David Popovici Looks To Defend European Title In 100 Freestyle On Night 3 (Night 3 Preview)

2024 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• June 17-23, 2024
• LCM (50 meters)
• Belgrade, Serbia
• Prelims: 9:30 am local time
• Finals: 6:30 pm local time
• Psych Sheets 
• Men’s Storylines
• Women’s Storylines
• Live Results
• Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap
• Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

Day 3 Finals Heat Sheets

Day 3 Finals Event Lineup

• Women’s 200 free- Semifinals
• Men’s 200 back – Finals
• Women’s 50 fly- Finals
• Men’s 100 free- Finals
• Women’s 100 breast- Finals
• Men’s 100 fly- Semifinals
• Women’s 50 back- Semifinals
• Men’s 200 breast- Semifinals
• Women’s 400 IM- Final
• Men’s 800 free- Final
• Women’s 4×100 free- Final

Semifinals of the women’s 200 free will kick off the night. Janja Segel of Slovenia led the way in prelims with a 1:57.81. After winning the 100 freestyle last night in a new Czech National Record, Barbora Seemanova is also one to watch. Seemanova came into the meet as the top seed and had the 3rd fastest time of the morning. She made the 2020 Tokyo Olympic final in the event.

The first final of the night will be the men’s 200 back. Apostolos Siskos (Greece) comes in as the top seed but the field is packed with seven of the swimmers being within two seconds of one another. Roman Mityukov of Switzerland looks to make the podium after just missing the podium in the event two years ago with a 4th place finish.

Sara Junevik of Sweden broke the 26-second mark in the women’s 50 fly to lead the way in semifinals with a 25.84. She will look to pick up the country’s first medal of the meet.

Former World Record holder David Popovici (Romania) looks to defend his European title in the 100 freestyle and led the way through prelims and semifinals as the only swimmer under the 48-second mark so far. Popovici won in 2022 ahead of Hungary’s Kristof Milak who is in the final as the 4-seed. Milak will swim the 100 free at the front of a two event double tonight as he also is in the 100 butterfly about 10 minutes later.

The women’s 100 breaststroke will close the first group of finals. Eneli Jefimova posted the top seed of semifinals. Jefimova will look to win Estonia’s first European Championship title with a win. She also is the Estonian National Record holder in the event. Numerous swimmers will also look to get under the Olympic Qualifying Standard of a 1:06.79.

Kicking off the first semifinal of the men’s 100 fly is Milak, just about 10 minutes after the 100 freestyle final. Milak had the 2nd fastest swim in prelims with a 51.23 as Noe Ponti (Switzerland) led the way in a 51.09. Hungary’s Hubert Kos also posted a solid time this morning with a 51.50.

After coming into prelims as the top seed, Danielle Hill of Ireland posted the top time of the morning in the women’s 50 back with a 27.98, the only sub-28 second swim of the morning.

Iceland’s Anton McKee came in as the top seed for prelims and also leads the way heading into tonight’s semifinals. McKee cruised through prelims with a 2:11.96. He will look to win Iceland’s first European Title tomorrow night.

Three finals close the night. The women’s 400 IM will be the first of the three as Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko will look to stand at the top of the podium despite swimming the 3rd fastest time of the morning. Gorbenko currently sits at #5 in the event in the World this season. A pair of Hungarians hold the top two seeds for tonight with Vivien Jackl and Zsuzsanna Jakabos in lanes 4 and 5.

Ukraine’s Mykhailo Romanchuk comes in as the top seed for the men’s 800 free final. Romanchuk just missed the podium in the event two years ago finishing 4th but notably won bronze in the event at the 2022 World Championships. Next to Romanchuk will be Hungary’s Zalan Sarkany who swam a personal best by five seconds in prelims.

After a dramatic end to last night with the mixed medley relay, the women’s 4×100 free relay will look to be slightly more mellow tonight. Hungary posted the top time of the morning by over a second.