Euro Jrs Day 2: Kolesnikov Settles For Tie, Kesely Continues Streak

2018 LEN EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Mäkelänrinne Swimming Centre, Helsinki, Finland
• Wednesday, July 4th – Sunday, July 8th (swimming)
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Hungary’s teen phenom Ajna Kesely continued her siege on the women’s events, racking up the 400m victory in a new championship record-setting effort. Leading the pack wire-to-wire, Kesely charged into the wall in a time of 4:05.89 for gold, crushing her own CR mark o 4:08.10 from 2016.

Kesely’s outing this evening is just .28 off of her own impressive personal best and European Junior Record of 4:05.61 set just this past March. That time remains as the 9th fastest performance in the world thus far this season. For Kesely, tonight’s 400m win is added to her 400m IM and 800m free victories from night 1.

Behind Kesely was Germany’s Isabel Marie Gose, who was just over a second off of her personal best tonight in a silver medal-garnering time of 4:11.01. Austria’s Marlene Kahler rounded out the top 3 in 4:12.54.

Russian young gun Kliment Kolesnikov was also in action this evening, racing in the men’s 100m backstroke, an event in which he holds the World Junior Record. Although Kolesnikov opened in a solid 25.67, but Romania’s Daniel-Cristian Martin fired off an opening 50m of 25.47 to get out in front early.

Kolsesnikov made up ground on the back half, closing in 27.85, the damage was done and the pair wound up tieing for gold, with both the Russian and Martin touching in 53.52 to share the top of the podium.  Both men now register as the Championship Record holders, beating out Kolesnikov’s 53.65 mark from 2016, although they were both well off his European and World Junior standard of 52.97 set in April of this year.

Snagging his first elite international medal in 3rd was Great Britain’s Nicholas Pyle, one of our ‘ones to watch’ at this meet. Entering these championships Pyle held a personal best 100m back of 54.95, a time that earned him the 16-year-old NAG. He dropped .26 off of that PB to notch a bronze medal-winning time of 54.59. He’s now the 13th fastest British swimmer of all-time (both junior & senior included).

Of note, Hungarian fly ace Kristof Milak proved his versatility once again, touching in 54.70 for 4th place tonight in this 100m back sprint.

Britain took another medal in the following event final, the women’s 200m butterfly. Hungary’s Blanka Berecz was crowned the European Junior champion with her time of 2:10.06, but another 16-year-old in the form of Britain’s Ciara Schlosshan wasn’t too far behind in 2:11.18 for silver. Hungary’s Dora Hathazi nabbed bronze in 2:11.54.

For Berecz, tonight’s effort checks-in as the teen’s 2nd fastest performance ever, sitting only behind the 2:09.87 logged at the Mare Nostrum Canet this year. Schlosshan has also been faster, holding a personal best of 2:10.48.

Freya Anderson, semifinalist at last year’s Senior World Championships and gold medalist at the World Junior Championships, took the women’s 100m freestyle tonight in a solid 54.65 to give Britain the gold-silver-bronze individual trifecta on night 2.

Although Turkey’s Selen Ozbilen took out the race the fastest of the top 3 finishers in 26.81, Anderson’s 27.21 opener proved just right for her to close in 27.44 and notch a winning effort of 54.65. Russia’s Elizaveta Klevanovich slid into 2nd place with a time of 55.31, while Ozbilen faded to bronze with a final time of 55.69.

For Anderson, her personal best of 53.88 from Indianapolis last year sits as the 3rd fastest performance by a British woman ever. She’ll be competing at the Senior European Championships later this summer, so look for the Ellesmere Titan to drop this time to compete against the senior field in Glasgow.

The men’s 200m breaststroke was slightly underwhelming on the whole, with the competitive field miles away from Anton Chupkov’s championship record. Nevertheless, Aleksandr Zhigalov kept the Russian winning history alive, taking gold in 2:12.47. Next was Poland’s Jan Kalusowski who touched in 2:13.45, while Netherlands’ Caspar Corbeau drew bronze in 2:14.13.

Russia immediately won the next race as well, with Anastasia Avdeeva nailing a time of 2:09.56 for 200m back gold. She was the only racer under the 2:10 barrier, as Hungary’s Laura Ilyes finished next in 2:10.67. Moldova’s Tatiana Salcutan snatched up bronze in 2:11.37.

For Avdeeva, the teen improved upon her silver medal finish from this same championships last year, where she took 2nd in 2:09.91. She’s been as fast as 2:09.25 at Russian nation’s this Spring, so tonight’s effort fell just .31 shy of that.

Last year’s 1500m freestyle silver medalist was able to improve his 15:09.24 2017 mark to a new level tonight, as Hungary’s Akos Kalmar took gold in 15:04.91, a new championship record. His outing overtook the ancient 2005 CR of 15:06.04 set by Poland’s Mateusz Sawrymovicz.

Denmark got on the board this evening, courtesy of Alexander Noergaard‘s silver . Clocking 15:10.88, Noergaard held off Italian Johannes Calloni, who touched in 15:22.47 for 3rd this evening.

To finish the evening, Russia made it 3-for-3 in terms of relay medals thus far at these championships. After already clinching the men’s and women’s 4x100m freesetyle golds yesterday, the combined squad of Kliment Kolesnikov, Andrei Minakov, Polina Nevmovenko and Elizaveta Klevanovich collectively clocked a winning mixed 4x100m free time of 3:28.74.

The splits of 49.06 for Kolesnikov, 48.94 for Minakov, 56.23 for Nevmovenko and 54.51 for Klevanovich proved enough hold off Germany, whose squad touched just .23 later in a mark of 3:28.97. The male relay members of Peter Varjasi and Rafael Miroslaw clocked respective splits of 49.45 and 49.16 for Germany, while both women, Isabel Marie Gose and Maya Tobehn earned solid 55.18 splits.

Hungary’s team finished 3rd in 3:30.91, with Kesely anchoring in 55.16.

In Semi-Final Action:

• Israel’s Tomer Frankel led a pack of 6 men who logged 100m freestyle semi-final swims under the 50-second threshold. Frankel earned a top seed of 49.28, while Italy’s Devid Zorzetto was the next in line with a time of 49.55. Russia’s Andrei Minakov is in the mix with his time of 49.57, as are Poland’s Jakub Kraska (49.64) and Germany’s Peter Varjasi (49.79). Russia’s Daiil Markov also slid under the 50-second barrier in a mark of 49.98.
• Russia’s Maksim Stupin leads the men’s 200m IM charge in a semi-final time of 2:00.42, but British defending European Champion Tom Dean is lurking as the 2nd seed in a comfortable 2:01.72, already less than a second off of the 2:01.02 it took him to win this in Netanya last year.
• Doubling up on his 100m back tonight, Hungary’s Milak stayed in the shadows in the men’s 200m fly semi-final. He logged the 3rd fastest time of the evening in 1:58.65 and, with his WJR sitting at 1:52.71, we know of what this young stud is capable. Ukraine’s Denys Kesil will head into tomorrow night’s final as the top seeded swimmer, however, holding a time of 1:57.94.
• Russia’s Alena Chekhovskikh is the top seed in the women’s 200m breaststroke, earning a time of 2:26.79 in tonight’s semi-final.