Turkey went on collecting medals on Day 2 at the European Junior Swimming Championships as they had a 1-2 finish in the women’s 800m free and champion Merve Tuncel could also break the junior European Record. Russia switched to medal-hunting mood and bagged five including two titles while Italy managed to earn one from each colour in front of home supporters in the magnificent Foro Italico.
Turkey arrived to Rome with an array
of talented swimmers and after gaining three medals on the opening day they
added two more (and set themselves for more in the semis). Merve Tuncel was a
cut above the rest in the women’s 800m and despite trailing by 0.48sec to the
EJR at the last turn, a blast over the last 50m brought her a new junior European
Record (8:21.91). It was a great time in anybody’s language – it’s 9th in the
2021 world ranks and would have earned her a bronze medal at the big Europeans
this May in Budapest. Compatriot Beril Boecekler finished runner-up while
Italy’s Giulia Vetrano claimed the bronze, out touching Spain’s Paula Otero by
0.01sec.
The Russians began to shine in the
individual events like they had done in recent editions – they also staged a
1-2 finish, in the women’s 100m free, as the two Darias, Klepikova and
Tatarinova were the fastest in that final. They came back later to secure
another relay gold for the Russians, this time in the mixed 4x100m free.
Italy came second in this last event
of the session, ahead of Hungary, to grab the third medal of the day after
Benedetta Pilato delivered the title in the women’s 50m breast. The 16 year-old
Italian, who had broken the senior WR in Budapest, was outside the 30sec mark
for the first time at the two Europeans (she clocked 29sec times in a row both
in May and here) but her win was never in danger as Russia’s Elena Bogomolova
was 0.55sec behind and Estonia’s Eneli Jefimova came further 0.23sec adrift.
In the tightest final of the evening
Poland’s Ksawery Masiuk managed to keep 0.07sec from his advantage at the end
in the men’s 100m back, ahead of Ukraine’s Oleksandr Zheltyakov. In the 50m fly
Josif Miladinov reinforced his favourite status: the Bulgarian, who showed some
class in Budapest two months ago, is set to make the butterfly treble here in
Rome.
Quotes
Merve Tuncel (TUR), winner of women’s
800m free with EJR “It’s a confirmation of my medal from the 2019 European
Youth Olympic Festival. I’m very happy for the win and the record. This is the
first time I swim here. The trainings for Tokyo are going very well.”
Ksawery Masiuk (POL), winner of the
men’s 100m back “Obviously I’m very happy for the result because it’s the first
time that I swam in this pool. It’s nice to see and hear the audience in the
stadium. I’m not very hopeful, but I hope to be selected for Tokyo.”
Benedetta Pilato (ITA), winner of the
women’s 50m breast “I’m happy for myself and for the team. On Thursday I will
only swim the heats of the mixed 4×100 relay as a test for before the Olympic.
The junior national team has many young competitive and emerging athletes and
is a very united group.”
Daria Klapikova (RUS), winner of the
women’s 100m free “I’m really happy with my race and I really like Rome.”
Josif Miladinov (BUL), winner of the
men’s 50m fly “The race went well, considering that my physical shape is not
best. I hope to finish these Europeans with better results. Swimming here, in
Rome is a beautiful experience. It’s one of the most comfortable pools.”
Giulia Vetrano (ITA), bronze
medallist, 800m free “I improved my personal best by five seconds. I could have
swum faster, but I still made the podium. It was great to race against my old
rival Tuncel again whom I had already met at the Comen Cup in Bulgaria in 2019.
In ten days, I’m flying to Tokyo Olympics and I hope to qualify the relay for
the final together with my teammates.”
For detailed results, visit
http://ejscroma2021.microplustiming.com/indexRoma2021_web.php
...or download the MyLEN app!
Michael Phelps Teaches Swimming
Most of us can swim, but there’s a
difference between dog paddling on vacation and swimming for fitness. If you’re
looking to unlock the low-impact, calorie-burning benefits of swimming, check
out this course from Michael Phelps on This Skills. The 26-time Olympic gold
medalist will cover everything you need to feel confidant and comfortable
swimming laps. You’ll learn all the basic strokes, plus wall kicking, diving
and other techniques, but you’ll also get a glimpse into the mindset of the
most decorated Olympian of all time.
No comments:
Post a Comment