2016 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 2
- 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
Ukrainian backstroke star Daryna Zevina unleashed a new Ukrainian record at day 2 finals of the European Championships, earning her the silver medal. Zevina made up ground on gold medalist Katinka Hosszu over the final 50m, but it ultimately wasn’t enough for gold, as Hosszu touched 1st in 2:07.01 to Zevina’s 2:07.48.
Zevina broke her own record of 2:07.82 which was set at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai where she narrowly missed a bronze medal finishing 4th. This is actually the first best time for the backstroke specialist since the 2013 World Championships where she set her personal best in the 100 back (59.90). Zevina currently holds all three backstroke national records in both short course and long course.
Here’s a comparative look at Zevina’s splits from her 2011 World Championship final and the final in London.
- 2011 World Championship final: 30.28 / 1:02.68 (32.40) / 1:35.05 (32.37) / 2:07.82 (32.77)
- 2016 Euro Championship final: 29.96 / 1:01.97 (32.01) / 1:34.54 (32.57) / 2:07.48 (32.94)
Zevina split the race very similarly to what she did in 2011, going out a bit more aggressively early in the race which ultimately benefited her at the end.
Behind Hosszu and Zevina was Croatian Matea Samardzic who set a national record of her own en route to bronze in 2:09.24.
This swim is a great sign for Zevina looking towards the rest of the meet and the upcoming Olympic Games. Considering she placed 20th at the 2015 World Championships in 2:12.14, it appears she’s on the right track to be a medal contender in Rio.
She’ll compete in the 200 freestyle (33rd), 50 backstroke (11th) and the 100 backstroke (4th) later on in the meet.
