Emre Sakci Sets New Turkish Record In 50 Free At Greek Winter Championships

2023 Greek Winter Championships

• December 15-17, 2023
• Athens, Greece
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Day 1 Results
• Day 2 Results
• Day 3 Results

Turkish sprinter Emre Sakci and Lithuanian teen sensation Tajus Juska were among the top performers at the Greek Winter Championships over the weekend in Athens, with both athletes delivering record-setting swims.

At the age of 14, Juska produced a devastating time of 50.01 in the 100 free, improving his stead as the third-fastest 14 & under swimmer in history, among other big-time swims.

• Read more on Juska’s performances here.

Sakci, 26, set a new Turkish National Record in the men’s 50 free, clocking 22.05 to lower his previous mark of 22.09 set in July 2022.

The current world record holder in the men’s SCM 50 breast also won that event in a time of 27.20, with his lifetime best and Turkish Record standing at 26.83.

In the men’s 100 breast, Sakci took third in a tightly-contested battle that saw his countryman Berkay Ogretir (59.88) book the victory and Lithuanian Andrius Sidlauskas (1:00.09) place second, two one-hundredths clear of Sakci (1:00.11).

Ogretir owns a best time of 59.18, set in July, while Sakci holds the Turkish Record at 58.85.

Sidlauskas, who has been as fast as 59.23 in the 100 breast, picked up a win of his own in the 200 breast, dominating the field in a time of 2:11.44.

Another highlight on the men’s side of the competition, Greek veteran Apostolos Christou picked up three wins, including topping the 100 free field in 49.59 over Lithuanian Tomas Lukminas (49.62) and the 14-year-old Juska (50.14 in the final).

Christou also won the men’s 100 back (53.48) and 200 back (1:57.27), having set the Greek Records of 52.09 and 1:56.72 in both races last summer.

On the women’s side, Greece’s Anna Ntountounaki was a double winner, topping the 50 fly (25.95) and 100 fly (58.23), with the former coming within three-tenths of her National Record.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

• Despoina Pyrili, 15, was impressive with wins in the women’s 50 back (28.80) and 100 back (1:02.35), with the former marking a new lifetime best.
• Also winning twice was Eleni Kontogeorgou, who topped the women’s 100 breast (1:09.55) and 200 breast (2:27.68). Setting new lifetime bests in both, Kontogeorgou came within three-tenths of the Greek Record of 2:27.39 in the 200 breast.
• The men’s 100 fly saw a notable swim come from Konstantin Stamou, as the 20-year-old lowered his PB by a tenth in 52.66, putting him within striking distance of the Greek National Record of 52.41 set in 2008.
• In the 50 fly, Stergios-Marios Bilas was three-tenths shy of his Greek Record in 23.46.