2019 Budapest Open
- June 26-29, 2019
- Budapest, Hungary
- Danube Arena
- Meet Central
- Day 1 Finals Results
The 2019 Budapest Open kicked off Wednesday at the Danube Arena, the site of the 2017 FINA World Championships.
In addition to Hungarian swimmers, there are plenty of international athletes competing, with Turkey, Slovakia, Greece, Serbia and Estonia among the nations being represented.
The top swim of day one came from Serbian Caba Siladi, who won the men’s 100 breast in a time of 59.96. Siladi set the Serbian National Record back in March at the Hungarian Championships in Debrecen, going 59.40 which currently ranks him 13th in the world.
Estonian Martin Allikvee was the runner-up in 1:00.47, lowering the 10-year-old National Record previously held by Martti Aljand at 1:00.56. Allikvee came into the meet with a best time of 1:01.35, and had brought that down to 1:01.31 in the heats before dropping almost a second in the final.
Another familiar name in action was Hungarian veteran Krisztian Takacs, who won the men’s 50 free in a time of 22.65 over Turkey’s Yalim Acimis and Estonia’s Daniel Zaitsev, who tied for silver in 22.73.
The 33-year-old Takacs has competed at the last four Olympics and is the Hungarian National Record holder in the 50 free with his 21.42 from the 2009 World Championships.
OTHER EVENTS
- Hungary’s Luca Vas won the women’s 800 freestyle in a time of 8:57.79. Vas set a personal best time in the opening 800 of her 1500 free at the 2018 Hungarian Championships, splitting 8:51.24 en route to a third-place finish.
- Another Hungarian Sara Safranko picked up a win in the women’s 50 free, clocking 26.25 to edge out Turkey’s Selen Ozbilen (26.27).
- It was a Turkish 1-2 in the men’s 100 back, with Metin Aydin claiming the win in 56.10 and Berk Ozkul (56.78) taking second.
- Katalin Burian, who was a finalist last summer in the women’s 100 back at the European Championships, won that event in a time of 1:01.43.
- Mark Tekauer of Hungary used a 30.52 final 50 to run down Stefanos Dimitriadis of Greece and win the men’s 200 fly in 1:59.44. Dimitriadis was just over two-tenths back in 1:59.66.
- Eszter Laban won the women’s 200 fly in 2:14.37. Laban set her best time at last year’s Hungarian Junior Championships, where she placed fourth in 2:13.23.
- Maria Romanjuk of Estonia was the victor in the women’s 100 breast, producing a time of 1:09.73 to fall less than a second off her PB from the 2017 World Championships (1:08.81).
- Zoltan Tabi won the men’s 1500 free in a time of 15:37.25, lowering his previous best of 15:44.43 from the Hungarian Championships in March.