Euro Report, Day 7 – Meilutyte Makes it Look Easy

Ruta Meilutyte had an amazing performance in the semi-final of the in the 100 breaststroke breaking American Jessica Hardy‘s 2009 world record of 1:04.45 posting a time of 1:04.35. Before the Lithuanian teenager could attack another of Hardy’s 2009 marks, Russian Yuliya Efimova beat her to it.

The morning after defeating Rikke Moeller-Pedersen of Denmark to become the world champion in the 200 breaststroke Efimova returned to the pool and became the third woman since January 1, 2010 to break 30 seconds in the 50 breaststroke posting a time of 29.78 breaking Hardy’s world record of 29.80.

Meilutyte and Efimova who went one, two in the 100 breaststroke were set up for a head to head in the middle of the pool in the second semi-final of the 50 breaststroke. Head to head may not be the right description because after the first 15 meters Efimova would not get past Meilutyte’s shoulders as the Lithuanian made swimming a 29.48 look effortless.

Coming into Barcelona Meilutyte lifetime best had been a 29.96 that she posted in June, which at the time  was impressive and just over a month later it seems a bit pedestrian for her.

Meilutyte knows how to win in major competitions, but in the past her most impressive times have been swum in the semis. Even with that said seeing what she has in her bag tricks for the final tomorrow will be a lot of fun.

After winning the 100 freestyle at the 2011 World Championships Jeanette Ottesen Gray of Denmark had a disappointing Olympics where she finished seventh in the 100 freestyle and sixth in the 100 butterfly.

Since then she has had a coaching change and a shift in focus away from the 100 freestyle and towards the 50 and 100 butterfly as well as the 50 freestyle.

That change in focused paid off in Barcelona on Saturday when Ottesen Gray won Denmark’s first gold medal of the competition, taking the 50 butterfly in a new Danish record of 25.24.

Thoughts:

• Ranomi Kromowidjojo has won a bronze in the 50 butterfly and the 100 freestyle, the Olympic champion will not be satisfied with out going home with a different colour of medal in the 50 freestyle. Cate Campbell looks like the favourite by Kromowidjojo will give her a fight for the gold.
• Can Great Britain win a medal? 
• Morozov got his individual medal. After looking incredible throughout the entire year Russian Vlad Morozov earned his first (LCM) World Championships medal finishing second in the 50 freestyle.
• Was anyone else surprised by Laszlo Cseh? Coming into the meet ranked 31st in the world in the 100 butterfly and he ends up winning the silver medal and improving his lifetime best by 32 one-hundredths of a second.
• Lotte Friis of Denmark gave a valiant effort in the women’s 800 freestyle, but once again did not have enough in the last 200 meters to hold Ledecky at bay.

Records:

Women’s 50 breaststroke

• World/European/Lithuania – Ruta Meilutyte – 29.48
• Russia – Yuliya Efimova – 29.78
• Ukraine – Mariia Liver – 30.68
• Sweden – Jennie Johansson – 30.55
• Iceland – Hrafnhilder Luthersdottir – 31.37
• Ireland – Fiona Doyle – 30.93
• Denmark – Rikke Moeller – Pedersen – 30.57
• Czech Republic – Petra Chocova – 30.31
• Belgium – Kim Janssens – 31.52

Men’s 1500 freestyle

• Slovakia – Richard Nagy – 15:22.20

Men’s 50 freestyle

• Russia – Vlad Morozov – 21.47

Women’s 50 freestyle 

• Poland – Aleksandra Urbanczyk – 25.01
• Finland – Hanna-Maria Seppala – 25.06
• Denmark – Jeanette Ottesen-Gray – 24.54

Women’s 50 butterfly

• Denmark – Jeanette Ottesen Gray – 25.24

Women’s 800 freestyle

• Hungary – Boglarka Kapas – 8:21.21

Men’s 100 butterfly

• Hungary – Laszlo Cseh – 51.45
• Belarus – Yauheni Tsurkin – 51.65