European Championships, Day Three Prelims: Kristof Milak Launches Quest for Fourth Straight 100 Fly Title
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- Day 1 prelims report
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Kristof Milak launched his quest for a fourth straight 100 fly title on the third day of prelims at the European Championships in Paris.
Marrit Steenbergen returned to the Olympic Aquatic Centre the morning after 100 free gold and an historic relay split as the Netherlands won mixed medley silver to safely navigate the 200 free and 50 back heats.
The composition of tonight’s women’s 400IM and 4×100 free finals were also decided.
Women’s 200m Freestyle
Barbora Seemanova led the way as she launched the defence of the title she’s won at two of the last editions.
The Czechia athlete struck gold at Belgrade 2024, three years after victory at the 2021 edition in Budapest.
She posted 1:57.10 in Paris ahead of Lithuania’s Ieva Jurkunaite (1:57.28) and Linda Roth (1:57.60). Steenbergen was fourth through in 1:58.00, conserving some energy with the 50 back prelims to come later in the session.
Men’s 100m Butterfly
This promises to be a ding-dong battle of the highest quality with the Olympic champion, world champion and world silver medallist among the field.
Noè Ponti had a goggles mishap in the 50 fly final on Tuesday which clearly affected his performance as he fell to eighth. The Swiss – second at the 2025 worlds in Singapore – posted 50.47 to lead the way.
Milak has won the 100/200 fly double at the last three editions although the Hungarian isn’t entered into the longer race in the French capital.
He won Olympic gold a few miles across the city at La Defense Arena two years ago and posted 50.81.
Maxime Grousset’s appearance for the seventh and final heat saw the crowd volume crank up a couple of notches with the Frenchman returning after relay gold and 50 fly silver on Tuesday. The world champion and European record holder posted 51.03 with the three men leading the way into the semis.
Among those progressing are Ed Mildred, Hubert Kos, Andrei Minakov and Alberto Razzetti.
Of note was Thomas Ceccon’s absence. The Italian was due to go alongside Grousset in the final prelim but didn’t appear.
Women’s 50m Backstroke
Sara Curtis was back in the water the morning after bronze in the 100 free behind a Dutch 1-2 of Steenbergen and Milou van Wijk.
The Italian arrived in Paris as the newly-minted European record holder following her 27.07 blast at the Sette Colli meet in Rome. She posted 27.31 to lead the way into the semifinals.
Mary-Ambre Moluh set a European record over 100m on leadoff as France won the mixed medley relay on Tuesday and she sits second in 27.39.
Steenbergen, Analia Pigree and Alina Gaifutdinova all posted 27.61 followed by the Netherlands’ Tessa Giele (27.64).
Beryl Gastaldello went 27.75 to make it three Frenchwomen in the top seven. However, the two-per-nation rule came into play with the three-time relay champion eliminated.
Men 200m Breaststroke
Kirill Prigoda led four men on 2:09 into the semis as the two-per-nation rule struck once more.
Prigoda, representing the Neutral Athletes B team, posted 2:09.47 followed by world junior champion and Commonwealth gold medallist Filip Nowacki (2:09.47) and Olympic bronze medallist Caspar Corbeau (2:09.66).
Aleksandr Zhigalov was the second NAB athlete home in 2:09.84 ahead of Ireland’s Jack Kelly (2:10.14) with Daniil Pisetski making it three Neutral Athletes in the top six in 2:10.29. However, as the third fastest, Pisetski won’t progress
Women’s 400IM
There were just 14 entries across two prelims of the long IM in a region that has numbered the likes of Katinka Hosszu, Hannah Miley, Aimee Willmott and Mireia Belmonte among its ranks in recent years.
A strong freestyle propelled Justina Kozan to top spot in 4:40.47 ahead of Commonwealth silver medallist Amalie Smith (4:40.56) and Vivien Jackl (4:40.71), the pair reunited once more after gold and silver at the European juniors in Munich.
Also progressing were Alba Vazquez Ruiz, Giada Alzetta, Ellen Walshe and reigning champion Anastasia Gorbenko as Anna Pirovano clinched the eighth and final spot in 4:43.09.
Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay
The NAB quartet booked lane four in 3:36.61 ahead of the Netherlands for whom a 52.87 anchor by 100 free silver medallist Milou van Wijk steered them into lane five in 3:36.84.
Marrit Steenbergen, the individual champion, will slot in a day after her historic 50.87 anchor as the Dutch won mixed medley silver. She also has the 200 free and 50 back semis.
Beryl Gastaldello missed out on progression from the 50 back semis thanks to the two-per-nation rule but she anchored the French to third in 3:37.05.
Hungary, Spain, Great Britain, Italy and Germany all made it through with Sweden the ones to miss out by 0.14 in ninth although it’s unclear whether Sarah Sjostrom would’ve competed.
