2018 LEN European Aquatics Championships
- August 3-9, 2018 (swimming portion)
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Tollcross International Swimming Centre
- Psych Sheet
The psych sheets for the 2018 LEN European Aquatics Championships have dropped.
This is the one year out of every four where there’s no best on best competition during the summer. So while the U.S., Australia, Japan, Canada, and many other countries are peaking for the Pan Pacific Championships, which take place in Tokyo, the Europeans are gearing up for the European Championships in Glasgow, beginning on August 3rd.
On the women’s side, Sarah Sjostrom has entered her traditional 50 free, 100 free, 50 fly and 100 fly. She is the three-time defending champion in both the 100 free and 50 fly, the defending champ in the 100 fly (winning in 2008 and 2010 along with 2016), and will interestingly enough seek her first title in the 50 free. She has one medal in the event, a silver from 2014.
The biggest European star on the men’s side, Adam Peaty, holds down the top seed in both the 50 and 100 breaststroke, the two events in which he holds the world record. The 23-year-old is a perfect 8-for-8 through his first two LC European Championship appearances, winning gold in the 50 breast, 100 breast, mixed 400 medley and men’s 400 medley relays in both 2014 and 2016. He’ll likely see his biggest competition come from Russians Kirill Prigoda and Anton Chupkov next week. Chupkov, the reigning world champ, is the top seed in the 200 breast.
Hungarian Katinka Hosszu has only entered three events: the 100 back, 200 back and 200 IM, dropping the 400 IM. Hosszu is the reigning Olympic, World and European Champion in the event, and also holds the world record.
Slightly off topic, but it covers something people had wondered.
In UK media this week, Adam Peaty spoke about the Commonwealth Games – The reason given for under-performance? He lost muscle mass in order to see how his 50/100 would be effected in preparation for adding the 200 to his repertoire. 200 has now been dropped from plans for now, and probably until after Tokyo.
No Santo Condorelli for Italy?
He’s not eligible to swim for them yet. Has to live there for a year.
Although Mireia Belmonte may be still in the psych sheet, she did renounce to the championships a few days ago due to health problems.
Defending European Champion Boglárka Kapás is not entered in the 1500 m. She has opted for the 200 fly instead.
She gave up an all but certain medal for the butterfly, I just hope it will pay off for her.
That 4×200 mixed free relay is gonna be insane