European Championships, Day 3 Heats: Kolesnikov Blasts 52.32 100 Back, 2:07.39 200Br For Kamminga

MEN - 50M BACKSTROKE - FINAL KOLESNIKOV Kliment RUS Russia Celebrate World Record Swimming Budapest - Hungary 18/5/2021 Duna Arena XXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Kliment Kolesnikov: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto

Kliment Kolesnikov once more demonstrated he has titles and records in his sights as he went 52.32 in the 100 back heats at the European Championships in Budapest.

Arno Kamminga returned from his silver medal in the 100 breaststroke on Tuesday night to post 2:07.39 over 200, a time that would have secured gold at the 2016 Olympics.

Federica Pellegrini made it through to the 200 free semis and Boglarka Kapas leads the way in the 200 fly.

Defending champion Jeremy Desplanches was fastest into the 200IM semis along with 14-time continental champion Laszlo Cseh at his 10th European Championships in what is his sole event at the Duna Arena.

At 35, Cseh is the second-oldest man at the meet behind only Poland’s Pawel Korzeniowski and made his European debut at Berlin 2002 when fellow Hungarian and 200 fly world record-holder Kristof Milak was two years old.

Great Britain head the field into the men’s 4×200 relay final.

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Men’s 200IM

Desplanches went in the fourth heat, sandwiched between world junior record-holder Ilya Borodin and fellow 18-year-old Hubert Kos.

The Swiss was controlled throughout and touched in 1:58.10 ahead of 2018 bronze medallist Max Litchfield (1:58.12) and Kos (1:58.87).

Duncan Scott, who withdrew from the 100 free on Tuesday due to a heavy schedule, won the final heat after overturning an 0.03 deficit at the last turn to touch in 1:58.14 ahead of Cseh.

Qualifiers:

Photo Courtesy: len.eu

Women’s 200 Fly

World champion Boglarka Kapas was the only woman to go sub-2:08 as she booked her place at the head of the semis in 2:07.61 as she started the defence of her title.

Kapas led home fellow Hungarian and Olympic champion Katinka Hosszu in 2:08.36 with Britain’s Laura Stephens next swiftest in 2:09.15.

Qualifiers:

Photo Courtesy:

Men’s 100 Backstroke

Kolesnikov already has two world records and as many gold medals to his name after two days and Wednesday evening could well see him once again write further entries in the record books.

The 20-year-old already has five golds among eight European medals and on Wednesday evening goes in the 100 free final – in which Alain Bernard’s continental mark of 47.12 has stood since the super-suited days of 2009 – and the 100 back semis where Camille Lacourt holds the mark of 52.11.

Kolesnikov went in the penultimate heat and at 50 he was under European record pace at halfway, turning in 25.41, with a second 50 of 26.91 guiding him home 0.98 ahead of the next swimmer, Yohann Ndoye Brouard, the young Frenchman stopping the clock at 53.24.

His fellow Russian, and national record-holder Evgeny Rylov, went in the final heat and moved from sixth at 50 to touch first in 53.37.

Robert Glinta lowered his Romanian record to 53.26, slicing 0.06 from the mark he set almost exactly three years ago at the national championships.

Qualifiers:

Photo Courtesy: len.eu

Women’s 200 Free

Pellegrini has had a career of astonishing longevity.

The Italian claimed her first senior international medal with silver in the 200 free at the 2004 Olympics, aged 16.

In little more than eight weeks, the 32-year-old will compete at her fifth Olympics in Tokyo, 17 years after her Games debut.

In that time she has amassed titles at all international levels including 2008 Olympic gold and has stood on the podium at every World Championships since 2005 with gold at the last two editions.

She moved through to the 200 semis in third in 1:58.48 behind Barbora Seemanova (1:58.25) and defending champion Charlotte Bonnet (1:58.33).

Qualifiers:

Photo Courtesy: len.eu

Men’s 200 Breaststroke

Kamminga had never won an international long-course medal before he claimed silver in the 100 behind Adam Peaty.

The Netherlands swimmer was seventh in this event in Glasgow in 2:09.87 but has made extraordinary progress since then.

The three-time European short-course champion split 28.93/32.94/32.95 before coming home in 32.57.

The Russian, who set the world record of 2:06.12 at Gwangju 2019, went in the final heat and safely got through in 2:09.44, fourth fastest.

Matty Mattson lowered his Finnish record to 2:08.43 in second with Kirill Prigoda of Russia third in 2:09.21.

Also through were 2016 champion Ross Murdoch and 100 silver medallist James Wilby.

Qualifiers:

Photo Courtesy: len.eu

Men’s 4×200 relay

Great Britain have won medals in all the relays so far and the quartet of Max Litchfield (1:47.70), Calum Jarvis (1:48.47), Matt Richards (1:46.69) and James Guy – whose 1:45.72 anchor was the fastest leg of the entire two heats – booked top spot in 7:08.58.

The British have Tom Dean and Duncan Scott to come in as they look to defend their title with the championship record of 7:05.32 in their sights.

Russia were second through in 7:08.58 with Italy third in 7:10.26.

Also through were France, Switzerland, Ireland, Spain and Belgium.

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