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
During the men’s 800 free relay final, the Russian men combined for a championship meet record swim of 7:03.48. Martin Malyutin hit 1:45.15 on the lead-off leg, followed by Alexander Shchegolev (1:45.39), Aleksandr Krasnykh (1:46.52), and Mikhail Vekovishchev (1:46.42), clocking 7:03.48 to erase Great Britain’s championship record of 7:05.32 from the 2018 Championships in Glasgow. Placing second was the British team of James Guy (1:45.88), Duncan Scott (1:45.29), Tom Dean (1:46.47), Matthew Richards (1:46.97) at 7:04.61, also under the old meet record.
Old European Championships Record Splits – Great Britain 2018
- Calum Jarvis (1:47.17)
- Duncan Scott (1:45.48)
- Tom Dean (1:47.07)
- James Guy (1:45.60)
Malyutin’s lifetime best lead-off currently ranks No. 5 on the world rankings entering the men’s 200 free event in Budapest.
2020-2021 LCM Men 200 Free
Dean
1:44.22
| 2 | Duncan Scott | GBR | 1:44.26 | 07/27 |
| 3 | Hwang Sunwoo | KOR | 1:44.62 | 07/25 |
| 4 | Katsuo Matsumoto | JPN | 1:44.65 | 04/05 |
| 5 | Fernando Scheffer | BRA | 1:44.66 | 07/27 |
Finishing in 5th place was the Irish relay of Jack McMillan (1:47.46), Finn McGeever (1:47.81), Jordan Sloan (1:48.65), Gerry Quinn (1:48.08), breaking their hours-old Irish national record at 7:12.00. During prelims, McGeever (1:49.60), McMillan (1:46.78), Quinn (1:48.70), and Sloan (1:47.65) combined for a national record of 7:12.73, taking down their 2019 record of 7:13.91.
Leading off the Spanish relay in a Spanish national record was Cesar Castro, hitting 1:47.13 to place 5th after the first exchange. Castro’s lead-off took down his former mark fo 1:47.45 from the 2020 Edinburgh International Meet. The Spaniards took 6th in the final at 7:13.49, two second from their national record of 7:11.39 from the 2015 World Championships.
Originally reported by James Sutherland.
MEN’S 4×200 FREE RELAY FINAL
- European Record: 6:59.15, Russia, 2009
European Championship Record: 7:05.32, Great Britain, 2018
- Russia, 7:03.48
- Great Britain, 7:04.61
- Italy, 7:06.05
The Russians got out to a big lead and never relinquished it in the men’s 4×200 free relay, winning the event for the first time since 2010 in a new Championship Record.
Martin Malyutin set a best time of 1:45.15 on the lead-off leg, and then Alexander Shchegolev (1:45.39), Aleksandr Krasnykh (1:46.52) and Mikhail Vekovishchev (1:46.42) showed no chink in the armor, clocking 7:03.48 to erase Great Britain’s meet record of 7:05.32 set in 2018.
Down by almost three seconds at the halfway mark, James Guy (1:45.88) and Duncan Scott (1:45.29) provided a valiant effort for the Brits in taking silver, inching closer to the Russians but not enough to catch them for gold. GBR finished in 7:04.61, also under the old meet record, with Tom Dean (1:46.47) and Matthew Richards (1:46.97) also on the squad.
The Italians win bronze for a third straight time in 7:06.05, with Marco De Tullio their top split at 1:46.02 swimming third.
France had four 1:46s for fourth in 7:07.24, and the Swiss were disqualified after an early jump from anchor Roman Mityukov, according to the results.
The relay will be interesting in Tokyo. The top teams are very close to each other, so it will only take one good or bad swim by one swimmer to change the whole pattern.
Looks an exciting race! The top 3 are close, the USA aren’t close at all based on PBs atm, but that could, and I suspect will, change come US trials. Four doesn’t go in to three, so some race in prospect.
GB Lost, Don’t make up excuses.
Interestingly, all apart from Krasnykh hit their times from Russian trials pretty bang on. Malyutin a PB by 0.03 leading off (think he can take more off this week), then Vekovishchev was .6 faster than his flat start at trials, Shchegolev .4 faster than his flat start at trials, Krasnykh .6 slower than his flat start at trials. Girev in for Krasnykh or Vekovishchev come Tokyo. A formidable team.
Were they tapered?
Team GB lost. That’s all that matters.
Nobody can know for sure, but it seems quite unlikely. That said, the were bang on their times from Russian trials, apart from Krasnykh, who does tend to be a bit unpredictable, so who knows. I’d guess not tapered, but fairly well rested.
James Guy commented on the finals thread that they are not tapered. If it was really him.
It will be him, he comments on here quite a bit.