Deibler Pops Stellar Efforts at European Junior Championships

BUDAPEST, Hungary, July 19. THE future of German swimming – the present, too – goes by the name of Steffen Deibler. Competing over the weekend at the European Junior Championships, the youngster walked away from the event with an impressive medal haul – four individual and three relay. Deibler also picked up a national record.

Deibler zoomed to victories in the 50 and 100 freestyle events and also anchored Germany to gold-medal showings in the 400 free and 400 medley relays. For good measure, Deibler claimed silver in the 50 butterfly, bronze in the 200 freestyle and helped Germany to bronze in the 800 freestyle relay. That’s seven medals in four days of action.

The 50 free was the highlight showing for Deibler, who popped a German record of 22.26, lowering the former standard of 22.33. Born in 1987, the sprint sensation also registered times of 49.26 in the two-lap free, a championship record, 1:50.10 in the 200 free and 24.53 in the 50 butterfly. The 200 free was won by Russia’s Vitaly Romanovich (1:49.86) and the 50 fly went to Spain’s Rafael Munoz (24.46).

While Deibler enjoyed the most dominant individual showing, there were a number of other sensational performances, including a distance-free double on the female side from Anastasia Ivanenko. The Russian took top honors in the 400 free (4:14.18) and added a triumph in the 800 free (8:41.05). In the 400 free, she held off Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu (4:14.74). Hosszu, though, nabbed gold in the 400 individual medley (4:45.88) and the 200 free (2:02.30).

On the male side, Poland’s Mateusz Sawrymowicz took down a pair of championship records, as he covered the 400 free in 3:49.72 and the 1,500 free in 15:06.04. Hungary’s Gergo Kis was second in the 1,500 (15:25.91) and prevailed in the 200 butterfly (1:59.61). Kis also took second in the 400 I.M., behind Italy’s David Verraszto (4:17.72). The Italian cemented his distance I.M. victory with a decision in the 200 I.M. (2:03.59).

Italy’s Fernando Mazzotta defeated all challengers in the 50 breast (28.46) and 100 breast (1:02.46) while Hungary’s Akos Racz won the longer breaststroke in 2:14.24. For the women, Diana Duarte Gomes (Portugal) won the 100 and 200 breaststroke races (1:10.09/2:29.51) and Poland’s Luiza Hryniewicz finished first in the 50 breast (32.96).

Escarlata Bernard of Spain doubled in the women’s backstroke events, using times of 1:03.88 in the 100 and 2:14.63 in the 200 to distance herself from the opposition. The sprint back was won by Germany’s Jenny Lahl (29.81). For the men, backstroke decisions were collected by Italy’s Simone Manni in the 50 (26.44), Italy’s Marco Malinverno in the 100 (57.24) and Poland’s Jakub Jasinski in the 200 (2:02.76).

France’s Camille Muffat was first to the wall in the women’s 200 individual medley (2:14.84) and placed second in the 100 free, trailing only Great Britain’s Francesca Halsall (55.69). Italy’s Joseph Natullo was fastest in the men’s 100 butterfly (54.77) and Zsuzsanna Jakobos won the women’s 200 fly (2:10.18) for Hungary. Other wins were notched by the Ukraine’s Lyubov Korol in the men’s 50 fly (27.40), France’s Lise Soule in the women’s 100 fly (1:00.94) and Italy’s Gaia Mancabelli in the women’s 50 free (25.70).

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