European Championships: European Record by Italy in Mixed 400 Medley Relay Highlights Prelims

Photo Courtesy: Joao Marc Bosch

BERLIN, Germany, August 19. THE Italians had a strong day across the board, including a European record in the mixed 400-meter medley relay to close out day two prelims of the European Championships.

Scheduled Events

Men’s 200 free
Women’s 100 breast
Men’s 200 IM
Women’s 100 free
Mixed 400 medley relay
Men’s 1500 free

LIVE STREAM

LIVE RESULTS

Men’s 200 free

Photo Courtesy: Pamela Roberts

After just missing the men’s 400-meter freestyle finals last night, much to the disappointment of the home crowd, Germany’s Paul Biedermann did not mess around this morning. The world-record-holder charged through prelims with a 1:46.62, the only sub-1:47 of the morning. That swim came up just short of his seventh-ranked season best of 1:46.25 from German Nationals, and put him in place to make a run at the title.

Biedermann’s Splits:

25.18 (2) 51.97 (1)
26.79 1:19.35 (1)
27.38 1:46.62
27.27

Russia’s Artem Lobuzov snared second in 1:47.51 with The Netherlands’ Sebastiaan Verschuren qualifying third in 1:47.52. Hungary’s Dominik Kozma also cleared 1:48 with a fourth-place 1:47.99.

Serbia’s Velimir Stjepanovic, the 400 free victor, took fifth in 1:48.02, while Belgium’s Pieter Timmers took sixth in 1:48.06. Germany’s Clemens Rapp (1:48.08) and Italy’s Mitch D’Arrigo (1:48.24) also made the top half of the semifinalist field.

France’s Yannick Agnel, who also had a surprising miss in the 400 free yesterday, took ninth this morning in 1:48.27.

Italy’s Filippo Magnini (1:48.45), The Netherlands’ Dion Dreesens (1:48.59), Finland’s Matias Koski (1:48.73), Denmark’s Anders Lie (1:48.83), Austria’s David Brandl (1:48.87), Russia’s Alexander Sukhorukov (1:48.88) and Belgium’s Glenn Surgeloose (1:49.11) also made the semifinals.

The two-per-country final rule claimed a few swimmers in the 200 free. Germany’s Robin Backhaus (10th, 1:48.28), Germany’s Yannick Lebherz (13th, 1:48.70) and Russia’s Viacheslav Andrusenko (18th, 1:48.96) all missed moving on due to the rule.

Women’s 100 breast

Italy’s Arianna Castiglioni entered the top 20 in the world with a 1:07.50 to lead prelims this morning. That swim moved her up to 17th in the world, with a target of going much faster throughout the rest of the finals and semifinal rounds.

Castiglioni’s Splits:

32.54 (4) 1:07.50
34.96

Denmark’s Rikke Moeller Pedersen put up an easy-speed 1:07.57 to take second this morning. She has a lot more in the tank, already ranked third in the world this year with a 1:06.19 from the Danish Open. Czech’s Petra Chocova put up a 1:07.66 this morning for third, while Spain’s Jessica Vall Montero qualified fourth with a 1:07.83. Vall Montero will likely turn it up a notch in semis as she’s ranked ninth in the world with a 1:06.81 already this year.

Sweden’s Jennie Johansson (1:07.83), The Netherlands’ Moniek Nijhuis (1:08.16), Russia’s Vitalina Simonova (1:08.27) and Czech’s Martina Moravcikova (1:08.39) also turned in top eight swims.

Israel’s Amit Ivri (1:08.55), Ireland’s Fiona Doyle (1:08.77), Ukraine’s Mariya Liver (1:08.81), Germany’s Vanessa Grimberg (1:08.84), Russia’s Maria Astashkina (1:08.84), Belgium’s Fanny Lecluyse (1:08.97), Iceland’s Hilda Luthersdottir (1:09.12) and Italy’s Giulia De Ascentis (1:09.19) rounded out the rest of the semifinalist field.

Men’s 200 IM

Photo Courtesy: Joao Marc Bosch

Five-time Olympic medalist Laszlo Cseh of Hungary topped prelims this morning in the men’s 200-meter IM with a 1:59.17. He still has much more ground to make up if he intends on challenging his meet-record 1:56.66 from 2012, but his time this morning did move him to 19th in the world rankings. Cseh is vying for his fifth straight European title in the event.

Cseh’s Splits:

25.42 (1) 55.15 (1)
29.73 1:29.60 (1)
34.45 1:59.17
29.57

Germany’s Markus Deibler claimed the lion’s share of cheering from the home crowd with a second-seeded 1:59.60, while Great Britain’s Roberto Pavoni also cleared 2:00 with a third-seeded 1:59.89.

Spain’s Eduardo Solaeche Gomez (2:00.16), Germany’s Philip Heintz (2:00.18), Israel’s Yakov Toumarkin (2:00.32), Portugal’s Alexis Santos (2:00.54) and Israel’s Gal Nevo (2:00.83) wound up in the top eight, all under 2:01.

Sweden’s Simon Sjoedin (2:01.08), Greece’s Andreas Vazaios (2:01.17), Hungary’s David Verraszto (2:01.23), Portugal’s Diogo Carvalho (2:01.34), Italy’s Federico Turrini (2:01.61), Spain’s Albert Puig Garrich (2:01.61), Poland’s Marcin Cielak (2:01.86) and Russia’s Alexander Tikhonov (2:01.88) will also compete in the semifinals.

Women’s 100 free

Photo Courtesy: Joao Marc Bosch

Although Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom will claim the bulk of the attention during semis and finals after posting a 52.73 at the Eindhoven Swim Cup this summer to rank second in the world, The Netherlands’ Femke Heemskerk does not intend on just letting Sjostrom stroll to another European title. Heemskerk qualified first this morning with a 53.55, just off Britta Steffen’s meet record of 53.30 from 2006 as well as Heemskerk’s fourth-ranked season best of 53.39 also at the Eindhoven Swim Cup.

Heemskerk’s Splits:

25.83 (1) 53.55
27.72

Sjostrom captured the second seed with a time of 53.66, while compatriot Michelle Coleman tracked down the third seed with a 54.05.

Denmark’s Pernille Blume placed fourth in 54.28, while the Iron Lady Katinka Hosszu made semis in her third event out of 10 this week with a fifth-place 54.45.

Russia’s Veronika Popova (54.74), France’s Charlotte Bonnet (54.79) and The Netherlands’ Maud van der Meer (55.00) qualified sixth through eighth.

Bulgaria’s Nina Rangelova (55.07), Italy’s Erika Ferraioli (55.24), Russia’s Margarita Nesterova (55.31), Spain’s Fatima Gallardo Carapeto (55.35), Finland’s Hanna-Maria Seppala (55.49), France’s Anna Santamans (55.58), Italy’s Giada Galizi (55.62) and Norway’s Cecilie Johannessen (55.68) also made their way into the semifinals.

Two-per-country rule victims were Sweden’s Louise Hansson (9th, 55.06), The Netherlands’ Esmee Vermeulen (11th, 55.18), Russia’s Arina Openysheva (16th, 55.52).

Mixed 400 medley relay

Italy and Great Britain had a strong fight in the first of two heats in the mixed event with both teams eclipsing Russia’s European record of 3:49.05 set in July of this year in Dordrecht, The Netherlands. Italy, however, led prelims by touching out Great Britain, 3:48.57 to 3:48.82, to head into finals with the continental mark. Chiara Masini Luccetti keyed the win for Italy by overtaking GBR’s Rebecca Turner down the stretch.

Italy’s Splits:

CICCARESE Christopher – 54.64
TONIATO Andrea – 1:00.40
BIANCHI Ilaria – 57.82
MASINI LUCCETTI Chiara – 55.71

Great Britain’s Splits:

DAVIES Georgia – 1:00.15
MURDOCH Ross – 59.31
BARRETT Adam – 52.54
TURNER Rebecca – 56.82

Germany (3:49.46), Russia (3:51.94), The Netherlands (3:53.47), Slovakia (3:54.19), Finland (3:55.45) and Austria (3:57.15) will return as part of the championship heat as well.

Men’s 1500 free

Photo Courtesy: Joao Marc Bosch

Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri, who is ranked second in the world with a 14:44.50 from the Italian Spring Nationals, cruised through prelims of the metric mile en route to a 14:54.75. He is the odds-on favorite heading into the finale of the event.

Paltrinieri’s Splits:

27.09(1) 56.28(1) 1:55.47(1) 2:55.13(1) 3:55.49(1) 4:55.80(1) 5:55.92(1) 6:55.70(1) 7:55.17(1) 8:55.18(1) 9:55.73(1) 10:56.11(1) 11:56.38(1) 12:56.24(1) 13:55.93(1)

Fellow Italian, Gabriele Detti, also cleared 15:00 to take second with a 14:59.24 as the two will put on a show during the championship finale.

Great Britain’s Stephen Milne (15:04.86), Hungary’s Gergely Gyurta (15:05.13), Great Britain’s Jay Lelliott (15:06.88), Slovakia’s Richard Nagy (15:07.29), Faroe Islands’ Pal Joensen (15:08.02) and Spain’s Antonio Arroyo Perez (15:11.86) will also compete in the championship eight.

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