Lana Pudar Cracks Bosnia and Herzegovinian Record in 200 Fly, Wins Gold in 2:06.81

2022 EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, August 11 – Wednesday, August 17, 2022 (pool swimming)
• Rome, Italy
• Parco Del Foro Italico
• LCM (50m)
• Start Times
  • Prelims: 9:00 am local / 3:00 am ET
  • Finals: 6:00 pm local / 12:00 pm ET
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WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record: 2:01.81, Liu Zige (CHN) – 2009
• European Record: 2:04.27, Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 2009
• European Championships Record: 2:04.79, Mireia Belmonte (ESP) – 2014
• 2020 European Champion: Boglarka Kapas (HUN), 2:06.50

1. Lana Pudar (BIH), 2:06.81
2. Helena Bach (DEN), 2:07.30
3. Ilaria Cusinato (ITA), 2:07.77
4. Laura Stephens (GBR), 2:08.47
5. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN), 2:09.03
6. Keanna MacInnes (GBR), 2:09.59
7. Ana Catarina Monteiro (POR), 2:10.79
8. Antonella Crispino (ITA), 2:10.97

16-year-old Lana Pudar out of Bosnia and Herzegovina just keeps rolling. After bursting onto the international scene early last year, Pudar has become a trailblazer for Bosnia and Herzegovinian swimming. Last summer, at the age of 15, she became BIH’s first Olympic finalist ever. She then went on to the SC World Championships at the end of 2021, winning the countries’ first major international medal in history. In 2022, she won Gold in both the women’s 100 fly and 200 fly at the Mediterranean Games, and now has won Gold at the European Championships.

The youngster wasted no time getting after it in the women’s 200 fly final tonight, roaring out to a massive lead at the 100 mark. Pudar split 59.86 on the first 100, marking the fastest opening 100 in the field by 1.30 seconds. She held up pretty well, splitting 33.27 and 33.68 on the final 2 50s, for a 1:06.95 on the 2nd 100 of the race. Pudar’s time marks a lifetime best for her and comes in under the Bosnian and Herzegovinian Record of 2:07.58, which Pudar set in semifinals at the World Championships this summer.

Here is a split comparison between Pudar’s swim this evening and her previous national record from the World Championships:

Pudar swam the race quite differently tonight, taking it out much more aggressively. The strategy paid off for her, as she was still a tick faster on the 3rd 50 than she was in her previous national record performance. She did fade at the end of the race compared to her World Champs swim but was only 0.82 seconds slower on the last 50 than she was in June.

Pudar wasn’t the only record breaker in the women’s 200 fly final tonight. Denmark’s Helena Bach claimed Silver, speeding to a new lifetime best of 2:07.30. She was out slower than Pudar, but came back much faster, splitting 32.64 on the 3rd 50 and 33.35 on the final 50. Her swim marks a new Danish Record in the event as well, downing the 13-year-old record that was held Micha Ostergaard from the 2009 World Championships. Notably, that means that Bach broke a supersuited record tonight.

Here is a split comparison between Bach’s swim tonight and the previous record from 2009: