2016 European Championships: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2016 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 4

• 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

WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• Boglarka Kapas (HUN) – 8:21.40
• Jazmin Carlin (GBR) – 8:23.52
• Tjasa Oder (SLO) – 8:25.68

Hungary kicked off the night with a win by Boglarka Kapas in the women’s 800m freestyle. After clocking the swiftest time in prelims, a 8:27.75 to lead the field by just under 2 seconds, the 2012 European Champion in this event fired off a 8:21.40 to capture gold comfortably ahead of the field.

For 23-year old Kapas, tonight marks just the 2nd time she’s dipped under the 8:22-threshold, with the other occasion being her 8:21.21 at the 2013 World Championships shere she finished just off the podium in 4th. For her efforts tonight, Kapas checks in as the 3rd fastest swimmer in the world this season, tied with Canada’s Brittany McLean.

At one point less than a second away from the leader, British National Champion Jazmin Carlin just couldn’t match pace with Kapas and wound up on the podium with silver tonight. The defending European Champion scored a time of 8:23.52, good enough for 6th in the world, and well ahead of the disappointing 8:27.49 she swam at the British Olympic Trials.

Bronze tonight went to Slovenia’s Tjasa Oder, who was able to overcome Spain’s Maria Vilas to land on the podium. Oder obliterated her previous best, which was the 8:31.09 she earned at the 2014 edition of this same meet. She finished 8th in that field, but improved to a hardware-capturing position tonight with the world’s 10th fastest time.

Of note, Dutch swimmer Sharon von Rouwendaal finished in 8th place in a time of 8:35.76, improving just under a second from her prelim time. Von Rouwendaal has reportedly been battling a shoulder injury for the better part of the year, so it appears she wasn’t at 100% tonight in London.

WOMEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 2:07.30, *Championship Record
• Siobhan-Marie O’Connor (GBR) – 2:09.03
• Hannah Miley (GBR) – 2:11.84

Breaking championship records and taking names is the self-proclaimed ‘Iron Lady’ of Hungary, Katinka Hosszu. Seemingly unbeatable in this sprint IM event, Hosszu followed up her World Record-setting performance from Kazan with another major international title her in London, topping the field in a time of 2:07.30.

Hosszu’s time tonight now sits as the 6th-fastest outing ever, so the 27-year old now owns 4 of the top 10 performances of all time in this event. Her season-best entering tonight was the 2:07.69 she threw down in Marseille last March, but she topped that tonight to further distance herself from the rest of the world heading into Rio. Hosszu nabbed a new championship record to boot with her incredible swim this evening.

Runner-up tonight was Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, the reigning British National Champion in this event and the athlete who earned bronze behind Hosszu and Japan’s Kanako Watanabe in this event at last year’s FINA World Championships. O’Connor nabbed her first individual European Championships medal by touching in 2:09.03, now the world’s 2nd-fastest time in the rankings not belonging to Hosszu. Tonight represents O’Connor’s 5th-fastest time of her career.

The 2016 European Championships silver medalist behind Hosszu in the 400m IM, GBR’s Hannah Miley, got onto the podium once again, claiming bronze in this shorter event in a time of 2:11.84.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – SEMI-FINAL

Top 8:

1. Luca Dotto (ITA) – 48.36
2. Clement Mignon (FRA) – 48.59
3. Velimir Stjepanovic (SRB) – 48.62
4. Sebastiaan Verschuren (NED) – 48.65
5. Pieter Timmers (BEL) – 48.76
6. Glenn Surgeloose (BEL) – 48.83
7. Jeremy Stravius (FRA) – 48.86
8. Andrey Grechin (RUS) – 48.87

As with the prelims, all top 8 men are under the 49-second mark, this time with just about a half second separating each. Improving on his 48.68 morning swim, Italy’s Luca Dotto, who leads a tightly-packed field with a semi outing of 48.36. France’s Celemtn Mignon dropped one spot to flank Dotto in tomorrow night’s final, touching in 48.59 to add .19 of a second to his morning time.

Two Belgians are still in the hunt, sitting in the 5th and 6th placed positions. Pieter Timmers registered a time of 48.76, but kicked off his competition with a mighty 47.37 split on his nation’s 4×100 freestyle relay on night 1, so he may have some fuel left for a stand-out final swim. Teammate Glenn Surgeloose added a couple of tenths to his morning swim, but still notched a solid 48.83 to stay in the mix.

None of the 3 medalists from the 2014 edition of the meet are in this event, so a fresh new set of athletes will don the podium tomorrow night.

WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – SEMI-FINAL

Top 8:

1. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 56.12, *Championship Record
2. Jeanette Ottesen (DEN) – 57.38
3. Ilaria Bianchi (ITA) – 57.47
4. Liliana Szilagyi (HUN) – 57.83
5. Anna Ntountounaki (GRE) – 58.58
6. Kimberly Buys (BEL) – 58.71 (tied)
7. Lucie Svecena (CZE) – 58.71 (tied)
8. Judit Ignacio (ESP) – 58.73

Just as Hosszu’s performance in the IM event is further separating her from the rest of the international field headed into Rio, so it is with Swedish sprinting phenom Sarah Sjostrom and this 100m butterfly event. Holding the World Record with the 55.64 she scored while winning the World Championship title last year, Sjostrom knocked down a time of 56.12 tonight in the semi-final to score a new championship record.

With an impressive a span of times to her credit, it’s saying something that tonight’s outing, supposedly performed untapered, ranks as the 22-year old’s 6th fastest time ever. In fact, on the list of all-time performances, her time tonight of 56.12 checks in at #8.

Along with her 55.68 from the Swedish Open earlier this year, Sjostrom easily holds the top 2 times in the event thus far this season and remains the only female to venture into sub-56-second territory so far this year.

It’s certainly not all said and done, however, when you have defending European Champion Jeanette Ottesen still ready to pounce. Nabbing the 2nd seed in 57.38, Ottesen won this event in 56.51 in 2014. It’s certainly feasible for the Dane to step up and challenge Sjostrom, but with a lifetime best of that 56.51, she’ll need the swim of her life to do so.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• Ross Murdoch (GBR) – 2:08.33
• Marco Koch (GER) – 2:08.40
• Luca Pizzini (ITA) – 2:10.39

Swimming the 3rd best time of his career, British breaststroking star Ross Murdoch pulled the mild upset and snatched the 200m breaststroke European Championship title out from under reigning World Champion, German Marco Koch.  The two made a role reversal of the 2014 version of this meet, where Koch took the title ahead of Murdoch.

Murdoch’s season-best entering this competition was the 2:09.16 he registered at the British Olympic Trials, a time which rendered him in 3rd and out of the event on GBR’s Olympic roster. He’s slated to swim the 100m event, but with the University of Stirling student-athlete’s performance in the longer race tonight, he is now the 4th-fastest swimmer in the world.

Koch swam a solid race, bringing his final 50 home in a 32.50 to Murdoch’s 33.21. Koch already owns the world’s fastest time this season with the 2:07.69 from the Luxembourg Euro meet and is widely regarded as the man to beat in Rio.

Italy nabbed the bronze tonight with Luca Pizzini‘s time of 2:10.39 .

WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• Mie Nielsen (DEN) – 58.73
• Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 58.94
• Kathleen Dawson (GBR) – 59.68

In yet another Championship Record-breaking performance, our 3rd of the night, Danish European Champion Mie Nielsen successfully defended her title in the women’s 100m backstroke. Firing off a 58.73, Nielsen just threw down the swiftest time of her career, beating the 58.86 she swam in Kazan last summer for bronze at the FINA World Championships.

Nielsen’s outing tonight overtook her own meet record she set just in semi-finals, which was 59.16, at the time marked a tie with her season-best from the Edinburgh International. The 19-year old now holds the 2nd-quickest time in the world, sitting only behind World Champion Emily Seebohm of Australia.

With a remarkable time of 58.94, especially in light of her tough double of the 200m IM and now this event, Hungarian Katinka Hosszu got the job done for silver in a time of 58.94. She, Nielsen and Seebohm now represent the only 3 swimmers to have dipped into sub-59-second territory headed into Rio with the U.S. Olympic Trials still yet to come.

Great Britain’s break-out teenager, Kathleen Dawson, lowered her own Scottish Record which she just set yesterday in semi-finals. After already setting a new record yesterday morning in 1:00.60, Dawson became the first Scottish female swimmer to break a minute in semi’s (59.83), only to lower the mark even further to notch an impressive 59.68 in this final tonight in front of a British home crowd.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• Laszlo Cseh (HUN) – 1:52.91, *Championship Record
• Viktor Bromer (DEN) – 1:55.35
• Tamas Kenderesi (HUN) – 1:55.39

Hungary is having quite the night, as the nation reaps yet another European Championship title. Breaking the 4th championship record of this finals session was Laszlo Cseh, the reigning World Champion and now age-defying master of the 200m butterfly event.

After scorching a 1:54.29 last night in semi’s, Cseh proved once again that old-man speed never goes out of style, as the 31-year old rocked a monster 1:52.91 to win the event tonight by well over 2 seconds. His performance crushed the 1:53.48 he registered for the win in Kazan last summer and now placed him well ahead of the rest of the world in the overall rankings this season.

For perspective, Cseh’s 1:52.91 tonight even surpassed the magical mark of 1:52.94 thrown down by none other than his nemesis in this event, American Michael Phelps, at last year’s U.S. National Championships. As such, Cseh’s time checks in as the 7th-fastest performance of all time, as well as makes Cseh just the 2nd swimmer to score a 1:52-point time more than once.

Not to be forgotten, however, is Danish swimmer Viktor Bromer, who followed up his gold in 2014 with a silver tonight in 1:55.35, followed closely by Cseh’s teammate, Tamas Kenderesi, who touched in 1:55.39 to add more hardware to the Hungarian pile.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – SEMI-FINAL

Top 8:

1. Chloe Tutton (GBR) – 2:23.76
2. Viktoria Gunes (TUR) – 2:23.94
3. Rikke Pedersen (DEN) – 2:24.10
4. H. Luthersdottir (ISL) – 2:24.11
5. Jessica Vall (ESP) – 2:24.56
6. Molly Renshaw (GBR) – 2:24.85
7. Jenna Laukkanen (FIN) – 2:25.47
8. Martina Moravcikova (CZE) – 2:25.78

The top 2 swimmers in Britain’s Chloe Tutton and Turkey’s Viktoria Gunes hold the only 2:23-range times, with the former claiming the top seed in 2:23.76 to the latter’s 2:23.94. Both swimmers have Denmark’s defending European Champion, Rikke Pedersen, breathing down their necks, making the final one to watch tomorrow night.

Iceland’s silver medalist in the 100m breaststroke earlier this meet, Hrafnhildur Luthersdottir, is still fighting for a spot on the podium in this event as well, however, resting in the 4th seed just .01 of a second away from Pedersen.

Tonight marks just the 2nd time that Tutton has dipped beneath the 2:25 threshold in this event. She’s been on a roll ever since she scorched the 200m breaststroke British Record in 2:22.34 at British Olympic Trials. Tutton looks primed to head into that time territory once again tomorrow night.

MEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• Camille Lacourt (FRA) – 24.77
• Richard Bohus (HUN)  – 24.82
• Grigory Tarasevich (RUS) – 24.86

Dropping .02 of a second off his semi time, Frenchman Camille Lacourt  successfully held on to the lead in this whirlwind of a sprint event, earning the 50m backstroke title in 24.77. Lacourt earned the 100m backstroke win earlier in the meet, so he’s now added another gold to his 2016 collection.

Hungary continues to have a stellar showing on night 4, with Richard Bohus busting out a 24.82 for his first ever under-25 mark for silver. Then, Russia’s Grigory Tarasevich notched 24.86 for bronze in this non-Olympic event to add to his silver from the 100m race.

WOMEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL

• Hungary – 7:51.63
• Spain – 7:53.38
• Netherlands – 7:53.63

Hungary topped off its unbelievable night with a 4th gold in the form of its women’s 800m freestyle relay. The combination of Zsuzsanna Jakabos (1:58.60), Evelyn Verraszto (1:58.16), Bolarka Kapas (1:58.22) and Katinka Hosszu (1:56.65) collectively earned a time of 7:51.63 to top a stellar field, which included Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom and Spain’s Mireia Belmonte. That is quite an anchor by the Iron Lady in the light of the fact she’d already raced the 200m IM and 100m back finals tonight.

In her meet debut, Belmonte added a split of 1:57.85 to anchor Spain to a silver medal, the nation’s first ever European Championships medal in this event.

The fastest split on the Dutch women’s bronze medal-winning relay came in the form of Femke Heemskerk‘s anchor of 1:55.16.

Although not on the podium, Sweden’s Sjostrom, rocked a new Championship Record as her squad’s lead-off, cranking out a 1:55.16.