2018 LEN EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Mäkelänrinne Swimming Centre, Helsinki, Finland
- Wednesday, July 4th – Sunday, July 8th (swimming)
- LCM
- Meet Site
- Entry List
- SwimSwam Meet Preview
- Live Stream
- Live Results
In yesterday’s finals, Hungary’s Kristof Milak proved once again that he is one of the fastest butterfly swimmers at the moment. He stands on the top of the 2018 FINA World Ranking in the 200m fly and won the event on the European Junior level with a time of 1:53,91. Milak’s teammate Ajna Kesely took the win in the women’s 1500m freestyle on Friday evening. That victory pushes her medal count up to four gold medals.
Freya Anderson took the top seed in Saturday’s preliminary session in the 50m freestyle. She was clocked at 25,59. The 17-year old posted her personal-best time in 2017 with a time of 25,44. She previously won the 100m freestyle on day 2 of this meet.
Kliment Kolesnikov finished close to his own European Junior Championship record (24,94) in the men’s 50m backstroke. Kolesnikov led the field into the semifinal in 24,98. The Russian already won the double distance, he was tied with Daniel-Cristian Martin. Tonight’s finals session will challenge the 17-year old with the semifinal and final of the 50m backstroke, the final of the 200m back and the semifinal of the 100m fly. On Monday, Kolesniko will face another challenge: Legal age with celebrating his 18th birthday.
Three men dipped under 1:50 in the 200m freestyle: Thomas Dean (GBR, 1:48,87, Jack McMillan (IRL, 1:49,57) and Michail Bocharnikov (RUS, 1:49,69). The Championship Record is held by France’s Yannick Agnel with a time of 1:46,58. Agnel, who retired from competitive swimming in 2016, set the record in 2010, he won the Olympic gold medal in the 200m free two years later in London.
Russia’s Anastasiia Sorokina cruised to the fastest time in the 200m IM (2:15,52). She turned 14 on June, 10th. Her previous best time stood at 2:16,53. Also Ajny Kesely started in this event, she finished fourth after prelims in 2:16,85 (personal-best 2:15,93).
OTHER PRELIMS RESULTS
- Jakub Majerski (POL) came in first in the men’s 100m butterfly with a new lifetime-best of 52,62, his first career result under 53 seconds.
- Anastasia Andeeva (RUS) posted the top time in the women’s 100m backstroke in 1:01,40.
- Great Britain’s Katie Robertson made it with the fastest time into tonight’s 100m breaststroke semi-final (1:08,89).
- On the men’s side, it was Vladislav Gerasimenko who took the top seed with a time of 1:02,45.
- The quartet of Great Britain set the fastest time in the 4x100m mixed medley relay. They touched the wall in 3:52,85 ahead of Russia and Hungary.
Off topic, but important in the global relay picture. Tom Dean 1.47.64 in 200 free Semi Finals. His PB this morning was 1.50.35.
I warned he was a star in waiting pre-meet, but the way he has developed his freestyle in the past 12 months is insane. He is going to be a big name by 2020.
True. This year he’s 18th in Europe 5th in GB with only 0.01 from the 4th.
(Perhaps Milak will scratch the 200 free final in order to win 100 fly.)
Another off topic, Gorbenko’s PB from this year was 2:15.67 and she swam 2:13.88 in 200 IM Semis.
Tom is interesting. Until last year, he hadn’t swam a 200 free since he was 12 (in 2013) – Since then, he has swam 8 (yep – eight) 200 freestyles, include today’s heat and semi, taking his PB from 1.54 to 1.47 in the process. He has heaps of improvement in him yet too.
I noticed Gorbenko; Her breakthrough is well timed for Israel after Polonskoy, the favourite for gold pre-meet, seemingly WAY off her best missing the final for them. Israel may have been looking at two IM medals.
I found only 6 🙂 Let’s wait what he can do in 400 IM. 200 free final will be 20 minutes after his IM final. I think the Hungarian team is thinking about this, too. BTW the 100 fly final will be 10 minutes after 200 free and Minakov is free till then. We’ll see.
We (Kesely, 200 free) dropped a gold medal because of that … 200 IM and she simply can’t win it. Especially on the last day. Till today evening she’s swum 5100 m.
Agree, that 200 IM was a gross mistake. I hope our incompetent national coach won’t force her to swim other than 400 free and 4*200 relay in Glasgow.
However, I see a bit different Milak’s case. He is a grown up champion, a junior meet imho is just a training session for him now.
Definitely. I think she will swim 1500 too, because as we know now Kapas will swim 200fly instead of 1500.
I see, you are right too.
My humble opinion is that what Ajna needs the most this year is an adult individual European Champion title. If that was the only drive, she could get it in 400 free by going below 4:04.
I still can’t believe that they made her swim 200 IM to experience failure.
Kapas is swimming 200 fly against Belmonte? No comment…
She said it. I think she’s a bit tired and want to do some different too. Not aganst Belmonte. Just for herself.
OFF: Don’t get me wrong, I just love Kapas. What I guess why she is down for two years now is a poor diet. Period. This swimming federation of ours…
Attila, I know it and we don’t know the exact cause either.
About Ajna, true.
One more thing about Bogi. She could swim against Katinka, Lilu, Zsu, so her end can be in the heats. The 4 best qualified Magyars will be in Glasgow…