2018 LEN EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- August 3-7, 2018 (synchronized swimming portion)
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Tollcross International Swimming Centre
Russia won gold in 8 of 9 synchronized swimming events in a dominant 2018 European Championships.
It started on Friday with a gold in the duet technicals. Svetlana Kolesnichenko and Varvara Subbotina dominated the duet technical field with 95.1035 points; Ukrainian duo Anastasiya Savchuk and Yelyzaveta Yakhno were second with 92.6188 and Linda Cerruti/Costanza Ferro took bronze for Italy. The same day, Russia claimed the mixed duet technical. The team of Mayya Gurbanberdieva and Aleksandr Maltsev scored a narrow win by just under a point, scoring 89.5853 to beat Italy’s Manila Flamini and Giorgio Minisini‘s 88.6973. Spain won bronze.
A day later, Russia’s team free routine group knocked off the field by almost three points, scoring 97.0333 to win gold. Ukraine came home with silver and Italy bronze. The teams were reportedly fighting pool conditions, as Reuters quoted several Russian swimmers complaining about high chlorine levels in the pool.
Sunday was the only Russian miss, and it was in an event with no Russian entrant. Ukraine rolled in to win the combination free routine gold with 94.4667 points over Italy and Spain.
Monday, it was back to Russian dominance. Kolesnichenko won the solo technical routine gold by about two points, scoring 93.4816 to beat Ukraine’s Yakhno and Italy’s Cerruti. Then in the team technical routine, Russia’s 94.6000 won by nearly four points over Ukraine and Italy.
Things closed Tuesday with three more Russian golds. Kolesnichenko won yet another medal in the duet free routine, joining Subbotina to score 96.7000, ahead of Ukraine (Savchuk/Yakhno) and Italy (Cerruti/Ferro). In the mixed free routine, Gurbanberdieva/Maltsev once again won, scoring 92.4000 to beat Italy (Flamini/Minisini) and Spain. Then in the evening session, Kolesnichenko scored 94.9333 to win the solo free routine gold ahead of Cerruti and Yakhno.
Kolesnichenko finishes with four golds, leading all athletes in the synchro portion. Ukraine’s Yakhno won 7 total medals, five of them silver and one each of gold and bronze. Italy’s Cerruti took home 2 silvers and 5 bronzes.
Here are all the multi-gold medalists from this year’s edition:
- Svetlana Kolesnichenko – 4 gold
- Varvara Subbotina – 2 gold
- Mayya Gurbanberdieva – 2 gold
- Aleksandr Maltsev – 2 gold
- Anastasiia Arkhipovskaya – 2 gold
- Anastasia Bayandina – 2 gold
- Daria Bayandina – 2 gold
- Marina Goliadkina – 2 gold
- Veronika Kalinina – 2 gold
- Polina Komar – 2 gold
- Maria Shurochkina – 2 gold
- Darina Valitova – 2 gold
- Mikhaela Kalancha – 2 gold
Final Medal Table
RANK | NAT | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL | ||||||||||||||
1 | RUSSIA | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | UKRAINE | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||||||
3 | ITALY | 4 | 5 | 9 | |||||||||||||||
4 | SPAIN | 3 | 3 |