Tokyo 2020, Europe Day 6: Bulgaria’s First Olympic Swimming Finalist Since 1988

2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games

• When: Pool swimming: Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
  • Open Water swimming: Wednesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 5, 2021
• Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
• Heats: 7 PM / Semifinals & Finals: 10:30 AM (Local time)
• Full aquatics schedule
• SwimSwam Event Previews
• Entry Lists
• Live Results
• Day 6 Finals Live Recap

On day 6 of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Josif Miladinov became Bulgaria’s first Olympic swimming finalist in 33 years.

Their last finalist was in 1988 when Tanya Dangalakova won the 100 breaststroke and placed 4th in the 200 breaststroke. The same year, her Bulgarian teammate Antoaneta Frenkeva won silver in the 100 breaststroke and bronze in the 200 breaststroke.

Miladinov placed 4th in the 100 fly semifinals with a time of 51.06, within .13 of his own Bulgarian National Record from the recent European Championships where he won silver behind Hungary’s Kristof Milak.

Evgeny Rylov of Russia also made history on Friday by winning gold in the 200 backstroke final, completing a sweep of both backstroke events. 

Coming into this Olympics, the American men had won both the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke for the past six Olympic Games. Rylov ended that American gold medal streak in backstroke entirely and set a new Olympic Record of 1:53.27, .04 off his National Record from April.

Israel continued their National Record rampage, breaking their 5th one of the meet in the 4×100 mixed medley relay. Their team of Anastasia Gorbenko, Itay Goldfaden, Gal Cohen Groumi, Andi Murez finished in 8th place with a time of 3:43.94 to qualify for the final.

Quick Hits

• Hungary’s Kristof Milak placed 2nd in the 100 fly semifinals (50.31), within .13 of National Record.
• 16-year-old Evgeniia Chikunova of Russia, finished in 4th place in the 200 breaststroke (2:20.88), within by .04 of the podium after a strong finish.
• Britain’s Luke Greenbank won bronze in the 200 back (1:54.72), about .30 off his National Record from the recent European Championships.
• Femke Heemskerk came within .10 of her Dutch National Record from 2015 to get 6th in the 100 free (52.79). Britain’s Anna Hopkin placed 7th (52.83), .08 off her National Record from earlier in the meet.

Continental and National Records on Day 6

• Israel’s relay of Anastasia Gorbenko, Itay Goldfaden, Gal Cohen Groumi, Andi Murez broke their 4×100 mixed medley relay National Record with a time of 3:43.94 in prelims.
•  Jakub Majerski broke the Polish National Record in prelims to take 3rd place in the 100 fly (50.97).
• Tomoe Hvas shaved  .10 off his own Norwegian record in the prelims of the 100 fly to place 27th (52.22)
• Shane Ryan broke the 3rd European National Record that fell during the 100 fly prelims race. He cracked the Irish Record with a time of 52.52 to claim 37th place. 
•  Nyls Korstanje broke the Dutch Record in the 100 fly (51.54), to place 11th. 
• During the womens’ 200 back prelims race, Tatiana Salcutan took down the Moldovian National Record for 11th place (2:09.98).
• Great Britain’s Kathleen Dawson, Adam Peaty, James Guy, and Freya Anderson broke the European Record in the 4×100 mixed medley relay during prelims (3:38.75)
• Noe Ponti broke his own Swiss National Record by nearly half a second 50.76 for bronze in the 10 fly. His previous record was a 51.24.
• Duncan Scott broke British Record to win silver in the 200 IM with a time of 1:55.28 and a heroic last 50 meters as he chased down the field.
• Jeremy Desplanches broke the Swiss National Record to win bronze in the 200 IM (1:56.17), out touching 4th place finisher Daiya Seto by .05. This was Switzerland’s first medal of the meet so far.

Europe Medals Table After Day 6