Four Records Fall at Euro Junior Champs; Biedermann Takes Distance Triple -- July 25, 2004

LISBON, Portugal, July 25. FOUR European Junior records were broken at the recently-concluded European Junior Championships in Lisbon, Portugal.
Germany's Paul Biedermann was the only man to set a record while three women accounted for the three new women's standards.

Biedermann -- remember that name, he should be Germany's distance star in the very near future -- slashed the EJ mark in the 200 meter freestyle with a superb 1:48.62. He followed with very strong victories in the 400 and 1500 freestyle events, each time just out-touching France's Sabastian Roualt. In the 400 Biedermann won, 3:1.52 to 3:52.43; in the 1500, it was 15:18.94 to 15:19.64.

Fifteen year-old Italian Caterina Gracchetti took the 200 fly in an EJ record 2:09.92, edging Bulgaria's Maria Bulakhova, 2:10.62.

Sara Isakovic of Slovenia was a double winner, setting an EJ mark of 1:59.85 in the 200 free and also taking the 100 in 56.57.

Sixteen year-old Daria Parshina notched the final EJ record with her 4:10.79 winning effort in the 400 free; she also chased Isakovic in the 200, touching second in 2:01.03.

Aside from the record swims, there were several other outstanding performances:

* Russian Grigori Falko, 17, swept the breaststrokes in 1:02.33 and 2:13.08;

* Poland's Maciej Lewandowski won a narrow victory in the 200 fly with his 1:59.92;

* Zsuzsanna Jakobus, a 15 year-old Hungarian, beat Slovenia's Anja Klinar by .01 in the 400 IM, 4:42.01 to 4:42.02; Klinar came back to take the 200 IM, 2:16.14 to 2:17.80;

* Britain's Stephanie Proud, 16, stood proudly atop the awards stand with her backstroke sweep, winning in 1:02.83 and 2:11.85;

* Maria Bulakhova, second in the 200 fly, won the 100 in 59.98; and

* Spain's Sara Perez, 16, won the 200 breast in 2:29.71.

Results: 2004 European Junior Championships