Singapore has broken its away-from-home gold medal record in swimming at the SEA Games. The tally rose to 23 on Dec 9. Team Singapore’s previous best performance was 19 when Malaysia hosted the Games two years ago.

Relive some of the action from the Swim England National Winter Championships 2019.

Russia storms to 13 gold, Morozov finishes with 7 titles, Italy clinches Championship Trophy

Russia added 6 gold medals to its tally on the closing day in Glasgow to top the medal charts with 13, almost tying Germany’s all-time record of 14 titles from the very first edition in Rostock 1996. Vladimir Morozov indeed set a  new record by clinching 7 titles (he won the 100m free and was part of the  victorious medley relay on Sunday) – this is the best-ever single-edition individual haul in history. Team-mate Kliment Kolesnikov and Netherlands’  Kira Toussaint received 20.000 euros each as the top performers of the meet, while Italy claimed the Championship Trophy.

TEMNIKOVA Mariia Russia RUS Gold Medal RENSHAW Molly Great Britain GBR Silver Medal CARRARO Martina Italy ITA Bronze Medal 200 breaststroke women Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

MOROZOV Vladimir Russia RUS Gold Medal 100 freestyle men Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

MOROZOV Vladimir Russia RUS Gold Medal MIRESSI Alessandro Italy ITA Silver Medal GRINEV Vladislav Russia RUS Bronze Medal 100 freestyle men Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

VAZAIOS Andreas Greece GRE Bronze Medal 100 Individual Medley men Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

SHKURDAI Anastasiya Belasus BLR Gold Medal DI LIDDO Elena Italy ITA Bronze Medal NTOUNTOUNAKI Anna Greece GRE Bronze Medal 100 butterfly women Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

KOLESNIKOV Kliment Russia RUS Gold Medal FESIKOV Sergei Russia RUS Silver Medal VAZAIOS Andreas Greece GRE Bronze Medal 100 Individual Medley men Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

QUADARELLA Simona Italy ITA Gold Medal GOSE Isabel Marie Germany GER Silver Medal KESELY Ajna Hungary HUN Bronze Medal 400 freestyle women Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

VAZAIOS Andreas Greece GRE Gold Medal KLENZ Ramon Germany GER Silver Medal GUY James Great Britain GBR Bronze Medal 200 butterfly men Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

KAMENEVA Maria Russia RUS Gold Medal HENIQUE Melanie France FRA Silver Medal BLUME Pernille Denmark DEN Bronze Medal 50 freestyle women Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

KOLESNIKOV Kliment Russia RUS Gold Medal DIENER Christian Germany GER Silver Medal RYAN Shane Ireland IRL Bronze Medal 50 backstroke men Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Team Poland Gold Medal 4×50 medley relay women Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Team Poland Gold Medal Team Italy Silver Medal Team Russia Bronze Medal 4×50 medley relay women Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Team Russia Gold Medal Team Hungary Silver Medal Team Belarus Bronze Medal 4×50 medley relay men Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

KOLESNIKOV Kliment Russia RUS, TOUSSAINT Kira Netherlands NED Best Performers Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Italy Championships Trophy Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

MOROZOV Vladimir Russia RUS Gold Medal MIRESSI Alessandro Italy ITA Silver Medal GRINEV Vladislav Russia RUS Bronze Medal 100 freestyle men Final Glasgow 08/12/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Russia stood with 7 gold medals before the closing day then almost doubled that number amassing six in the last session thanks to a series of remarkable swims.

Vladimir Morozov pulled off his third individual title by winning the 100m free with ease, then he was part of Russia’s triumphant medley relay, together with Kliment Kolesnikov who bagged two individual golds in an hour (100m IM, 50m back). Morozov finished the meet with 7 golds, eclipsing Katinka Hosszu’s record of 6 gold and 1 silver (though the Hungarian claimed all in individual events in Netanya 2015). Kolesnikov was just one shy with six titles.

The Russian women brought two more to the treasury this evening: Mariia Temnikova won the 200m breast with a great finish ahead of GB’s Molly Renshaw and Maria Kameneva touched in first in the 50m free – this was  Russia’s first-ever medal in the dash, stylishly a gold.

So six out of 10 went to the Russians – the remaining four were won by four different nations. Italy’s Simona Quadarella came first in a brilliant race in the 400m free, ahead of Germany’s Isabel Gose and Hungary’s Ajna Kesely. It was a neck-by-neck battle from the halfway turn but in the end, Quadarella managed to add this one to her crown in the 800m free – and snatch the firstever Italian win in this distance.

Greece also enjoyed an exceptionally great evening with Andreas Vazaios leading the charge. The Greek hero earned a bronze in the 100m IM and 20 minutes later he left everyone’s behind in the 200m fly, to claim his second gold and third medal here. Another bronze went to Hellas, courtesy of Anna Ntountounaki who was third in the 100m fly. In this latter event, the 16-year-old Belorussian Alexandra Shkurdai hit the wall first and she set a new junior European record (56.21).

The meet-closing medley relays produced fantastic thrillers. The women’s race saw arguably the biggest upset of the week as the Polish quartet managed to out-touch the Italians and the Russians – the top three hit the wall within 0.11sec. This was the first-ever gold for Poland in this event, so far a bronze was their best showing back in 2011, at home in Szczecin.

Then came the men, here the Russians were a cut above the rest – but behind them, it was an incredible tussle for the podium. Hungary’s Maxim Lobanovskii, after a 0.02sec take-over, clocked a world-class 20.29sec anchor leg, pushing his team from 6th to 2nd. However, for unusually long minutes almost all the teams stared at the scoreboard, swimmers tried to recall whether they had risky takeovers while the referees were watching the overhead replays on the screen in the timekeepers’ room. Tensions ran high then it turned out why the officials had needed a bit more time: no less than three quartets had to be disqualified, including third-placed Germany (the butterflier jumped too early, –0.08sec) so the bronze landed at the Belorussians’ neck who celebrated so wildly as if they had been the champions.

Russia finished the event with 13 titles (22 medals altogether), ahead of Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary and Great Britain. Interestingly, the individual best performances came in the 100m back both among the men and the women, Kliment Kolesnikov’s (986 FINA points) and Kira Toussaint’s (992) effort is worth a bonus of 20.000 euros respectively.

Though the Russians’ achievement has a golden lining, the Championship Trophy went to Italy – they amassed 20 medals (also an all-time best effort) and scored the highest number of points, 1186, 140 more than the Russians.

In two years’ time the top medal collectors can swim at home, as the European Short-Course Swimming Championships will return in 2021 in Kazan (RUS).

Press release from LEN, images courtesy of Deepbluemedia / Giorgio Scala

At its meeting in Glasgow, the LEN Bureau allocated both the 2021 European Short-Course Swimming Championships and the 2024 European Aquatics Championships to the city of Kazan (RUS).

With a unanimous vote, the LEN Bureau chose Kazan as the host of the next European Short-Course Swimming Championships and also supported the city’s bid for the 2024 European Aquatics Championships in swimming, diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming, high diving and masters in all disciplines.

“We are happy to award both events to Kazan as the city has become a home of aquatics in recent years where the highest standards are guaranteed for our athletes” LEN President Paolo Barelli said. “Kazan has hosted a series of major events in aquatics including the 2015 World Championships and our junior European Championships this summer which were outstanding by all means. They have world-class facilities and an experienced organising team, today a federation cannot wish for more.”

Press release from LEN