2016 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 7
- 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 sprinter Andriy Govorov ended the 2016 European Championships by sneaking under his own national 50 free record by the slimmest of margins.
Govorov went 21.79 in the race, scraping under the national record of 21.80 he set at the World Championships almost three years ago. That 2013 meet took place in Barcelona, Spain.
Govorov set that record in prelims, qualifying third overall, but then fading to 12th in 21.96 in the semifinals. But at these 2016 European Championships, the Ukrainian found much better consistency, getting faster with each round. He was 22.28 for third in heats, then 21.92 to tie for fourth in the semis before blasting his silver-medal 21.79 in the championship final.
The 24-year-old very nearly won gold this year, coming within .06 seconds of defending world and Olympic champ Florent Manaudou of France. Manaudou was 21.73 for the win.
Govorov’s national record 50 free comes just 5 days after he set a new world textile best (the fastest swim ever done in a textile suit, throwing out the now-banned polyurethane bodysuits) in the 50 butterfly and won gold.
