O’Connor Shows Speed In And Out Of The Pool In Heats At European Championships

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European Short-Course Championships

Glasgow, Day 4 Heats

Siobhan O’Connor paid little heed to a mad dash to the blocks following the 100m butterfly to post the best time in the heats of the 200m individual medley on the fourth morning of the European Short-Course Championships in Glasgow.

The Olympic silver medallist progressed ahead of Switzerland’s Maria Ugolkova and Katinka Hosszu who is looking to complete the IM triple after gold in the 100 and 200m.

Vladislav Grinev and fellow Russian Vladislav Morozov lead the way into the semis of the 100m freestyle ahead of Duncan Scott while Federica Pellegrini reached the 200 free final.

O’Connor progressed to the semi-finals of the 100m butterfly in 58.17 – headed by Italy’s Elena Di Liddo in 56.46 – before a quicker-than-expected turnaround necessitated speed both in and out of the water although the Briton was apparently unaffected as she led the medley in 2:08.92 ahead of Ugolkova (2:09.05) and Hosszu (2:09.12).

She told Swimming World:

“It was a bit of a dirty double this morning. I had the 100 fly and I thought I had quite a bit longer in between but I literally nearly missed my race, the 200 medley.

“I literally had to sprint all the way through! But it was good – I just wanted to race tough this morning.

“I think in the back of my mind in the 100 fly I knew I had the 200 medley soon so I just wanted to make it through in the 100 fly.

“Tonight the 200IM is before the 100 fly so it’s a better way round. It was just getting through this morning that I wanted to do.”

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Grinev, who at 23 is four years Morozov’s junior, is the Russian long-course record holder and touched here in 46.16.

Morozov’s personal best is just 0.01 outside Amaury Leveaux’s world record of 44.94 set at the 2008 edition in Rijeka, Croatia, when the world of swimming had tumbled into a crevice of its own making with the shiny-suits that so distorted the sport.

Morozov had swum within a hair’s breadth at the World Cup in Singapore in November 2018 and he has been on scorching form in the Tollcross pool this week.

A European record in the 50m breaststroke was followed by 50m freestyle gold on Friday, ahead of Florent Manaudou in his first solo international final since his return but outside the Frenchman’s world record which he so coveted.

He swam well within himself in the heats to touch in 46.46 with Scott third through in 46.72 and the promise of a sizzling semi-final to come tonight.

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Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

Pellegrini reached the 200m freestyle final as she seeks her third European title and first since 2015.

The Italian was third through in 1:55.22 with the Netherlands’ Femke Heemskerk, 2017 silver medallist, leading the way in 1:55.03, 0.06 ahead of Barbora Seemanova of the Czech Republic.

Freya Anderson, who claimed her first senior international medal with 100m gold on Friday, also progressed in fourth.

Oleg Kostin, 2019 world silver medallist, heads the field in the 50 fly in 22.52, 0.04 ahead of Manaudou.

Andreas Vazaios, who set a European record on the way to 200IM gold on Friday, heads the 100IM field in 51.89 with Duncan Scott hitting a Scottish mark to become the third fastest Briton behind James Goddard and Liam Tancock in 52.49 for fourth.

Beryl Gastaldello of France was 0.3secs off Sanja Jovanovic‘s championship record from 2009 in the 50 back in 26.00.

Russia and Poland both clocked 1:30.84 in the mixed 4x50m freestyle ahead of Great Britain in 1:30.90.

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