European Junior Swimming Championships, Helsinki (FIN), Day 3

Vaskina breaks EJR, Frankel wins 100m free by 0.01

A great day for Israel: a thrilling win for Tomer Frankel in the men’s 100m free then a stunning relay gold in the men’s 4x200m free. Team GB and Hungary also claimed two titles apiece but Russia bettered them all again with three golds. Daria Vaskina came first in the 50m back with a new junior European record.

Podium MILAK Kristof HUN Gold Medal BURDISSO Federico ITA Silver Medal KESIL’ Denys UKR Bronze Medal 200 Butterfly Men Finals LEN 45th European Junior Swimming Championships Helsinki, Finland MŠkelŠnrinne Swimming Centre Day03 06-07-2018 Photo Andrea Masini/Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto

Podium MAKAROVA Anastasia R. RUS Gold Medal CHEKHOVSKIKH Alena RUS Silver Medal TETEREVKOVA Kotryna LTU Bronze Medal 200 Breaststroke Women Finals LEN 45th European Junior Swimming Championships Helsinki, Finland MŠkelŠnrinne Swimming Centre Day03 06-07-2018 Photo Andrea Masini/Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto

Podium FRANKEL Tomer ISR Gold Medal MINAKOV Andrei RUS Silver Medal ZORZETTO Devid ITA Bronze Medal 100 Freestyle Men Finals LEN 45th European Junior Swimming Championships Helsinki, Finland MŠkelŠnrinne Swimming Centre Day03 06-07-2018 Photo Andrea Masini/Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto

Podium DEAN Thomas GBR Gold Medal STUPIN Maksim RUS Silver Medal ZAYTSEV Danil RUS Bronze Medal 200 Medley Men Finals LEN 45th European Junior Swimming Championships Helsinki, Finland MŠkelŠnrinne Swimming Centre Day03 06-07-2018 Photo Andrea Masini/Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto

Podium VASKINA Daria RUS Gold Medal COX Lauren GBR Silver Medal D’INNOCENZO Giulia ITA Bronze Medal 50 Backstroke Women Finals LEN 45th European Junior Swimming Championships Helsinki, Finland MŠkelŠnrinne Swimming Centre Day03 06-07-2018 Photo Andrea Masini/Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto

Podium GERASIMENKO Vladislav RUS Gold Medal RUDAVS Didzis LAT Silver Medal DIJKSTRA Juri Benjamin NED Bronze Medal 50 Breaststroke Men Finals LEN 45th European Junior Swimming Championships Helsinki, Finland MŠkelŠnrinne Swimming Centre Day03 06-07-2018 Photo Andrea Masini/Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto

Podium KESELY Ajna HUN Gold Medal RIEDER Celine GER Silver Medal SALIN Giulia ITA Bronze Medal 1500 Freestyle Women Finals LEN 45th European Junior Swimming Championships Helsinki, Finland MŠkelŠnrinne Swimming Centre Day03 06-07-2018 Photo Andrea Masini/Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto

Podium Team Israel ISR Gold Medal Russian Federation RUS Silver Medal Team Great Britain GBR Bronze Medal 4X200 Freestyle Men Relay Finals LEN 45th European Junior Swimming Championships Helsinki, Finland MŠkelŠnrinne Swimming Centre Day03 06-07-2018 Photo Andrea Masini/Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto

Podium Team Great Britain GBR Gold Medal Russian Federation RUS Silver Medal Team Germany GER Bronze Medal 4X100 Mixed Women Relay Finals LEN 45th European Junior Swimming Championships Helsinki, Finland MŠkelŠnrinne Swimming Centre Day03 06-07-2018 Photo Andrea Masini/Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto

Tomer Frankel won a thriller in the blue-ribband event among the men: the Israeli led all the way in the 100m free, Russia’s Andrei Minakov staged a great finish, still, his rival touched in first, by just 0.01sec, the tiniest margin possible. Frankel was back for more at the end of the day and he anchored Israel’s 4x200m free relay to another gold. His country claimed three titles in the previous 44 editions, now they got two in two hours.

Great Britain also enjoyed a great day, both their golds came with Championship Records respectively: Thomas Dean bested the field in the 200m medley and the women’s medley relay also did a splendid job.

Hungary’s Kristof Milak sent his message No. 2 of the year for his senior peers: after his stunning 1:52.71 from late March (third best-ever in textile) in the 200m fly, he swam inside 1:54 for the second time in the season, while only Nao Horomura (JPN) could do the same once in the spring, no other. He completed a hat-trick in this event, just like Anna Kesely, who captured her third straight gold in the 1500m free. It was her fourth here in Helsinki, while she has 14 altogether – and counting…

Russia marched on to retain its usual top position both on the medal table and in the team trophy contest. Three more titles they grabbed on Day 3, Darina Vaskina’s triumph in the 50m back was the most spectacular as she set the first junior European Record of the meet (27.90), by bettering her own mark from the spring. Vladislav Gerasimenko won the other dash final, the men’s 50m breast while Anastasia Makarova and Alena Chekhovskikh achieved a 1-2 in the women’s 200m breast.

The Russians staged another outstanding day with a 7-medal haul (3-3-1) and they already have double digits for gold (10), just one less they claimed a year ago in the entire event in Netanya.

Champions, Day 3

Men
100m free: Tomer Frankel (ISR) 49.23
50m breast: Vladislav Gerasimenko (RUS) 28.03
200m fly: Kristof Milak (HUN) 1:53.94
200m IM: Thomas Dean (GBR) 1:59.17 CR
4x200m free: Israel 7:16.28
(Denis Loktev, Gal Cohen Groumi, Bar Soloveychuk, Tomer Frankel)

Women
1500m free: Ajna Kesely (HUN) 16:21.19
50m back: Daria Vaskina (RUS) 27.90 EJR
200m breast: Anastasia Makarova (RUS) 2:26.29
4x100m medley: Great Britain 4:02.48 CR
(Lily Boseley, Tatiana Belongoff, Emily Large, Freya Anderson)

Medal standings

For detailed results and free live streaming please visit www.len.eu

Press release from LEN, photos courtesy of Deepbluemedia/Andrea Masini