Race Video: Meilutyte Rocks 1:06.16 100 Breast Semi In London

2016 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 2

• Monday, May 16th – Sunday, May 22nd
• Prelims: 10:00 AM (London Time) / 5:00 AM (Eastern Time)
• Finals: 6:00 PM (London Time) / 1:00 PM (Eastern Time)
• London Aquatics Center, London, UK
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Stream

As originally reported by Loretta Race:

WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – SEMI-FINAL

Top 8:

1. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) – 1:06.16
2. H. Luthersdottir (ISL) – 1:07.28
3. Martina Carraro (ITA) – 1:07.53
4. Sophie Hansson (SWE) – 1:07.59
5. Chloe Tutton (GBR) – 1:07.69
6. Viktoria Gunes (TUR) – 1:07.81
7. Molly Renshaw (GBR) – 1:07.82
8. Fiona Doyle (IRL) – 1:07.99

Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in this event, is proving to be in a class by herself in this competition, trouncing the field by over a second. 1:06.16 is what the young 19-year old registered tonight to earn the top seed headed into tomorrow’s final, a potential preview of what this dynamic swimmer might accomplish in Rio.

Meilutyte was the only swimmer of both semi-finals to score a 30-point opening 50m (30.80) and brought it home in a 35.36 for her 2nd best time of the year. The Plymouth Leander-trained swimmer was already a 1:05.82 from the Edinburgh International meet in March, but this time would still rank in the world’s top 10. For her efforts, Meilutyte’s 1:06.16 swim (remember, this is just prelims) scored a new Championship Record.

Iceland’s Hrafnhildur Luthersdottir is knocking down the door of a possible best time, coming within half a second of her own career-fastest. Lithersdottir rocked a time of 1:07.28 tonight for the 2nd seed, where her best (and Icelandic National Record) rests at 1:06.87 from Kazan.

Also sneaking into the final are two Brits in the form of rising stars Chloe Tutton and Molly Renshaw, both just 19 years of age. For Renshaw, she just registered a new personal best, dropping beneath the 1:08-threshold for the first time. Ireland’s National Record Holder and 2016 Olympic roster member Fiona Doyle clinched the final slot for tomorrow night’s final.