Gregorio Paltrinieri Passes a Legend at European Championships

Gian Mattia D'Alberto / lapresse 19-08-2014 Berlino sport 32mi Campionati Europei LEN di nuoto nella foto: Gregorio Paltrinieri Gian Mattia D'Alberto / lapresse 19-08-2014 Berlin 32rd LEN European Swimming In the photo: Gregorio Paltrinieri

Photo Courtesy: Gian Mattia Dalberto/Lapresse

By David Rieder

Under world record-pace for much of the swim, it was evident Gregorio Paltrinieri was on his way to a special performance in the 1500 free at the European Championships. Sure, he fell three seconds short of that mark‒Sun Yang’s blistering final 100 proved too much for the Italian‒but in the process Paltrinieri passed a legend on the all-time list.

It’s tough to argue that Grant Hackett is not the greatest distance swimmer of all-time. Hackett won gold in the 1500 at both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and is one of just two men to win a single World title four consecutive times‒1500 free in 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2005. At that 2005 meet Hackett swept World titles in the 400, 800 and 1500 and finished second to Michael Phelps in the 200 on his way to being named Swimming World Swimmer of the Year.

But Hackett’s finest performance came at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka when he set his only world record in the 1500 free, a 14:34.56 that was a performance ahead of its time. Hackett clobbered Kieren Perkins’ existing world mark by more than seven seconds, and that mark would last for a decade‒the only men’s long course world record to survive the tech suit era.

It took an incredible swim for Sun Yang to break that mark at the 2011 World Championships with his 14:34.14, and the Chinese distance ace broke the mark again a year later at the London Olympics with a 14:31.02. Paltrinieri finished fourth in that Olympic final, more than 20 seconds back at 14:51.92. But on Wednesday, in the very same London pool, Paltrinieri recorded the second-fastest time in history.

Paltrinieri was certainly favored heading into the European final. He won last year’s World title after Sun did not show up under mysterious circumstances, becoming just the fifth-fastest performer in history with his 14:39.67. But many questioned whether Sun might have won that title had he been in the race, especially after the Chinese ace had already captured gold in the 400 and 800 earlier in the week.

A year later, and the roles are reversed‒Paltrinieri looks like the world’s dominant distance man. Since the Olympic final in 2012, Mack Horton (14:39.54 last month) is the only other man besides Paltrinieri to break 14:40, but that time is in a different stratosphere compared to what Paltrinieri just put up. Paltrinieri moved into the company of legends with his European Champs performance, and he could very well join them as Olympic champions come August.

*Sarah Sjostrom’s all-around excellence on display. The Swede won her second European title of the week on Wednesday in the 100 free, her 52.82 just a touch slower than her 52.78 that ranks third in the world this year. The greatness of Katie Ledecky and the consistency of Katinka Hosszu have overshadowed Sjostrom the past few years, but she can lay claim to the title of the best all-around female swimmer in the world.

Sjostrom will be a bona fide contender for Olympic gold in the 100 free, and she had the top time in the world last year in the 200 free‒and will no doubt be hoping to send a message to Ledecky in that event when it comes around on the schedule this weekend. But on Thursday Sjostrom begins a quest for the third European title of her career in the event that first made her famous, the 100 fly.

Sjostrom won the event as a 14-year-old on the continental level in 2008 and a year later claimed the world title and world record at the 2009 World Champs in Rome. She reclaimed the mark from Dana Vollmer a year ago in Kazan with a 55.64‒which she almost broke earlier this year in Stockholm, coming up just short with a 55.68. Sjostrom will be in some of the most competitive races of this summer’s Olympics, but picking her for gold in the 100 fly seems as safe a bet as one will find.

*Ruta Meilutyte still going strong in 100 breast. Like Sjostrom, Meilutyte also had quick success while still quite young‒just 15 at the time, she upset Rebecca Soni to win gold in the 100 breast in 2012. She set a world record a year later, clocking 1:04.35 in the semifinals of the World Championships before winning gold in the finale. She has finished each of the past four years ranked first in the world and won a silver at last year’s World Championships.

It must have been strange for Meilutyte to step up for the 100 breast final at the European Championships without longtime Russian rival Yuliya Efimova, currently suspended after testing positive for meldonium. Indeed, there could be a lot of fresh faces in the field when Meilutyte returns to the Olympics to defend her gold medal in August.

Look no further than American teenager Lilly King, who just this past weekend blasted a 1:05.73 at the Arena Pro Swim meet in Charlotte and in March swept the breaststroke events at the NCAA Championships. Ironically, King and Meilutyte are both 19 years old‒one of the two just has a little more international experience.

*Matias Koski impressive in European finals debut. That name should be a familiar one to fans from the southeastern United States since Koski grew up swimming for Dynamo in Atlanta and now represents Georgia, for whom he won the 2015 NCAA title in the mile and finished second in the 200 free this season.

But Koski represents Finland internationally, and on Wednesday he swam in his first European final in the 200 free‒and it was the best race of his international career. Koski finished fourth in 1:46.98, and he should be in the mix for a top-16 finish at the Olympics if he can replicate that time. For a guy that did not even finish in the top-50 in any event at Worlds last year and was 11th in the 200 free this week in London, that would be a big step.

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Cynthia Granata

7 years ago

Caitlin Jokubaitis. Also of the tribe!