2016 European Championships: Day Five Finals Live Recap

2016 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 5

• 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

MEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – FINAL

1. Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) – 7:42.33 (CR)
2. Gabriele Detti (ITA) – 7:43.52
3. Mykhaylo Romanchuk (UKR) – 7:47.99 (NR)

1500 freestyle champion Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy won his second gold of the taking the men’s 800 freestyle in a time of 7:42.33. Paltrinieri, who swam the second fastest 1500 freestyle in history only a few days ago, set a new European Championship record breaking his own mark of 7:44.98, which he set in 2014.

The time was off his lifetime best of 7:40.81, which he recorded last year at the World Championships where he finished second to Sun Yang.

Paltrinieri’s teammate Gabriele Detti took the silver in a time of 7:43.52. Detti was also off his best of 7:42.74, which he recorded at the Italian National Championships in 2014. Both men were well under their season’s bests placing them first and second in the world.

The podium finishes from the 1500 freestyle repeated themselves as Ukrainian Mykhaylo Romanchuk finished third in a time of 7:47.99. Romanchuk broke the Ukrainian national record of 7:51.83, a record he set yesterday in the prelims of the event.

WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – SEMI-FINAL

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Femke Heemskerk (NED) – 1:56.68
2. Federica Pellegrini (ITA) – 1:56.73
3. Charlotte Bonnet (FRA) – 1:57.64
4. Melanie Costa (ESP) – 1:58.10
5. Evelyn Verraszto (HUN) – 1:58.66
6. Nina Rangelova (BUL) – 1:58.68
7. Ajna Kesely (HUN) – 1:58.69
8. Patricia Castro (ESP) – 1:58.83

Femke Heemskerk of the Netherlands was the top qualifier in the women’s 200 freestyle winning the second of the two semi-finals in a time of 1:56.68. 2015 World Championship silver medalist Federica Pellegrini of Italy won the first semi-final in a time of 1:56.73.

Both women were off their season’s bests. Heemskerk recorded a 1:55.85 in April while Pellegrini put up a 1:55.30 at the Italian National Championships.

Charlotte Bonnet of France was the third fastest qualifier hitting the wall in a time of 1:57.64.

MEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – SEMI-FINAL

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Laszlo Cseh (HUN) – 51.64
2. Konrad Czerniak (POL) – 51.90
3. Mehdy Metella (FRA) – 52.00
4. Pawel Korzeniowski (POL) – 52.11
5. Piero Codia (ITA) – 52.16
6. Matteo Rivolta (ITA) – 52.33
7. Lyubomyr Lemeshko (UKR) – 52.38
8. Viktor Bromer (DEN) – 52.43

Hungarian Laszlo Cseh put himself in the prime position to win his second gold and third medal of the competition winning the second semi-final of the men’s 100 butterfly in a time of 51.64. Cseh, who won the 200 IM and finished second in the 50 butterfly earlier in the competition, was off his season’s best of 51.40, which he put up in January.

Konrad Czerniak, who currently ranks third in the world in the event, recorded the second fastest qualifying time hitting the wall in a time of 51.90. Frenchman Mehdy Metella finished with the next fastest time of 52.00.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

1. Rikke Moeller Pedersen (DEN) – 2:21.69
2. Jessica Vall (ESP) – 2:22.56 (NR)
3. Hrafnhildu Luthersdottir (ISL) – 2:22.96 (NR)

Danish star Rikke Moeller Pedersen defended her European Championship title in the women’s 200 breaststroke taking the event in a time of 2:21.69. Pedersen, who finished third in this event in Kazan, has struggled over the last two years to return to the form she showed at the 2013 World Championships where she recorded her lifetime best of 2:19.11.

Her time from this evening in London places her fourth in the world rankings.

Pedersen was the only woman on the podium that did not set a new national record. Jessica Vall finished second in a time of 2:22.56 brearking her own Spanish record of 2:22.56, which she set last year at the World Championships in Kazan.

Hrafnhildu Luthersdottir, who was the first swimmer from Iceland to win a European Championship (LCM) medal, took the bronze in a time of 2:22.96. Luthersdottir broke her own national record of 2:23.06, which she set in Kazan.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINAL

1. Luca Dotto (ITA) – 48.25
2. Sebastiaan Verschuren (NED) – 48.32
3. Clement Mignon (FRA) – 48.36

Italian Luca Dotto took the men’s 100 freestyle in a time of 48.25. Dotto, who currently ranks second in the world (tied with Zetao Ning) set a new national record of 47.96 last month at the Italian Championships. His swim in April was a huge breakthrough as his lifetime best was 48.24, which he posted at the 2011 World Championships.

Sebastiaan Verschuren of the Netherlands had a strong second 50 meters overtaking Clement Mignon to finish second in a time of 48.32. Verschuren, was well off his lifetime best of 47.88, which he posted at the 2012 Olympics, but beat his season’s best of 48.32. Mignon touched in a time of 48.36 off his season’s best of 48.01.

WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – SEMI-FINAL

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Mie Nielsen (DEN) – 27.73
2. Fran Halsall (GBR) – 27.80
3. Georgia Davies (GBR) – 27.91
4. Theodora Drakou (GRE) – 28.08
5. Daryna Zevina (UKR) – 28.32
6. Mimosa Jallow (FIN) – 28.34 (NR)
7. Ekaterina Avramova (TUR) – 28.49 (NR)
8. Caroline Pilhatsch (AUT) – 28.51 (NR)

Mie Nielsen of Denmark was the top qualifier in the women’s 50 backstroke posting a time of 27.73. Nielsen, who won the women’s 100 backstroke in a new Danish record time of 58.73, was not far off her own national record of 27.63 in the 50.

British teammates Fran Halsall and Georgia Davies had a strong battle in the second semi-final. Halsall finished 11 one-hundredths of a second ahead of Davies touching in a time of 27.80. Davies put up the third fastest qualifying time of 27.91.

There were three national records set in the semi-finals. Mimosa Jallow of Finland broke her own record of 28.38 qualifying for the final in a time of 28.34. Ekaterina Avramova of Turkey broke her own record of 28.64 posting a time of 28.49. Caroline Pilhatsch of Austria broke Fabienne Nadarajah‘s record of 28.72 qualifying for the final in a time of 28.51.

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – SEMI-FINAL

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Danas Rapsys (LTU) – 1:57.35
2. Radoslaw Kawecki (POL) – 1:57.39
3. Apostolos Christou (GRE) – 1:57.41
4. Yakov Yan Toumarkin (ISR) – 1:57.95
5. Christopher Ciccarese (ITA) – 1:58.50
6. Grigory Tarasevich (RUS) – 1:58.55
7. Gabor Balog (HUN) – 1:59.04
8. Luca Mencarini (ITA) – 1:59.05

The top two qualifying times in the men’s 200 backstroke were posted in the first of the two semi-finals. Dana Rapsys of Lithuania was able to hold off defending European Champion Radoslaw Kawecki of Poland who had a very strong final 50 meters. Rapsys hit the wall in a time of 1:57.35 followed by Kawecki who touched in a time of 1:57.39.

Apostolos Christou of Greece won the second semi-final in a time of 1:57.41 qualifying for the final with the third fastest time.

WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

1. Sarah Sjoestroem (SWE) – 55.89 (CR)
2. Jeanette Ottesen (DEN) – 56.83
3. Ilaria Bianchi (ITA) – 57.52

World record holder Sarah Sjoestroem of Sweden won the women’s 100 butterfly in a time of 55.89 breaking her own championship record of 56.12. Sjoestroem set the competition record in the semi-finals beating the pervious record of 56.51 set by Jeanette Ottesen in 2014. The Swede was not far off of her world record of 55.64, which she set at the World Championships in Kazan.

Sjoestroem took the first 50 meters of tonight’s final out two tenths of a second slower than she did in the semi-final, but returned almost half a second faster in the second half of the race.

• World Record (2015) – 26.17/55.64 (29.47)
• European Championships Record (2016 Final) – 26.31/55.89 (29.58)
• European Championships Record (2016 Semi-Final) – 26.11/56.12 (30.01)

Sjoestroem was off her season’s best of 55.68 which she posted at the end of March.

Ottesen finished second in a time of 56.83, which places her third in the world rankings one one-hundredth of a second behind Xinyi Chen of China.

Ilaria Bianchi of Italy had a strong second half overtaking Hungarian Lilianna Szilagyi of Hungarian to capture the bronze. Bianchi finished in a time of 57.52 followed by Szilagyi who hit the wall in a time of 57.54.

MEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – SEMI-FINAL

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Adam Peaty (GBR) – 26.66
2. Ross Murdoch (GBR) – 27.25
3. Peter John Stevens (SLO) – 27.29
4. Damir Dugonjic (SLO) – 27.46
5. Giedrius Titenis (LTU) – 27.48
6. Andrea Toniato (ITA) – 27.53
7. Caba Siladji (SRB) – 27.56
8. Panagiotis Samilidis (GRE) – 27.71

Adam Peaty of Great Britain put up the fastest qualifying time in the men’s 50 breaststroke winning the second semi-final in a time of 26.66. Peaty was only four one-hundredths of a second off his own championship record of 26.62, which he set in 2014.

Peaty’s time is the fourth fastest performance in history. With that time he takes over the top spot in the world rankings displacing South African Cameron van der Burgh.

Peaty’s teammate Ross Murdoch won the first semi-final in a time of 27.25 shaving three one-hundredths of a second off his lifetime best and placing him fifth in the world rankings. Peter John Stevens of Slovenia posted the third fastest qualifying time of 27.29.

MIXED 4 X 100 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL

The Dutch team made up of Sebastiaan Verschuren, Ben Schwietert, Maud van der Meer and Ranomi Kromowidjojo won the mixed 4 x 100 freestyle relay in a time of 3:23.64 breaking the championship record of 3:25.02 set by Italy in 2014.

• Verschuren – 48.64
• Schwietert – 49.03
• van der Meer – 53.70
• Kromowidjojo – 52.27

The Italians finished second in a time of 3:24.55 followed by the French team that posted a 3:25.49.