58, set in the semi-finals of the World Championships (where she ultimately finished sixth in the final). Pudar also moves up from 10th to sixth in the world rankings this year.

On top of that, Pudar wins Bosnian and Herzegovinian’s first-ever gold medal at the LC European Championships after winning the country’s first medal in the 100 fly a few days ago.

Also the European Junior champion in the event, Pudar went out like a rocket, turning in 59.86 at the 100 with no one else in the field under 1:01.

Denmark’s Helena Bach made up some ground on the back-half, coming in to ultimately claim silver in 2:07.30, breaking the super-suited Danish Record of 2:07.44 set by Micha Ostergaard back at the 2009 World Championships in the same pool.

Bach’s previous best time stood at 2:07.82, and she had finished fourth in the event last year.

Italian Ilaria Cusinato dropped a full second from her best to win bronze in a time of 2:07.77, improving on her fifth-place showing from a year ago.

MEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• World Record: 1:54.00, Ryan Lochte (USA) – 2011 World Championships
• European Record: 1:55.18, László Cseh (HUN) – 2009 World Championships
• European Championship Record: 1:56.66, László Cseh (HUN) – 2012
• 2020 European Champion: Hugo González (ESP), 1:56.76

1. Hubert Kos (HUN), 1:57.72
2. Alberto Razzetti (ITA), 1:57.82
3. Gabriel Jose Lopes (POR), 1:58.34
4. Jeremy Desplanches (SUI), 1:58.89
5. Ron Polonsky (ISR), 1:59.24
6. Andreas Vazaios (GRE), 1:59.55
7. Carles Coll Marti (ESP), 1:59.96
8. Vadym Naumenko (UKR), 2:01.61

In a captivating battle that came down to the last five meters, Hungarian Hubert Kos held on to win gold in the men’s 200 IM in a time of 1:57.72, out-touching a hard-charging Alberto Razzetti.

Kos, 19, had the early lead through the opening 100 meters, and then on the breast leg, Portugal’s Gabriel Jose Lopes took over a small lead, with Kos, Switzerland’s Jeremy Desplanches and Razzetti within striking distance.

Coming down the stretch on freestyle, there were four men in the fight. Kos pulled ahead of Lopes, and although Razzetti was clearly moving quicker than anyone else, he ran out of pool and Kos got to the wall with a margin of one-tenth of a second.

Kos’ time is a half-second shy of his season-best time of 1:57.23, done at the World Championships, and he set his lifetime best in the semis of last year’s Euros in 1:56.99. He ultimately added more than a second and placed fifth in the final, so this was a redemption swim of sorts.

Razzetti, who won the 400 IM earlier and was third in this event last year, touched in 1:57.82 for silver, bettering his season-best of 1:58.02 from the World Championships. His PB stands at 1:57.13 from last year.

Lopes, who was the top seed out of the semis, dipped under his best time of 1:58.56 in 1:58.34 for the bronze, while Desplanches, the 2018 champion, was laboring on free and finished fourth in 1:58.89.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 3:56.40, Ariarne Titmus (AUS) – 2022 Australian Championships
• European Record: 3:59.15, Federica Pellegrini (ITA) – 2009 World Championships
• European Championships Record: 4:01.53 , Federica Pellegrini (ITA) – 2008
• 2020 European Champion: Simona Quadarella (ITA), 4:04.66

1. Isabel Gose (GER), 4:04.13
2. Simona Quadarella (ITA), 4:04.77
3. Ajna Kesely (HUN), 4:08.00
4. Bettina Fabian (HUN), 4:08.63
5. Katja Fain (SLO), 4:08.70
6. Antonietta Cesarano (ITA), 4:10.19
7. Valentine Dumont (BEL), 4:10.51
8. Julia Mrozinski (GER), 4:11.32

Isabel Gose played spoiler in the final of the women’s 400 freestyle, denying home crowd favorite Simona Quadarella a third straight title.

Gose , jumped on the lead early, up by a second and a half at the 200, and then Quadarella slowly began to eat into the deficit.

Despite a valiant effort from Quadarella on the closing 100, Gose held firm, and the 20-year-old German wins the country’s gold medal of these championships in a time of 4:04.13.

Gose holds the German Record at 4:03.21, set last year, and swam a 2022 best of 4:03.47 at the World Championships where she finished fifth.

Quadarella nearly even-split the race, 2:02.04/2:02.73 for the 200s, but couldn’t bridge the gap up to Gose and settles for the silver in 4:04.77. The Italian did not race this event at the World Championships, and thus it’s still a season-best for her, as the 23-year-old had previously been 4:06.18 on the Mare Nostrum Tour.

The runner-up finish brings an end to Quadarella’s recent run of distance dominance at Euros, as she had won three straight titles in the 800 free, three straight in the 1500 free, and back-to-back golds in the 400 free coming into tonight’s session.

In a razor-thin fight for the bronze, Hungarian Ajna Kesely (4:08.00) overcame teammate Bettina Fabian (4:08.63) and Slovenian Katja Fain (4:08.70) to take third, moving up from her fourth-place finish one year ago.

MEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 3:40.07, Paul Biedermann (GER) – 2009 World Championships
• European Record: 3:40.07, Paul Biedermann (GER) – 2009 World Championships
• European Championships Record: 3:44.01, Gabriele Detti (ITA) – 2016
• 2020 European Champion: Martin Malyutin (RUS), 3:44.18

1. Lukas Maertens (GER), 3:42.50
2. Antonio Djakovic (SUI), 3:43.93
3. Henning Muehlleitner (GER), 3:44.53
4. Felix Auboeck (AUT), 3:45.76
5. Lorenzo Galossi (ITA), 3:46.94
6. Joris Bouchaut (FRA), 3:47.20
7. Gabriele Detti (ITA), 3:47.34
8. Henrik Christiansen (NOR), 3:50.30

Lukas Maertens pulled away from Antonio Djakovic after the first 150 meters of the men’s 400 free, soaring to gold and a new European Championship Record in a time of 3:42.50.

Martens, who produced a stunning world-leading time of 3:41.60 back in April, puts up the second-fastest swim of his career to win Germany’s second gold medal in as many events here in Rome. Prior to Gose’s win in the women’s 400 free, Germany hadn’t won any titles.

At the World Championships, Maertens was the silver medalist in a time of 3:42.85.

Djakovic had a monstrous swim to win silver, taking nearly two seconds off his Swiss National Record in a time of 3:43.93. The 19-year-old had previously been 3:45.82 at the Tokyo Olympics, and was only 10th at Worlds in 3:46.90. He becomes the fifth-fastest swimmer in the world this year after previously ranking 14th.

Germany’s Henning Muehlleitner, who also missed the World Championship final in 11th, placed third in a time of 3:44.53, his fastest showing since swimming the two fastest swims of his career at last summer’s Olympics (3:43.67, 3:44.07).

Muehlleitner also won bronze in 2018.

Austria’s Felix Auboeck, the silver medalist last year and the fourth-place finisher at the World Championships, was nearly three and a half seconds quicker than the prelims to snag fourth from Lane 1, touching in 3:45.76.

Rising Italian youngster Lorenzo Galossi, who is only 16, took fifth in 3:46.94. Galossi, who picked up a bronze medal in the 800 free, set a lifetime best of 3:45.93 earlier this year.

His countryman Gabriele Detti, the 2016 champion, was back in seventh in 3:47.34.

WOMEN’S 4X100 MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL

• World Record: 3:50.40, United States – 2019 World Championships
• European Record: 3:53.38, Russia – 2017 World Championships
• European Championship Record: 3:54.01, Great Britain – 2021
• 2020 European Champion: Great Britain, 3:54.01

1. Sweden, 3:55.25
2. France, 3:56.36
3. Netherlands, 3:57.01
4. Italy, 3:57.23
5. Great Britain, 4:00.05
6. Poland, 4:02.53
7. Switzerland, 4:03.94
8. Germany, 4:05.60

The Italians held the lead early, and then France pulled ahead at the final exchange, but Sarah Sjostrom would not be denied from leading Sweden to the European title in the women’s 4×100 medley relay.

Trailing the French by just under half a second, Sjostrom dove in and delivered a scorching-fast 52.04 anchor leg for the Swedes, bringing them in for the gold medal in a time of 3:55.25.

Joining Sjostrom on the victorious Swedish team was Hanna Rosvall (1:00.66), Sophie Hansson (1:06.26) and Louise Hansson (56.29).

France picks up the silver in 3:56.36, having stayed in the fight early before getting a blistering 56.09 fly split from Marie Wattel that was the fastest in the field.

Despite getting overtaken by Sjostrom, Beryl Gastaldello had a strong freestyle split on the end in 53.67, as the team smashes their National Record by more than three seconds in 3:56.36.

Joining Wattel and Gastaldello was Pauline Mahieu (1:00.17) and Charlotte Bonnet (1:06.49), as Bonnet, primarily a freestyler, shows off her versatility on the breast leg.

Italy had the early advantage thanks to individual 100-meter winners Margherita Panziera (59.78) and Benedetta Pilato (1:05.65) getting them out ahead of the pack, but they dropped to third after Ilaria Bianchi split 58.37 on fly, and then the Dutch ran them down on the free to steal bronze.

100 free champion Marrit Steenbergen dropped a sizzling 52.23 anchor leg to give the Dutch the bronze medal in a time of 3:57.01, while the Italians fell to fourth in 3:57.23.

The Dutch had all-around solid legs from Kira Toussaint (1:00.29), Tes Schouten (1:06.75), Maaike de Waard (57.74) and Steenbergen, as they break their National Record of 3:57.24 set at this year’s World Championships.

MEN’S 4X100 MEDLEY RELAY

• World Record: 3:26.78, United States – 2021 Olympic Games
• European Record: 3:27.51, Great Britain – 2021 Olympic Games / Italy – 2022 World Championships
• European Championship Record: 3:28.59, Great Britain – 2021
• 2020 European Champion: Great Britain, 3:28.59

1. Italy, 3:28.46
2. France, 3:32.50
3. Austria, 3:33.28
4. Great Britain, 3:33.60
5. Poland, 3:34.16
6. Ukraine, 3:34.66
7. Germany, 3:35.65
8. Spain, 3:37.25

The reigning world champion left no doubt in the final of the men’s 4×100 medley relay, as the Italians gave a fitting salute to the home crowd with a decisive four-second victory.

Italy had the fastest split in the field on all four legs, as Thomas Ceccon (52.82), Nicolo Martinenghi (57.72), Matteo Rivolta (50.75) and Alessandro Miressi (47.17) combined for a final time of 3:28.46, breaking the Championship Record of 3:28.59 set by Great Britain last year.

Italy’s win is their second-ever in the event, having also claimed gold in 2012, and snaps Great Britain’s winning streak at four, with the Brits having won the title in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021.

The split for Martinenghi is the second-fastest of his career and the sixth time he’s been sub-58. His fastest is 57.47 from this year’s World Championships. The only swimmer ahead of him on the all-time rankings in this regard is Adam Peaty, who has split faster than Martinenghi’s 57.47 10 different times.

It appeared as though Rivolta may have gone past the 15-meter mark prior to his breakout, but there were no disqualifications.

The quartet of Ceccon, Martinenghi, Federico Burdisso and Miressi won gold at the World Championships and tied the European Record earlier this year in a time of 3:27.51.

The race for second was tight between four teams with 100 meters to go, but Maxime Grousset solidified France’s silver medal with a 47.43 split as they place second in a time of 3:32.50.

Joining Grousset was Yohann Ndoye Brouard (53.06), Antoine Viquerat (1:00.48) and Clement Secchi (51.53).

The Austrians pulled out the bronze medal in a time of 3:33.28, with Simon Bucher‘s 50.97 fly split being the difference maker over fourth-place Great Britain (3:33.60).

Bernhard Reitshammer (54.68), Valentin Bayer (59.68), Bucher and Heiko Gigler (48.09) help lead the Austrians to the country’s second-ever European Championship medal in a men’s relay.