Benedetta Pilato Powers To One World Junior Record – Nor Three – For Glasgow Gold

Bernadetta Pilato, on her way to a World Junior record victory over 50m breaststroke at the European Championships in Glasgow - Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer

European Short-Course Championships

Glasgow, Day 1 Finals

World silver medallist Benedetta Pilato had set three world junior records in a day, the announcer screamed out to the crowd as the 14-year-old Italian stopped the clock at 29.32 for gold in the 50m breaststroke on the first day of action at the European winter showcase at a Tollcross pool in Glasgow shortened for short-course speed.

In fact, it was Pilato’s first World Junior Record of the day. What had not seeped through to organisers was the 29.41sec effort the teenager had swum at the Nico Sappio meet back home last month.

As such, the 29.62 Pilato swam in morning heats and the 29.48 in the semi-finals at the start of the evening session, both announced as World Junior standards, were shy of her best.

That came in the final as Pilato powered to the title a touch ahead of Italy teammate Martina Carraro, on 29.60 (after 29.53 in heats), and Ireland’s Mona McSharry, on 29.87.

McSharry, cheered win by an Irish squad led by performance director Jon Rudd, reminded the observant and those keen not to have triple-record lines written in the history book of the sport if the moment never happened that Pilato may hold the World Junior mark but is not actually the fastest junior in history.

Gian Mattia D'Alberto / lapresse 14-06-2014 Roma sport nuoto trofeo Settecolli nella foto: Ruta Meilutyte Gian Mattia D'Alberto / lapresse 14-06-2014 Rome in the photo: Ruta Meilutyte

Ruta Meilutyte – Photo Courtesy: Gian Mattia Dalberto/Lapresse

Rudd coached Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte to Olympic, World and European podiums at senior and youth levels over 50 and 100m breaststroke.

As a junior in 2014 two years after claiming London 2012 Olympic 100m gold at just 15, Meilutyte clocked 28.81 in the semi-final of the world-title hunt. She then claimed the crown in 28.84 and remains the fastest junior ever.

FINA, the international federation, only recently recognised World Junior standards but began its book of records as a ‘Year-Zero’ exercise that did not recognise any previous efforts.

Bernadetta Pilato off to a flying start on her way to a World Junior record victory over 50m breaststroke at the European Championships in Glasgow – Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer

For Pilato, gold was greater than the clock. She said:

“I’m super satisfied! I don’t know what to say. I’m lost for my emotions, I don’t know what to say. I really wanted to win this one!”

Pilato won silver at the World long-course Championships in July, sandwiching Lilly King and Yulia Efimova, after setting a new national record of 29.98secs in the heats.

Today, Pilato said she had her eyes on a bigger prize, a place on the Italian Olympic team over 100m, a tougher task:

“I was more nervous here than at the World Championships. I was happy and thought I wanted to prove something to the others but instead it was for me. I didn’t look up to anyone as I have only just entered this world-class [realm] so I haven’t had the time to look up to anyone. I am training for the 100 breaststroke for Tokyo but there are a lot of other women in Italy that are training for the same thing and trying to get there.”

The official result sheets of all three rounds of the race today display a “WJ” marker next to Pilato’s times. Just the last one is true after she clocked a 29.41 Italian junior mark at the Nico Sappio meet last month, which, if ratified,

That effort last month made her the first holder of the new junior short-course record, the target time for swimmers eligible to break the mark set at 29.86 by FINA as it disregarded Meilutyte and all that had gone before.

Bernadetta Pilato walks out to her blocks on her way to a World Junior record victory over 50m breaststroke at the European Championships in Glasgow – Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer

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