Day 1 Euros Scratches: Top Seeds Proud And Hopkin Drop 50 Fly And 100 Free

2022 EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, August 11 – Wednesday, August 17, 2022 (pool swimming)
• Rome, Italy
• Parco Del Foro Italico
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Event Schedule
• Entries
• Live Results

Annika Johnson contributed to this report.

Day one of the 2022 European Championships is here and there were few scratches for the prelims session. The highest-ranked scratches came from Great Britain’s Ben Proud and Anna Hopkin in the 50 butterfly and 100 freestyle, respectively. Proud is fresh off a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the 50 butterfly, having won the event in front of a home audience just a few weeks ago. He won the event in Birmingham with a 22.81 meet record and was entered as top seed at this meet with a 22.76.

Proud collected silver in this event at the 2018 European Championships and won gold at the 2017 World Championships. At the 2022 World Champs, he was 7th overall with a 23.08.

Proud’s fellow Brit Anna Hopkin was also the #1 entrant on the psych sheets but won’t be swimming her day 1 event. Hopkin was entered with a 52.75 in the 100 freestyle, which she swam last year at the Tokyo Olympics. Hopkin also raced at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and just missed the podium with a 53.57 for 4th.

Both Hopkin and Proud are still on the entry lists for the 50 freestyle, which will take place later in the meet.

In addition to this British duo dropping their day 1 events, there are three Swiss swimmers who have dropped their events. In the 50 fly, Noe Ponti has opted out despite his 5th seed in the event, while Jeremy Desplanches scratched the 100 breaststroke, while Nina Kost scratched the 100 freestyle and 200 back. Additionally, Switzerland’s women’s 4×200 freestyle relay has been scratched from prelims but their men’s team is still listed on the start lists.

Check out the full list of top 30 day 1 scratches below.

You can read our full event previews in the links above, but we’ll hit a few key points to preview the prelims races. The session kicks off with the men’s 50 butterfly where Thomas Ceccon, Szebasztian Szabo, and world record-holder Andriy Govorov will face off in the absence of Proud.

Ceccon and Szabo were both in the mix at the 2022 World Champs in Budapest earlier this year but were short of a podium finish when the placed 5th and 6th, respectively. It’ll be their race to lose without the likes of Caeleb Dressel, Michael Andrew, Nicholas Santos, Dylan Carter, and many more in the mix at Euros. Govorov hasn’t been in world record shape of late but is always one to watch when the 50 fly gets underway.

The women’s 100 freestyle is anyone’s race in Rome without the typical leaders like world record holder Sarah Sjostrom or defending champion Femke Heemskerk in play. Hopkin’s absence makes it even more wide open as Marrit Steenbergen takes over the top position. Steenbergen has the fastest season-best time which she posted on a relay at the World Championships in June. Look out for Hopkin’s teammate Freya Anderson who is one of the only other swimmers entered who has swum a sub-54 this year.

Next up is the men’s 400 IM where three-time champion David Verraszto has a chance to four-peat the event, but he has only been within 4 seconds of the time that currently seeds him first this season. Italy’s Alberto Razzetti and Great Britain’s Brodie Williams will also be in the mix.

Italy’s Margherita Panziera leads the field in the following event, the women’s 200 backstroke. She is entered with a 2:06.08, half a second slower than her lifetime best time. Austria’s Lena Grabowski is seeded 2nd followed by Hungarian 16-year-old Dora Molnar. Grabowski is entered with a low 2:08 but has not cracked 2:10.00 this year while Molnar swam a 2:09 low in April. Watch out for Hungarian Eszter Szabo-Feltothy who also swam a lifetime best sub-2:10 this year.

Then it’s on to the men’s 100 breast which is missing world record holder Adam Peaty. That puts the Netherlands’ Arno Kamminga and Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi directly in the spotlight, while Great Britain’s James Wilby is going to be on the hunt for another gold medal after his dominant performance at the Commonwealth Games.

The two day 1 relays for this European Championships will be the men’s and women’s 4×200 freestyle relays, which will begin during prelims.

The session will conclude with the women’s 800 freestyle where all eyes are on Italy’s Simona Quadarella who is the only swimmer entered who has broken 8:20.00 this season. 2nd seed is Isabel Gose of Germany who has swum consistent 8:23’s this season, within about two seconds of her lifetime best time.

Full List of Scratches:

Men’s 50 Butterfly

• Ben Proud (GBR) (#1 seed)
• Noe Ponti (SUI) (#5 seed)

Women’s 100 Freestyle

• Anna Hopkin (GBR) (#1 seed)
• Fanni Gyurinovics (HUN) (#16 seed)
• Nina Kost (SUI) (#21 seed)

Men’s 400 IM

• Poul Zellmann (GER) (#11 seed)

Women’s 200 Backstroke

• Nina Kost (SUI) (#19 seed)
• Nika Sharafutdinova (UKR) (#25 seed)

Men’s 100 Breaststroke

• Jeremy Desplanches (SUI) (#16 seed)

Women’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay

• Slovenia
• Switzerland

Men’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay

• Ireland
• Slovakia

Women’s 800 Freestyle

• None