2021 EUROPEAN JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, July 6th – Sunday, July 11th
- Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
- Heats at 9:30am local (3:30am EST)/Finals at 6pm local (Noon EST)
- LCM (50m)
- Live Results
- Live Stream
- Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
- Day 4 Finals Live Recap
Turkey’s Merve Tuncel continues to impress virtually every time she enters the pool.
Tonight at the European Championships, racing on the penultimate night of competition, the 16-year-old roared to a time of 15:55.23 in the women’s 1500m freestyle. Not only did that demolish the European Junior Record benchmark of 16:02.29, but it also crushed the record of this particular meet. The Euro Juniors mark stood at the 16:11.25 Hungarian Ajna Kesely put on the board back in 2017, so Tuncel took that down by more than 15 seconds.
Tuncel’s time overtook her own previous personal best and Turkish national record of 16:03.23, meaning this is the first time the teen has been under the 16:00 threshold, and she did so in spades.
Splits for the Turkish distance phenom can be seen below:
On her swim, Tuncel stated “I am satisfied with my result, it was quite challenging to face the other girls, especially in the first half of the race. Rome is amazing, it’s the first time I compete at Stadio del Nuoto.”
Tuncel ranks 9th in the world right now this season:
2020-2021 LCM Women 1500 Free
Ledecky
15:35.35
| 2 | Erica Sullivan | USA | 15:41.41 | 07/28 |
| 3 | Wang Jianjiahe | CHN | 15:41.49 | 07/26 |
| 4 | Sarah Kohler | GER | 15:42.91 | 07/28 |
| 5 | Maddy Gough | AUS | 15:46.13 | 06/15 |
| 6 | Simona Quadarella | ITA | 15:47.34 | 07/26 |
| 7 | Anastasia Kirpichnikova | RUS | 15:50.22 | 07/26 |
| 8 | Katie Grimes | USA | 15:52.12 | 06/15 |
| 9 | Li Bingjie | CHN | 15:52.31 | 01/02 |
| 10 | Merve Tuncel | TUR | 15:55.23 | 07/10 |
14 swimmers swam already under 16 minutes this season. And 4 of them under 15:50.
Amazing.
The 16 minutes barrier is becoming must swim requirement and is losing its significance.
I remember when Delfina Pignatiello won the junior world championship in 2017 and became the 4th U18 to swim a sub 16:00 ever after Evans, Ledecky and Li Xuaxu. In the last 4 years we have more than the double: Li Bingjie, Wang Jianjiahe, Pallister, Grimes, Tuncel…
Yes but Bingjie, Jianjiahe & Lani have struggled since then .
Like in the past the 2-minute barrier in the women’s 200 free or the 50-second barrier in the men’s 100 free.