Roos Vanotterdijk & Vlad-Stefan Stancu Set National Records As Nikoletta Padar Secures Third Gold

LEN Juniores Swimming European Championship Bucharest 2022

Roos Vanotterdijk: Photo Courtesy: Simone Castrovillari

Roos Vanotterdijk set a Belgian record of 57.85 in the women’s 100 fly, Nikoletta Padar claimed her third title and David Popovici went 22.17 in the 50 free semis at the European Junior Championships.

Sixteen-year-old Vlad-Stefan Stancu lowered Dragos Coman’s Romanian 1500 free standard to 15:05.47 – a record that had stood since the 2004 Olympics – as he became the second Romanian man to top the podium in solo events in Bucharest after Popovici.

Nina Sandrine Jazy won the women’s 50 free and Yigit Oktar claimed the men’s 200IM.

Vanotterdijk was second, 0.67 behind defending champion Lana Pudar, at the halfway point of the 100 fly before overhauling the 16-year-old with a second 50 of 30.16 to win by 0.03.

Splitting 27.69/30.16, the 17-year-old claimed her second medal of the meet following her 50 back bronze.

It consigned to history Kimberley Buys‘ national standard of 57.91 from Rio 2016, a time she matched a year later at the national championships, with Vanotterdijk only the second Belgian woman inside 58.

Vanotterdijk’s time was also considerably swifter than the 58.44 in which Pudar came eighth at last month’s World Championships.

Pudar, of Bosnia and Herzegovina, touched in 57.88 and Julia Ullmann of Switzerland was third in 59.39.

Otterdijk said:

“I usually don’t start so strong, relying more on my second 50m.

“I didn’t look around, I didn’t know where Lana (Pudar) was swimming, I focused only on myself, on my swim.

“This has been a hard year for me so far, I did not come here with big expectations. Then yesterday I felt really good, for the first time in the season, and I thought, OK, that might be a personal best, or something nice.

“But winning, it didn’t cross my mind, so I’m really happy now.”

Stancu Storms Home For National Record

Vlad-Stefan Stancu: Photo Courtesy: Simone Castrovillari

Krzysztof Chmielewski – winner of the 200 fly – set the pace in the 1500 free final with Stancu tracking him.

The Romanian – who turns 17 next month – gradually ate into the deficit – at one point trading the lead – until the 1150 mark when he was just 0.16 adrift.

Stancu made his move and led by 1200, moving away with a last 150 of 1min 26.99secs (27.80/29.34/29.85) guiding him past the mark of 15:06.33 held for almost 18 years by Coman.

Chmielewski was second in 15:13.46 with Emir Batur Albayrak of Turkey third home in 15:15.24.

Stancu said:

“The race was planned and built according to our plans.

“I knew that if I could switch gears as expected, then I would win this race, though I didn’t know how the others would react.

“I’m happy that I succeeded like this. It was amazing to compete here, in my hometown, in front of our fans, it was fantastic!”

Triple Gold For Padar; Jazy Atop The Podium

Gold medallists 4×200, Hungary: Photo Courtesy: Simone Castrovillari

Padar made up a deficit of 3.27secs on leaders Italy as she guided Hungary to 4×2 gold with an anchor leg of 1:57.29 as the quartet went inside 8mins in 7:59.04, just 0.05 outside their own championship record of 7:58.99 set in 2017.

It was her third title in two nights after she defended her 200 free title and won the mixed free on Wednesday.

She said:

“Our main goal was to set a new national record, which is also the championship record from 2017, but we missed it by a tiny margin of five hundredths.

“Still, I think we all gave our utmost so I’m really proud of the girls. It was a great swim, I’m feeling nothing but fatigue – and of course happiness!”

Italy were second in 8:08.93 with Britain taking bronze in 8:13.42.

Germany’s Jazy took the 50 free crown in 25.22 ahead of Romania’s Bianca Costea (25.34) and Sara Curtis of Italy (25.39).

There were no German women on the podium last year at the Foro Italico but this year’s meet so far indicates healthier times ahead.

Coming into the session they had already claimed two bronze medals through Julia Barth in the 1500 free and the 4×100 free relay, much down to Jazy who propelled them from fourth to third with a 54.65 anchor leg, the swiftest time in the field.

Jazy beamed:

““I’m super happy right now! Deep in my mind I had a thought that it would be great today – and I made
it!

“I think my swim was good, the start, the speed, the finish, everything.”

Yigit Oktar: Photo Courtesy: Simone Castrovillari

Oktar led throughout to claim a dominant victory in the men’s 200IM, a year after fellow Turkish swimmer Berke Saka was crowned.

Splitting 26.25/56.57 (30.42)/1:32.15 (35.48) before coming home in 28.53 for a 2:00.68 victory, almost two seconds clear of Italian Simone Spediacci whose 29.01 final 50 propelled him from third to second.

Fifth at the final turn, Michal Piela turned on the turbos with a 28.91 last lap taking him into third in 2:02.77.

Oktar said:

“I was so nervous before the race but now I’m very much relieved.

“I trained so hard for this event, so many people and the federation did so many things to support me so I really felt I must deliver here.

“I think the swim was more or less fine, my breaststroke was a bit shaky, I didn’t feel the rhythm but once I turned to the free, my confidence came back, I looked around, I saw I was still leading and now here I’m, the European champion. It’s great, it’s a relief for me.”

Semi-Final Round-Up

Popovici heads into Friday’s 50 free final in pole position and with Norbert Trandafir’s national record of 21.98 in his sights.

Trandafir, a three-time Olympian, set the record at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona.

Behind him come Alex Painter of Britain (22.61) and Nans Mazellier of France in 22.66.

Oleksandr Zheltyakov: Photo Courtesy: Simone Castrovillari

Ukrainian 16-year-old Oleksandr Zheltyakov went 1:58.30 to set the pace in the 200 back ahead of 50 champion Ksawery Masiuk (1:58.47) and Apostolos Sisokos of Greece (1:59.18).

Zheltyakov – who doesn’t turn 17 until November – set a national record of 1:57.18 at Hungarian Nationals in April.

He also holds the Ukrainian 100 back standard of 53.98 recorded en-route to silver at last year’s edition in Rome.

Dara Molnar – who turned 16 last week – qualified first for the women’s 200 back final in 2:11.24, the Hungarian booking lane four alongside Poland’s defending champion Laura Bernat who clocked 2:11.65, the pair the only women inside 2:12.

Just 0.06secs separates the top three qualifiers in the men’s 100 fly led by French pair Ethan Dumesnil (53.30) and Yohan Airaud (53.34) followed by Daniel Gracik of the Czech Republic (53.36).

Also through in fourth was 200 silver medallist Michal Chmielewski of Poland.

Justine Delmas led three women on 2:27 into the final as she seeks to defend her title in 2:27.00 ahead of Britain’s Sienna Robinson (2:27.52) and Defne Coskun (2:27.56).

Eneli Jefimova, last year’s silver medallist, was through in fourth.

Lucien Vergnes of France booked lane four in the men’s equivalent in 2:13.36 ahead of Britain’s George Smith (2:14.86) and Luka Mladenovic of Austria (2:14.87).

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