2022 EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, July 5th – Sunday, July 10th
- Otopeni Olympic Swimming Complex, Bucharest, Romania
- LCM (50m)
- Start Times
- Prelims: 10 a.m. local / 3 a.m. ET
- Finals: 5 p.m. local / 10 a.m. ET
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During the day 1 finals session of the 2022 European Junior Championships, 17-year-old Roos Vanotterdijk set a new Belgian National Record in the women’s 50 backstroke, posting a time of 28.50 in the semi-finals of the event.
The previous National Record in the event stood at a 28.66 that was posted by Jade Smits in February 2021 at the Flemish Qualification Meet.
With her swim, Vanotterdijk chopped .48 off of her best time of 28.98, which was just set in April of this year.Over the past 3 seasons, Vanotterdijk has seen a sharp improvement in her times in this event, dropping almost 3 seconds since 2019, even with the pandemic limiting her racing from 2020-2021.
Vanotterdijk’s 50 Backstroke Time Progression
- April 2019 – 31.37
- February 2020 – 29.26
- February 2020 – 29.24
- April 2022 – 28.98
- July 2022 – 28.50
Vanotterdijk placed 2nd in the first of the two semi-final heats, behind Hungarian Lora Komoroczy’s winning time of 28.41. Both swimmers will compete in the final alongside top qualifier Mary-Ambre Moluh, who is the heavy favorite to win the event after breaking the Championship Record with a time of 27.75 this morning.
Vanotterdijk will also contest the 100 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, and 100 butterfly throughout the remainder of the meet. Her best time in the 100 backstroke stands at a 1:01.59, which ranks her 3rd entering the meet. Given Vanotterdijk’s improvement in the 50 backstroke, it is likely that she’ll be in a strong position to challenge that time. She’ll also have a chance to break the Belgian record in that event, which currently stands at a 1:01.13 that Kimberly Buys posted at the 2013 Belgian National Championship.
Originally Reported by Annika Johnson
GIRLS’ 50 BACKSTROKE – SEMIFINAL
- World Junior Record: 27.49 – Minna Atherton, AUS (2016)
- European Junior Record: 27.51 – Daria Vaskina, RUS (2019)
- European Junior Championship Record: 27.82 – Daria Vaskina, RUS (2019)
- 2021 European Junior Champion: Carmen Weiler Sastre (ESP) – 28.42
- Mary-Ambre Moluh (FRA) – 27.75
- Lora Komoroczy (HUN) – 28.41
- Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL) – 28.50
- Anna aria Boerstler (GER) – 28.69
- Sara Curtis (ITA) – 28.98
- Nika Sharafutdinova (UKR) – 29.00
- Laura Bernat (POL) – 29.08
- Rebecca-Aimee Diaconescu (ROU) – 29.34
France’s Mary-Ambre Moluh shaved .07 off the championship record set by Russia’s Daria Vaskina in 2019 to earn the top finals spot. Moluh has had an incredible summer season already, becoming the youngest French woman under the 1-minute mark in the 100 back in April. Her best 50 back time still stands at 27.00 so watch out for what she may do in the final tomorrow night.
Roos Vanotterdijk cracked the Belgian National record to claim the third spot in the semifinal. She took .48 off her lifetime best time from April. Lora Komoroczy nearly tied her best time from the Hungarian Championships in April where she swam a 28.40.