Paltrinieri Breaks Meet Record In 800 Free, Misses Lifetime Best

2016 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 5

  • 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

After recording the 2nd fastest 1500 in history on day three in London, Italian distance phenom Gregorio Paltrinieri swam a more ordinary, yet still world class 800 to win his second gold medal of the championships. Paltrinieri clocked 7:42.33, breaking his previous championship record of 7:44.98 set two years ago in Berlin.

Unlike the 1500 where he took off over five seconds from his best time, Paltrinieri just missed his best time of 7:40.81 set at the 2015 World Championships. He remains as the 6th fastest performer in history behind Chinese swimmers Zhang Lin and Sun Yang, Australians Grant Hackett and  Ian Thorpe, and Tunisian Oussama Mellouli.

Here’s a look at Paltrinieri’s previous 800 Championship record from 2014 and his new one today:

2014 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Splits Splits
100  55.78  55.88
200  58.20  57.18
300  57.99  57.57
400  58.31  58.43
500  58.56  58.43
600  58.93  58.32
700  58.92  58.14
800  58.29  58.38
FINAL   7:44.98   7:42.33

Paltrinieri was significantly faster on the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th 100s which ultimately earned him the record. Paltrinieri opened in a very quick 3:49.06, a time that would’ve come close to making the 400 free final. He was less than four seconds faster than he split at the 800 mark in his 1500 on Wednesday (7:46.24).

The podium was exactly the same as it was in the 1500, with Paltrinieri’s countryman Gabriele Detti taking silver in 7:43.52, and Mykhailo Romanchuk snagging his second bronze of the meet in 7:47.99 ( a new Ukrainian record).

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About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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