Swimmer's Daily

  • 2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships, Copenhagen (DEN)

    Peaty’s first-ever s/c title comes with ER, Hosszu strikes 6/6

    Britain’s Adam Peaty did something he’d never done before: the British superstar won a major short-course title. It came with the European record right away on the penultimate day of the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Copenhagen. Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu completed her mission, winning all six events she competed in as she added two more titles to her tally. The Netherlands brought down one more mixed relay WR, this time in the 4x50m free.

    MEILUTYTE Ruta LTU Gold Medal LAUKKANEN Jenna FIN Silver Medal VALL MONTERO Jessica ESP Bronze Medal WOMEN – 100 M BREASTSTROKE – FINAL Copenhagen 16-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    BONNET Charlotte FRA Gold Medal WOMEN – 200 M FREESTYLE – FINAL Copenhagen 16-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    HOSSZU Katinka HUN Gold Medal VERRASZTO Evelin HUN Silver Medal CUSINATO Ilaria ITA Bronze Medal WOMEN – 200 M MEDLEY – FINAL Copenhagen 16-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    BONNET Charlotte FRA Gold Medal HEEMSKERK Femke NED Silver Medal ANDRUSENKO Veronika RUS Bronze Medal WOMEN – 200 M FREESTYLE – FINAL Copenhagen 16-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    PEATY Adam GBR Gold Medal PRIGODA Kirill RUS Bronze Medal MEN – 100 M BREASTSTROKE – FINAL Copenhagen 16-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    POPKOV Aleksandr RUS Gold Medal MEN – 50 M BUTTERFLY – FINAL Copenhagen 16-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    HOSSZU Katinka HUN Gold Medal WOMEN – 50 M BACKSTROKE – FINAL Copenhagen 16-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    NETHERLANDS Gold Medal MIXED – 4X50 M FREESTYLE – FINAL Copenhagen 16-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    PEATY Adam GBR Gold Medal SCOZZOLI Fabio ITA Silver Medal PRIGODA Kirill RUS Bronze Medal MEN – 100 M BREASTSTROKE – FINAL Copenhagen 16-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    POPKOV Aleksandr RUS Gold Medal GOVOROV Andrii UKR Silver Medal PROUD Benjamin GBR Bronze Medal SABO Sebastian SRB Bronze Medal MEN – 50 M BUTTERFLY – FINAL Copenhagen 16-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    HOSSZU Katinka HUN Gold Medal TCHORZ Alicja POL Silver Medal DE WAARD Maaike NED Bronze Medal WOMEN – 50 M BACKSTROKE – FINAL Copenhagen 16-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    NETHERLANDS Gold Medal RUSSIA Silver Medal ITALY Bronze Medal MIXED – 4X50 M FREESTYLE – FINAL Copenhagen 16-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia

    Adam Peaty has been unbeaten for four years, collected all titles on offer in breaststroke, bettered the world records seven times – but it all happened in long-course. Until Day 5 he could clinch silver medals in the 25m pool in the previous years and a bronze in the 50m here in Copenhagen. Now the story had a different ending: Peaty won a magnificent battle against Fabio Scozzoli (ITA) and Kirill Prigoda (RUS) and he did in style as he bettered the European record (55.94).

    However, Peaty didn’t keep his historical gold too long. As soon as the victory march concluded he gave it to a young spectator who, with dozens of other kids cheering at the athletes’ exit, was honoured with a life-lasting memory holding the treasure in her hand.

    The other 100m breaststroke title, among the women, went to Ruta Meilutyte. After a shorter setback in the previous years, the Lithuanian confirmed her return to the big stage by making the 50m-100m double here.

    Katinka Hosszu remained on the big stage – in fact, the Hungarian superhero was in the spotlight again as she managed to match her 6-gold medal haul from Netanya. In 2015 she was 6-0-1, now she finished her campaign in Copenhagen with a perfect 6/6 (let the 400m free go on the last day, where she had claimed bronze two years ago). Hosszu added the 200m IM and 50m back titles to her tally this evening, thus completing the triple in the medley and in the backstroke. In the IM event she came 1-2 with compatriot Evelyn Verraszto, a feat they produced once seven years ago, at the long-course Europeans in Budapest.

    France got its first title in this meet, courtesy of Charlotte Bonnet who won a brilliant race in the 200m free. The men’s 50m fly produced one of the closest races in the history of the Europeans as the first four hit the wall within 0.02 seconds. The top finishers were: Aleksandr Popkov (RUS) 22.42, Andriy Govorov (UKR, winner of the last three editions) 22.43, Ben Proud (GBR), tied with Sebastian Sabo (SRB) 22.44…

    The Netherlands captured their third relay title in the Royal Arena, after the women’s 4x50m free and the mixed medley they won the mixed free too – again, with a new world record.

    Further information at: www.euroswim2017.com and www.len.eu or via the Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/euroswim2017/

    Tickets for the ten sessions are available at: http://www.ticketmaster.dk/

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

  • 2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships, Copenhagen (DEN)

    Special double for Hosszu, Kromowidjojo and the Germans

    Katinka Hosszu (HUN) clinched two titles in an hour, Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) earned an individual and a relay gold while the Germans claimed two wins in ten minutes on Day 3 at the European Short-Course Swimming Championships in Copenhagen. Russia also claimed two victories to stay atop on the medal table. Sarah Sjostrom, the best female swimmer of this year, is yet to find her way to the top of the podium as she collected three silvers today in the Royal Arena.

    KROMOWIDJOJO Ranomi NED Gold Medal SJOESTROEM Sarah SWE Silver Medal BLUME Pernille DEN Bronze Medal WOMEN – 100 M FREESTYLE – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    HOSSZU Katinka HUN Gold Medal WOMEN – 200 M BACKSTROKE – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    HOSSZU Katinka HUN Gold Medal ZEVINA Daryna UKR Silver Medal PANZIERA Margherita ITA Bronze Medal WOMEN – 200 M BACKSTROKE – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    HENTKE Franziska GER Gold Medal WOMEN – 200 M BUTTERFLY – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    HEINTZ Philip GER Gold Medal VAZAIOS Andreas GRE Silver Medal ZENIMOTO HVAS Tomoe NOR Bronze Medal MEN – 200 M MEDLEY – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    HENTKE Franziska GER Gold Medal BIANCHI Ilaria ITA Silver Medal GRANGEON Lara FRA Bronze Medal WOMEN – 200 M BUTTERFLY – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    KOLESNIKOV Kliment RUS Gold Medal MEN – 100 M BACKSTROKE – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    ROMANCHUK Mykhaylo UKR Gold Medal MEN – 1500 M FREESTYLE – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    MOROZOV Vladimir RUS Gold Medal MEN – 50 M FREESTYLE – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    NETHERLANDS Team Gold Medal WOMEN – 4X50 M FREESTYLE – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    KOLESNIKOV Kliment RUS Gold Medal SABBIONI Simone ITA Silver Medal GLINTA Robert-Andrei ROU Bronze Medal MEN – 100 M BACKSTROKE – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    HOSSZU Katinka HUN Gold Medal SJOESTROEM Sarah SWE Silver Medal BJOERNSEN Susann NOR Bronze Medal WOMEN – 100 M MEDLEY – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    ROMANCHUK Mykhaylo UKR Gold Medal PALTRINIERI Gregorio ITA Silver Medal CHRISTIANSEN Henrik NOR Bronze Medal MEN – 1500 M FREESTYLE – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    MOROZOV Vladimir RUS PROUD Benjamin GBR Silver Medal DOTTO Luca ITA Bronze Medal MEN – 50 M FREESTYLE – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    NETHERLANDS NED Gold Medal SWEDEN SWE Silver Medal DENMARK DEN Bronze Medal WOMEN – 4X50 M FREESTYLE – FINAL Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    Ranomi KROMOWIDJOJO NED, Federica PELLEGRINI ITA Gold Medal 100 Freestyle Women Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto Andrea Staccioli / Insidefoto / Deepbluemedia
    HEINTZ Philip GER Gold Medal 200 Medley Men Copenhagen 15-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto Andrea Staccioli / Insidefoto / Deepbluemedia

    A star-studded final welcomed the almost capacity crowd of 5,000 fans: the women’s 100m free lined up Europe’s sprinter queens. It was an amazing race which saw the 2012 Olympic champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo just out- touching the new world record holder (both long- and short-course) Sarah Sjostrom by 0.08sec, while the hosts’ darling, the 2016 Olympic champion Pernille Blume came third.

    Interestingly and perhaps not accidentally these final rankings were copied in the session-ending 4x50m free relay: the Dutch won, the Swedes finished runner-up – Sjostrom delivered an amazing 22.94 leg swimming second – and the hosts delighted the fans once more by claiming another bronze.

    Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu marched on, this time she captured back-to- back titles in an hour. First, she withstood the pressure coming from Ukraine’s Daryna Zevine in the 200m back, then passed Sjostrom over the breaststroke leg in the 100m free, leaving her arch-rival to get a third silver. Hosszu stands with a perfect ratio so far (4/4) and the last one was her 50 th gold medal at major meets (Olympics, World and European Champs).

    German swimmers further cemented their nation’s top ranking on the all-time medal haul: Philipp Heintz did a clean job in the 200m IM and Franziska Hentke repeated that in the 200m fly, thus securing two victories in a span of ten minutes.

    In the current medal ranks Russia stayed atop as 17 year-old Kliment Kolesnikov showed his class and won the 100m back with another junior world record though he was just 0.07sec away from bringing down the senior global mark of USA’s Matt Grevers. Later Vlad Morozov added another victory with a superfast swim in the 50m free.

    The Italians enjoyed a fine day as they amassed five medals though none of them were gold. The top contender, title- and world record-holder Gregorio Paltrinieri came up a bit short in the 1500m free as Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Romanchuk left him behind after 600m and never looked back.

    The Norwegian camp was all smiles this evening after three bronze medals in one day and Greece and Romania also joined the medal-winning nations – their number stands at 17 already, with two days to go.

    Further information at: www.euroswim2017.com and www.len.eu or via the
    Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/euroswim2017/
    Tickets for the ten sessions are available at: http://www.ticketmaster.dk/

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

  • Fort Walton Beach High School swimmer Lucy Rudman receives 2018 female Scholastic Award from the All Sports Association Wednesday morning in the school’s media center.

  • An inside look at the rigorous workouts of the 2018 Harvard Men’s Swimming and Diving team. Featuring weight room team lifts, training in the pool, and racing and diving at an Ivy League Dual Meet against two of Harvard’s ancient eight rivals.

  • 2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships, Copenhagen (DEN)

    Great day for Germany, Hungary, Russia and the Netherlands

    A four-medal haul delighted the German, Hungarian, Dutch and Russian swimmers, while Italy collected a full set (1-1-1) on the second day at the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Copenhagen. The hosts could also celebrate their first podium-finish in the Royal Arena.

    BECKMANN Emilie DEN 50m Women Butterfly SemiFinal Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    PRIGODA Kirill RUS Gold Medal 200m Men Breaststroke Final Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    RAPSYS Danas LTU Gold Medal KRASNYKH Aleksandr RUS Silver Medal SCOTT Duncan W GBR Bronze Medal 200m Men Freestyle Final Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    KROMOWIDJOJO Ranomi NED Gold Medal WOMEN – 50 M BUTTERFLY – FINAL Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    RIVOLTA Matteo ITA Gold Medal CODIA Piero ITA Silver Medal KUSCH Marius GER MEN – 100 M BUTTERFLY – FINAL Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    HOSSZU Katinka HUN Gold Medal TOUSSAINT Kira NED Silver Medal KAMENEVA Mariia RUS Bronze Medal WOMEN – 100 M BACKSTROKE – FINAL Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    BERNEK Peter HUN Gold Medal HEINTZ Philip GER Silver Medal GYURTA Gergely Bronze Medal MEN – 400 M MEDLEY – FINAL Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    BERNEK Peter HUN Gold Medal MEN – 400 M MEDLEY – FINAL Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    PRIGODA Kirill RUS Gold Medal KOCH Marco GER Silver Medal DORINOV Mikhail RUS Bronze Medal 200m Men Breaststroke Final Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    Netherlands NED Gold Medal MIXED – 4X50 M MEDLEY – FINAL Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    Netherlands NED Gold Medal Belarus BLR Silver Medal France FRA Bronze Medal MIXED – 4X50 M MEDLEY – FINAL Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    Matteo RIVOLTA ITA Gold Medal 100 Butterfly Men Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto Andrea Staccioli / Insidefoto / Deepbluemedia
    Simona QUADARELLA ITA Bronze, Sarah KOEHLER Ger Gold, Boglarka KAPAS HUN Silver 800 Freestyle Women Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto Andrea Staccioli / Insidefoto / Deepbluemedia
    DE WAARD Maaike Bronze, KROMOWIDJOJO Ranomi Gold Medal, BECKMANN Emilie Silver 50 Butterfly Women Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto Andrea Staccioli / Insidefoto / Deepbluemedia
    RAPSYS Dana LTU Gold Medal 200 Freestyle Men Copenhagen 14-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto Andrea Staccioli / Insidefoto / Deepbluemedia

    The Hungarians and the Dutch enjoyed a great spell on the second day, both teams clinched two golds, a silver and a bronze respectively. The Germans were just as good with a gold, two silvers and a bronze, while Russia had a gold, a silver and two bronzes.

    For the Magyars – who topped the medal table in Netanya 2015 – Katinka Hosszu delivered another gold, as she retained her 100m back title with ease. Though the title-holder David Verraszto skipped the meet, the medley nation threw another ace to the table as Peter Bernek showed his skills for the first time in the 400m IM (he won the 400m free in 2015 and came second in that event yesterday). He was a class apart, touched home with a 3.6sec advantage ahead of Germany’s Philip Heintz, while the other Hungarian, Gergely Gyurta clinched bronze.

    The Germans took revenge in the 800m free where Sarah Koehler won a wonderful duel against Boglarka Kapas (HUN). This was a great consolation for the nation topping the all-time ranks as Marco Koch couldn’t recover fully from his sickness and could clinch silver in his favourite 200m breaststroke. The fourth German medal, a bronze, came in the 100m fly, courtesy of Marius Kusch.

    Here the Italian pair of Matteo Rivolta and Pietro Codia produced the meet’s first 1-2 for the same nation. It was a breathtaking race where the first three hit the wall in a span of 0.08sec, Rivolta just out-touched his compatriot by 0.03.

    The Dutch had a 1-3 in the women’s 50m fly where Ranomi Kromowidjojo enjoyed a much easier race than expected after Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – in the middle of a busy schedule with 100m free and 100m IM swims – bowed out in the semi-finals. Maikee de Waard got the bronze for the Netherlands then Kromowidjojo rushed to the start to the 4x50m mixed medley relay and claimed a second gold in a span of ten minutes. It was a thriller, only 0.04sec separated the winners from the bronze medallists but Kromowidjojo had the magical touch at the wall.

    The first day belonged to the Russians and they didn’t slow down too much. They also posted a 1-3 finish, in the 200m breast where Kirill Prigoda came first and Mikhail Dorinov third. Maria Kameneva added a bronze in the 100m back, while Aleksandr Krasnykh seemed a bit disappointed after his silver medal finish in the 200m free. However, the 400m champion couldn’t do much to prevent Danas Rapsys’s triumph. The Lithuanian, bronze medallist in the 200m back, sailed away early and built a 1.37sec gap by the end of the race.

    The 50m fly final caused some noise in the stands since Emilie Beckman delivered the first medal to the hosts, a silver, much to the joy of the crowd.

    Further information at: www.euroswim2017.com and www.len.eu or via the Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/euroswim2017/

    Tickets for the ten sessions are available at: http://www.ticketmaster.dk/

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

  • 2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships, Copenhagen (DEN)

    Russia strikes three times, Scozzoli beats Peaty and the 50m ER

    Russia couldn’t have had a better start, claiming three gold and a silver medal on the opening day of the LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships in Copenhagen. Italy’s Fabio Scozzoli managed to beat breaststroke king Adam Peaty in the dash as well as the European record. Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu clinched her 75th international medal at major events.

    KOLESNIKOV Kliment RUS Gold Medal 200m Men Backstroke Final Copenhagen 13-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    KOLESNIKOV Kliment RUS Gold Medal KAWECKI Radoslaw POL Silver Medal RAPSYS Danas LTU Bronze Medal 200m Men Backstroke Final Copenhagen 13-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    HOSSZU Katinka HUN Gold Medal GRANGEON Lara FRA Silver Medal LESAFFRE Fantine FRA Bronze Medal 400m Women Medley Final Copenhagen 13-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    KRASNYKH Aleksandr RUS Gold Medal BERNEK Peter HUN Silver Medal CHRISTIANSEN Henrik NOR Bronze Medal 400m Men Freestyle Final Copenhagen 13-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    MEILUTYTE Ruta LTU Gold Medal 50m Women Breaststroke Final Copenhagen 13-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    SCOZZOLI Fabio ITA Gold Medal 50m Men Breaststroke Final Copenhagen 13-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    MEILUTYTE Ruta LTU Gold Medal LAUKKANEN Jenna FIN Silver Medal HANSSON Sophie SWE Bronze Medal 50m Women Breaststroke Final Copenhagen 13-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    SCOZZOLI Fabio ITA Gold Medal PRIGODA Kirill RUS Silver Medal PEATY Adam GBR Bronze Medal 50m Men Breaststroke Final Copenhagen 13-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    RUSSIA Team Gold Medal 4x50m Men Freestyle Final Copenhagen 13-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia
    RUSSIA Team Gold Medal ITALY Team Silver Medal Poland Team Bronze Medal 4x50m Men Freestyle Final Copenhagen 13-12-2017 Royal Arena LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships – Campionati Europei nuoto vasca corta Foto © Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia

    Russian swimmers did a majestic job in the Royal Arena on the first day of the European Short Course Swimming Championships. Seventeen year-old Kliment Kolesnikov began the quest by upsetting Radoslaw Kawecki (POL). The Russian passed the winner of the past four editions over the last 50m, gaining almost a full second on him and reached for the wall first with a new junior world record (1:48.02).

    Aleksandr Krasnykh came next in the 400m free, he was a cut above the rest as he built a winning margin of 1.63 sec over title-holder Peter Bernek (HUN). The Russian triple was completed in the session-ending 4x50m free relay which also saw another junior WR from Kolesnikov who clocked 21.24 in the opening leg – his team went on earning a safe win.

    Kirill Prigoda also had a shot on gold but he had to settle for silver as Italy’s Fabio Scozzoli was back in business. The 29 years old dash specialist won back-to-back titles in 2011-2012 but faded from the big scene in the past couple of years. Now he geared up, with 25.62sec he broke his own European record (set in 2013) and kept Prigoda and GB’s Adam Peaty at bay. Peaty, unbeaten in long-course majors since 2014, is still shy of a major short-course title, in Netanya 2015 he missed the first place by 0.01sec, now by 0.08sec.

    Ruta Meilutyte was the other big returner: the Lithuanian had a less spectacular period since her golden spell in 2012-2013 but after missing the podium in Rio and Budapest now she seems to be on the right track again. She finished 0.18sec ahead of the Finnish title-holder Jenna Laukkanen.

    Last but not least, Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu enjoyed an easy race in her beloved 400m IM. She admittedly missed her greatest rivals, world record-holder Mireia Belmonte (ESP) and Siobhan O’Connor (GBR) while retained her title with ease, the gap was 3.99sec. This was the 75th medal at the international stage for the three-time Olympic champion (at Olympics, World and European Championships) – the first came 13 years ago at the short-course Europeans, in the 400m IM, on 12th December when she finished third in Vienna. That time she clocked 4:35.41 – here her winning time was 4:24.78 (in Netanya she broke the WR with 4:19.46), kind of showing the improvement she made ever since and especially in the last five years.

    The preceding opening ceremony was worthy of the first-ever sport event held in the Royal Arena. As LEN President Paolo Barelli put in his opening speech: “Four years after a wonderful championships in Herning, we are here again in Denmark. And looking around in this magnificent Arena, we are already sure: we made the right decision when LEN awarded this event to the Danish Swimming Federation once more.”

    President Barelli also recalled the fantastic achievement of European athletes in 2017. “You can take any statistics into consideration, number of medals, number of finalists, special awards, participation – you will find that in aquatics Europe is the best and the strongest continent among all” he said. The president added that these successes also meant a strong obligation for LEN. “We are committed to create a perfect environment in all our events and to support the athletes our National Federation in all possible ways.”

    Further information at: www.euroswim2017.com and www.len.eu or via the Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/euroswim2017/

    Tickets for the ten sessions are available at: http://www.ticketmaster.dk/

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

  • 2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships, Copenhagen (DEN)

    550 athletes are ready for the start

    The 19th European Short Course Swimming Championships will kick off Wednesday in Copenhagen at the Royal Arena, featuring 550 athletes representing 47 countries. Most of the greatest European stars are ready to compete in the five-day showcase where 40 titles and € 220,000 in prize money are up for grabs. Free live streaming of the event will be available on the LEN website in almost all corners in the world.

    Forty-seven members out of 52 have sent their athletes to Copenhagen and the number of participants jumped to 550 from 500 two years ago, LEN President Paolo Barelli announced proudly at the LEN Opening Press Conference in Copenhagen. He added: “This is a great end to an already magnificent season. European athletes were outstanding in the whole year, they made our continent the best one, clinched the most medals, 50% of all at the World Championships in Budapest and Europe also had the most finalists, more than any other continent.”

    Paolo Barelli praised the efforts of the Danish Swimming Federation, the organising committee and the city of Copenhagen for creating a perfect environment for the athletes. “Once more, our Danish friends did a great job. Four years after Herning, the 2013 edition of the short-course Europeans, we are back and I’m sure we will enjoy another fantastic show of swimming. Our great stars like Sarah Sjostrom, Adam Peaty, Katinka Hosszu or Gregorio Paltrinieri and of course the world-class athletes of the Danish team are all here to offer their very best, so we might witness a couple of world or European records broken.”

    For the first time, LEN offers record bonuses for the swimmers, as an addendum to the prize money spot which awards the top 12 performances both among the men and women with €220,000. Beyond that, an individual WR pays €10,000 while the reward for an ER is €5,000.

    Danish Swimming Federation President Kjeld Egebo emphasised the importance of the event for the country, as he said it was not only about top level swimming but also to highlight swimming as a life-saving activity. “In Denmark we target that every child has to learn to swim and we do believe that these championships will be a great tool in achieving that. We are to announce the launch of the new European project in the next days.”

    The European Championships itself draws huge attention, too, 26,000 tickets have been sold in advance for the final sessions. In fact, this is going to be the first-ever sport event in the brand new Royal Arena so the expectations run really high. The Organising Committee did its utmost to make this event another unforgettable meet, according to Pia Holmen, CEO of the Danish Federation and the LOC. “After a couple of nerve-wracking days I’m proud when I walk around the pool deck. Let me thank to all our partners for their support” she said.

    Alfonso Wucherpfennig, Chairman of the LEN Technical Swimming Committee thanked the locals to set up a brilliant venue where everything was in place by now. He mentioned that 550 athletes were entered to have 1603 individual starts.

    LEN Operational Managed Marco Birri was happy to share the good news that the European Federation would provide live streaming from the event. “It’s mostly free in all territories, not only in Europe but also all around the world, so you just have to look for our website where anyone can follow action – for the first time we also provide live commentary.”

    Swimmers are also getting ready to rock. One of the five reigning Olympic and world champions present, Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri said that he was pretty much awaiting the start as he wanted to race again. “My last competition dates back to August, when I swam at the University Games, soon after the World Championships so I really want to see where I am. In fact, four years ago in Herning I had probably the worst race of my life (in the 1500m free) so I’m yet to show my best in Denmark.” Two years ago Paltrinieri broke the 1500m WR in Netanya, he said this served as a good motivating factor in Copenhagen.

    Home star Emilie Beckman said that they were looking forward to race in front of the home crowd. “We are really happy and excited to have this opportunity to swim at home and we are all committed to bring our very best to the pool.” The Danish team’s director Dean Boles added that it was going to be a tough job to oversee the largest-ever national team (38 athletes). “This will definitely be a world-class event and it’s a great honour to be a part of the Danish swim team. We’re gonna enjoy this moment” the Canadian born coach added.

    The European Short-Course Swimming Championships will run from Wednesday to Sunday in the Royal Arena in Copenhagen. Heats start at 9.30 each morning while the final sessions are due at 17.00. The Short Course Europeans will be organised by LEN (European Swimming Federation) and the Danish Swimming Federation in co-operation with their partners Sport Event Denmark and the City of Copenhagen.

    Further information at: www.euroswim2017.com and www.len.eu or via the Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/euroswim2017/

    Tickets for the ten sessions are available at: http://www.ticketmaster.dk/

    Press release from LEN

  • As part of a series of interviews with local residents recorded at the launch of the Castle Gateway masterplan ideas, Michael Terwey explores how the Ouse and Foss could be safe and pleasant for swimmers – and how we might learn from local memories and local knowledge to make this happen.