Watch: Race Videos From Day 7 Finals of the 2022 European Championships

2022 EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, August 11 – Wednesday, August 17, 2022 (pool swimming)
• Rome, Italy
• Parco Del Foro Italico
• LCM (50m)
• Start Times
  • Prelims: 9:00 am local / 3:00 am ET
  • Finals: 6:00 pm local / 12:00 pm ET
• Meet Central
• Event Schedule
• Entries
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• Day 7 Finals Heat Sheet

The final night of the 2022 European Championships were as thrilling as the first 6. This post features race videos from each of the finals at the Day 7 finals session. These races include the men’s 50 free, women’s 50 breast, men’s 100 back, women’s 200 fly, men’s 200 IM, women’s 400 free, men’s 400 free, women’s 4×100 medley relay and men’s 4×100 medley relay. All race videos in this post are from the European Championships (LEN) YouTube channel.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 20.91, Cesar Cielo (BRA) – 2009
• European Record: 20.94, Fred Bousquet (FRA) – 2009
• European Championship Record: 21.11, Ben Proud (GBR) – 2018
• 2020 European Champion: Ari-Pekka Liukkonen (FIN), 21.61

1. Ben Proud (GBR), 21.58
2. Leonardo Deplano (ITA), 21.60
3. Kristian Gkolomeev (GRE), 21.75
4. Pawel Juraszek (POL), 21.78
5. Maxime Grousset (FRA), 21.87
6. Thom de Boer (NED) / Lorenzo Zazzeri (ITA), 21.90
7. –
8. Vladyslav Bukhov (UKR), 22.19

In a race that was much closer than expected, Ben Proud managed to get his hand on the wall first to win the European title in the men’s 50 freestyle, putting up a time of 21.58 to edge out Italian Leonardo Deplano.

WOMEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 29.30, Benedetta Pilato (ITA) – 2021 European Championships
• European Record: 29.30, Benedetta Pilato (ITA) – 2021 European Championships
• European Championship Record: 29.30, Benedetta Pilato (ITA) – 2021
• 2021 European Champion: Benedetta Pilato (ITA), 29.30

1. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 29.59
2. Benedetta Pilato (ITA), 29.71
3. Imogen Clark (GBR), 30.31
4. Arianna Castiglioni (ITA), 30.43
5. Veera Kivirinta (FIN), 30.86
6. Sophie Hansson (SWE), 31.02
7. Mona McSharry (IRL), 31.15
8. Florine Gaspard (BEL), 31.46

Eight years later, Ruta Meilutyte is once again the European champion in the women’s 50 breaststroke.

After lowering her nine-year-old Lithuanian Record in the semi-finals, clocking a time of 29.44, Meilutyte used an explosive start and dynamic breakout to gain an early advantage on defending champion Benedetta Pilato, and managed to hold her off down the stretch to win gold in 29.59.

MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 51.60, Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 2022 World Championships
• European Record: 51.60, Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 2022 World Championships
• European Championships Record: 52.11, Camille Lacourt – 2010
• 2020 European Champion: Robert Glinta (ROU) – 52.88

1. Thomas Ceccon (ITA), 52.21
2. Apostolos Christou (GRE), 52.24
3. Yohann Ndoye Brouard (FRA), 52.92
4. Roman Mityukov (SUI), 53.55
5. Joao Nogueira Costa (POR), 54.01
6. Ksawery Masiuk (POL), 54.05
7. Ole Braunschweig (GER), 54.25
8. Mewen Tomac (FRA), 54.79

Already the world champion and world record holder, Italian Thomas Ceccon can now add the title of European champion to his resume in the men’s 100 backstroke, winning a tight battle in the final with Greece’s Apostolos Christou by three one-hundredths of a second.

Ceccon got out to a blistering start, flipping in 25.15 at the 50, and then had to hold off a late push from Christou to touch first in a time of 52.21.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record: 2:01.81, Liu Zige (CHN) – 2009
• European Record: 2:04.27, Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 2009
• European Championships Record: 2:04.79, Mireia Belmonte (ESP) – 2014
• 2020 European Champion: Boglarka Kapas (HUN), 2:06.50

1. Lana Pudar (BIH), 2:06.81
2. Helena Bach (DEN), 2:07.30
3. Ilaria Cusinato (ITA), 2:07.77
4. Laura Stephens (GBR), 2:08.47
5. Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN), 2:09.03
6. Keanna MacInnes (GBR), 2:09.59
7. Ana Catarina Monteiro (POR), 2:10.79
8. Antonella Crispino (ITA), 2:10.97

Lana Pudar held nothing back in the early stages of the women’s 200 fly final, opening up a lead before holding strong down the stretch to win the European title at 16 years of age in a time of 2:06.81.

MEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• World Record: 1:54.00, Ryan Lochte (USA) – 2011 World Championships
• European Record: 1:55.18, László Cseh (HUN) – 2009 World Championships
• European Championship Record: 1:56.66, László Cseh (HUN) – 2012
• 2020 European Champion: Hugo González (ESP), 1:56.76

1. Hubert Kos (HUN), 1:57.72
2. Alberto Razzetti (ITA), 1:57.82
3. Gabriel Jose Lopes (POR), 1:58.34
4. Jeremy Desplanches (SUI), 1:58.89
5. Ron Polonsky (ISR), 1:59.24
6. Andreas Vazaios (GRE), 1:59.55
7. Carles Coll Marti (ESP), 1:59.96
8. Vadym Naumenko (UKR), 2:01.61

In a captivating battle that came down to the last five meters, Hungarian Hubert Kos held on to win gold in the men’s 200 IM in a time of 1:57.72, out-touching a hard-charging Alberto Razzetti.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 3:56.40, Ariarne Titmus (AUS) – 2022 Australian Championships
• European Record: 3:59.15, Federica Pellegrini (ITA) – 2009 World Championships
• European Championships Record: 4:01.53 , Federica Pellegrini (ITA) – 2008
• 2020 European Champion: Simona Quadarella (ITA), 4:04.66

1. Isabel Gose (GER), 4:04.13
2. Simona Quadarella (ITA), 4:04.77
3. Ajna Kesely (HUN), 4:08.00
4. Bettina Fabian (HUN), 4:08.63
5. Katja Fain (SLO), 4:08.70
6. Antonietta Cesarano (ITA), 4:10.19
7. Valentine Dumont (BEL), 4:10.51
8. Julia Mrozinski (GER), 4:11.32

Isabel Gose played spoiler in the final of the women’s 400 freestyle, denying home crowd favorite Simona Quadarella a third straight title.

MEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 3:40.07, Paul Biedermann (GER) – 2009 World Championships
• European Record: 3:40.07, Paul Biedermann (GER) – 2009 World Championships
• European Championships Record: 3:44.01, Gabriele Detti (ITA) – 2016
• 2020 European Champion: Martin Malyutin (RUS), 3:44.18

1. Lukas Maertens (GER), 3:42.50
2. Antonio Djakovic (SUI), 3:43.93
3. Henning Muehlleitner (GER), 3:44.53
4. Felix Auboeck (AUT), 3:45.76
5. Lorenzo Galossi (ITA), 3:46.94
6. Joris Bouchaut (FRA), 3:47.20
7. Gabriele Detti (ITA), 3:47.34
8. Henrik Christiansen (NOR), 3:50.30

Lukas Maertens pulled away from Antonio Djakovic after the first 150 meters of the men’s 400 free, soaring to gold and a new European Championship Record in a time of 3:42.50.

WOMEN’S 4X100 MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL

• World Record: 3:50.40, United States – 2019 World Championships
• European Record: 3:53.38, Russia – 2017 World Championships
• European Championship Record: 3:54.01, Great Britain – 2021
• 2020 European Champion: Great Britain, 3:54.01

1. Sweden, 3:55.25
2. France, 3:56.36
3. Netherlands, 3:57.01
4. Italy, 3:57.23
5. Great Britain, 4:00.05
6. Poland, 4:02.53
7. Switzerland, 4:03.94
8. Germany, 4:05.60

The Italians held the lead early, and then France pulled ahead at the final exchange, but Sarah Sjostrom would not be denied from leading Sweden to the European title in the women’s 4×100 medley relay.

MEN’S 4X100 MEDLEY RELAY

• World Record: 3:26.78, United States – 2021 Olympic Games
• European Record: 3:27.51, Great Britain – 2021 Olympic Games / Italy – 2022 World Championships
• European Championship Record: 3:28.59, Great Britain – 2021
• 2020 European Champion: Great Britain, 3:28.59

1. Italy, 3:28.46
2. France, 3:32.50
3. Austria, 3:33.28
4. Great Britain, 3:33.60
5. Poland, 3:34.16
6. Ukraine, 3:34.66
7. Germany, 3:35.65
8. Spain, 3:37.25

The reigning world champion left no doubt in the final of the men’s 4×100 medley relay, as the Italians gave a fitting salute to the home crowd with a decisive four-second victory.

Italy had the fastest split in the field on all four legs, as Thomas Ceccon (52.82), Nicolo Martinenghi (57.72), Matteo Rivolta (50.75) and Alessandro Miressi (47.17) combined for a final time of 3:28.46, breaking the Championship Record of 3:28.59 set by Great Britain last year.