Favorites Sievinen and Klochkova Takes Medleys on Day One of Euro Short Course Champs

RIESA, Germany, December 12. VETERANS Jani Sievinen of Finland and Yana Klochkova of Ukraine turned in the most outstanding performances on the first day of the European Short Course Championships in Riesa, Germany.

Several of the continent's top stars, including Inge De Bruijn, Pieter van den Hoogenband, Franziska van Almsick, Mark Foster and Alex Popov chose to pass on the meet this year, taking a bit of shine off the meet's holiday glitter.

Sievinen, the world record-holder in the 200m IM, both long course and short, won his favorite event tonight in a championship record 1:55.47, less than a second off the world mark he shares with Hungary's Attila Czene.

Hungary's Tamas Kerkjarto, a USC grad and the morning's top qualifier, was second tonight in 1:56.07
while defending champion, Peter Mankoc of Slovenia, was third in 1:56.28.

Klochkova won the women's 200 IM in a very fast 2:08.28, a championship record and the second fastest time ever swum behind only Allison Wagner's world record of 2:07.97. Alenka Kejzar of Slovenia and Southern Methodist University, was a very strong second in 2:09.33. Belarus' Hanna Shcherba was third.

Italy's Emiliano Brembilla repeated his 2001 triumph in the 400m freestyle, pulling away from fast-rising Russian 18 year-old, Yuri Prilukov, to win in 3:40.60. Prilukov posted a pr 3:41.90. Greece's Athanasios Oikonomou held of Kvetoslav Svoboda for the bronze.

Sweden's Stefan Nystrand defended his 50m sprint title, but his 21.55 today was far off his championship record of 21.15 set a year ago.

Germany's men's 200m medley relay team consisting of Stev Theloke, Jens Kruppa, Thomas Rupprath and Carsten Dehmlow, set a world best of 2:34.72, six-hundredths faster than the previous best in this seldom-swum sprint relay. That time was turned in by another German team last year. FINA does not recognize official world records in the 200 meter relays.

Last summer, 17 year-old Eva Risztov was frustrated at the Long Course Euro Champs, winding up with three silver medals in three very close races. She vowed that next time, she would win gold. well, next time has come, and the determined teenager has fulfilled her vow. Leading from start to finish in the 200 fly, Risztov won in 2:07.19, more than a second in front of Danish veteran Mette Jacobsen.

A tired, globe-trotting Emma Igelstrom, of Sweden, summoned just enough energy to win the 50m breast by one-hundredth of a second over Germany's (and univerrsity of Georgia's) Sarah Poewe. Igelstrom's time of 30.89 was well of her WR of 29.96.

European Short Course Championships
Riesa, Germany
December 12-15, 2002

25 meter pool: DAY ONE: December 12, 2002

RESULTS
MEN
400 metres freestyle
1. Emiliano Brembilla (ITA) 3:40.60
2. Yuri Prilukov (RUS) 3:41.90
3. Athanasios Oikonomou (GRE) 3:44.68
4. Kvetoslav Svoboda (CZE) 3:44.82
5. Matteo Pelliciari (ITA) 3:45.88
6. Sergiy Fesenko (UKR) 3:49.41
7. Martin Vrhovsek (SLO) 3:50.67
8. Spyridon Gianniotis (GRE) 3:52.01

200 metres backstroke
1. Orn Arnarson (ISL) 1:54.00
2. Stephen Parry (GBR) 1:54.11
3. Gordan Kozulj (CRO) 1:54.50
4. Yevgeny Aleshin (RUS) 1:55.24
5. Jorge Sanchez (ESP) 1:55.86
6. Simon Dufour (FRA) 1:56.22
7. Laszlo Cseh (HUN) 1:56.23
8. Volodymyr Nikolaychuk (UKR) 1:56.94

200 metres individual medley
1. Jani Sievinen (FIN) 1:55.47 CR
2. Tamas Kerekjarto (HUN) 1:56.07
3. Peter Mankoc (SLO) 1:56.28
4. Jens Kruppa (GER) 1:58.00
5. Alessio Boggiatto (ITA) 1:58.06
6. Christian Keller (GER) 1:58.43
7. Sergiy Sergeyev (UKR) 1:58.60
8. Kresimir Cac (CRO) 2:00.05

50 metres freestyle
1. Stefan Nystrand (SWE) 21.55
2. Lorenzo Vismara (ITA) 21.66
3. Rolandas Gimbutis (LTU) 21.74
4. Johan Kenkhuis (NED) 21.85
5. Vyacheslav Shyrshov (UKR) 22.07
6. Julien Sicot (FRA) 22.09
7. Oleksandr Volynets (UKR) 22.18
8. Zsolt Gaspar (HUN) 22.27

4 x 50 metres medley relay
1. Germany 1:34.72 WB
(Stev Theloke/Jens Kruppa/Thomas Rupprath/Carsten Dehmlow)
2. Finland 1:35.69
(Jani Sievinen/Jarno Philava/Tero Valimaa/Jere Hard)
3. Ukraine 1:36.46
(Vyacheslav Shyrshov/Oleg Lisogor/Andriy Serdinov/Oleksandr Volynets)
4. Sweden 1:37.50
(Jens Pettersson/Patrik Isaksson/Erik Dorch/Stefan Nystrand)
5. Switzerland 1:37.78
(Flori Lang/Remo Lutolf/Lorenz Liechtl/Christoph Buhler)
6. Russia 1:37.90
(Evgueni Alechine/Dmitri Komornikov/Igor Marchenko/Denis Pimankov)
7. Portugal 1:38.72
(Nuno Laurentino/Heldre Lopes/Simao Morgado/Pedro Silva)
8. Croatia DQ
(Ante Maskovic/Vanja Rogulj/Milos Milosevic/Alexei Puninski)

WOMEN

200 metres individual medley
1. Yana Klochkova (UKR) 2:08.28 CR
2. Alenka Kejzar (SLO) 2:09.33
3. Hanna Shcherba (BLR) 2:10.23
4. Julie-Hjort Hansen (DEN) 2:11.57
5. Tatiana Rouba (ESP) 2:13.97
6. Paula Carballido (ESP) 2:14.62
7. Federica Biscia (ITA) 2:14.69
8. Vered Borochovski (ISR) 2:16.12

200 metres butterfly
1. Eva Risztov (HUN) 2:07.19
2. Mette Jacobsen (DEN) 2:08.30
3. Roser Vives (ESP) 2:08.40
4. Sophia Skou (DEN) 2:08.80
5. Francesca Segat (ITA) 2:09.37
6. Mireia Garcia (ESP) 2:09.68
7. Petra Zahrl (AUT) 2:10.16
8. Marcela Kubalcikova (CZE) 2:11.77

50 metres breastroke
1. Emma Igelstrom (SWE) 30.89
2. Sarah Poewe (GER) 30.90
3. Janne Schafer (GER) 31.12
4. Elena Bogomazova (RUS) 31.45
5. Majken Thorup (DEN) 31.53
6. Emma Robinson (ISL) 31.74
7. Mima Jukic (AUT) 31.82
8. Svitlana Bondarenko (UKR) 32.04

Medals Table
Gold Silver Bronze Total
Sweden 2 – – 2
Germany 1 1 1 2
Finland 1 1 – 2
Hungary 1 1 – 2
Italy 1 1 – 2
Ukraine 1 – 1 2
Iceland 1 – – 1
Slovenia – 1 1 2
Britain – 1 – 1
Denmark – 1 – 1
Russia – 1 – 1
Belarus – – 1 1
Croatia – – 1 1
Greece – – 1 1
Lithuania – – 1 1
Spain – – 1 1

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