Not A Fluke: Pilato Swims #2 Performance In 50 Breast History To Win Gold

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
• Event Site
• Entry List
• Live Results
• Live Stream

16-year-old Benedetta Pilato of Italy broke the women’s long course 50 breaststroke World Record in last night’s semi-finals of these European Championships. The teen fired off a monster mark of 29.30, shaving .10 off Lilly King‘s former record of 29.40 to establish the World Junior, European, European Junior, Italian, and European Championships records in the process.

In tonight’s final of the event, Pilato proved last night’s effort was anything but a fluke, as the teen busted out a near-identical mark of 29.35. Her result represented the only sub-30 second time of the field, with Finland’s Ida Hulkko reaping silver in 30.19 while Russia’s Yuliya Efimova claimed bronze in 30.22.

Behind Pilato, Hulkko notched a national record of her own, with the Florida State Seminole’s 30.19 overtaking her own previous Finnish standard of 30.33 from June of last year. That doubled up on the gold medal Finnish teammate Ari Pekka Liukkonen reaped just the previous event of the men’s 50m freestyle.

Going back to Pilato, she now owns the top 2 times ever in this women’s 50m breast and 3 of the top 5 performances all-time.

All-Time Women’s Long Course 50 Breasktroke Performances

1. Benedetta Pilato – 29.30 (2021)
2. Benedetta Pilato – 29.35 (2021)
3. Lilly King – 29.40 (2017)
4. Ruta Meilutyte – 29.48 (2013)
5. Benedetta Pilato – 29.50 (2021)
6. Yuliya Efimova – 29.52 (2013)
7. Yuliya Efimova – 29.57 (2017)
8. Ruta Meilutyte – 29.59 (2013)
9. Lilly King – 29.60 (2017)
10. Benedetta Pilato – 29.61 (2020)

Pilato raced the 50 breaststroke for Italy at the 2019 World Championships, earning a silver medal to Lilly King‘s 29.84 with a 30.00. While she now sits in the top spot in history in the world, she won’t race the event in Tokyo as the stroke 50s are not Olympic events. She will, however, represent Italy at the 2021 Olympics in the 100 breaststroke.