The jet relay. The fastest in the world even if we are only the Europeans. Italy’s third gold at the short course European Championships in Lublin, Poland, is enhanced by the world record in the men-women 4×50 freestyle relay. The fifth medal (3 gold, 2 silver in the middle of the week) bears the signature of Leonardo Deplano (20″97 throw), the captains Lorenzo Zazzeri (20″51) and Silvia Di Pietro (23″07), and Sara Curtis (22″71), deadly in her fourth fraction. Together they clock 1’27″26, a world record taken from France which had held it since 16 December 2022 in 1’27″33. “A world record doesn’t happen every day but we did it,” says Deplano. The silver goes to Hungary in 1’28″04, the bronze goes to the Netherlands in 1’28″42. The words of the other three blues. Sara Curtis, an authentic arrow in the comparison with the Dutch van de Roon from 23″14: “It was cool, incredible, I believed in it until the end even if I had a terrible exit, but I’m happy”. The Roman: “It was a dream, we hoped for it, it was a strong emotion.” And Zazzart: “We wanted it, but it seemed like too big a dream, it makes us proud”. It is the fourth Italian relay world record out of 12 in the short course and the 25th overall with those in the long course. Two years ago in Otopeni in the same format, Italy had finished in silver behind Great Britain with the Italian record of 1’28″28, a time canceled today and swum by Alessandro Miressi, Lorenzo Zazzeri, Jasmine Nocentini and Silvia Di Pietro. Two out of four fractionists are therefore once again there for the golden gem with record.
Sara Curtis (Fame)
The third evening in Lublin instead begins in the name of foreigners. The Dutch Marrit Steenbergen triumphs in the 100m medley and overturns the 2017 European record of the Hungarian Katinka Hosszu of 56″51. For the tulip a 56″26: the push of the Belgian Roos Vanotterdik (silver at 54 cents) helped Marrit, while the bronze goes to the Israeli Anastasia Gorbenko at 57″17. Below the podium by exactly 4 tenths was the French Beryl Gastaldello. The Dutch then achieved a double in the 200m freestyle which she had also won at the European Championships in Rome 2022 and did an encore with the European record taken in 1’50″33 from the Swede Sarah Sjostrom (1’50″43 in 2017) and the championship record taken instead by Federica Pellegrini (1’51″17 in 2009, the then world record after her death by Alberto Castagnetti). “Crazy day” will say the Flying Dutchman. Noè Ponti takes gold in the men’s 100m medley with a championship record of 50″52. The world champion of the 100 dolphin long run, the Frenchman Maxime Grousset, was beaten by a hundredths of a second. A small revenge for the Swiss coached by Massimo Meloni compared to the World Championships in Singapore in the 100 dolphin.
Thomas Ceccon (Fame)
Daniel Wiffen, Olympian in the 800m, wins gold in the 1500m after having deceived and let the Hungarian Sarkany vent in the lead for 58 laps. In the last 50 metres, the Irishman made the decisive pass for a touch of 14’13″96. Wiffen boasts the third time ever in 14’09″11 behind the German record holder Florian Wellbrock (now bronze) with 14’06″88 and the former world record holder Gregorio Paltrinieri, who in 2015 in Netanya ousted the Australian Grant Hackett in 4’08″06. Italy is missing someone like Greg in the middle distance…
In the semi-finals of the 200m breaststroke, Gabriele Mancini, making his European debut and with a personal best of 2’03″87, achieved the first final of his career with the 7th time in 2’04″30, while Nicolò Martinenghi was left out by 14 hundredths and his rival Arno Kamminga, an opponent of many battles, eliminated him. But it wasn’t in the 200m breaststroke (personal best 2’03″98) that he could have exalted himself much.
“I want to win”, says Thomas, I want to swim alongside Thomas says Mora “to annoy him…”. Curious scene after the same semi-final time in the 100 backstroke for the two blues, at 50″07. Mora is the outgoing bronze medalist and reigning Italian record holder in 49″04 and the Olympian and world record holder in the long course Ceccon follows him at 49″59. They will have fun. Meanwhile with the Frenchman Tomac there are 3 ties behind the trio Morgan, Knedla, Popescu. Very open final, tomorrow evening. Meanwhile, the Vicenza native underlines: “I’m
finding the grip slippery at the start, but I definitely need to fix this. There’s only one who can go fast, and that’s Morgan. Tomorrow I’m going to win. Regardless of the time, I made a good transition, I gave up a little, but that’s okay.” The Scot Duncan Scott returns gold in the 200 freestyle in 1’40″54, not far from the British record of 1’39″83, fourth ever. There is also the double bronze between the Irish Bailey and the Polish Sieradzki, both behind the king of the 400, McMillan.
By two hundredths an excellent and unlucky Anita Gastaldi remains out of the 100 butterfly final: before the exclusions the Italian improves in 57″20. It is the Hungarian Pana Ugrai who denies the Piedmontese the final, who rises to fifth place among the Italian perofrmers. . “I missed the arrival.” Out like Costanza Cocconcelli, 12th in 57″68. In the semifinals of the men’s 100 butterfly, however, Italy advances in pairs: Simone Stefanì is sixth in 50″07 (22″86), Michele Busa is seventh in 50″08 (23″13). In front are Ponti (Svi) 48″82, Grousset (Fra) 49″03 and Masiuk (Pol) 49″52.
Noah Ponti
RESULTS – Finals. Men, 200 freestyle: 1. Scott (GB) 1′ 40″54 (48″84), 2. McMillan (GB) 1’40″94, 3. Bailey Irl) and Sieradzki (Pol) 1’41″49, 5. Neveaux (Bel) 1’41″66.
1500 freestyle: 1. Wiffen (Irl) 14’13″96, 2. Sarkany (Ung) 14’15″51, 3. Wellbrock (Ger) 14’19″26, 4. Betlehem (Ung) 14’19″65.
100 mx: 1. Ponti (Svi) 50″52 (22″81), 2. Grousset (Fra) 50″53 (23″95), 3. Gigler (Aut) 51″60, 4. Mladenovic (Aut) 51″63.
Lorenzo Mora
Women, 200 freestyle: 1. Steenbergen (Ola) 1’50″33 (European rec., prev. 1’50″43 Sjostrom, Sve, from 2017, championship rec., pre. 1’51″17 Pellegrini from 2009, pass. 54″01), 2. Abraham UNg) 1’51″47, 3. Colbert (GB) 1’51″94, 4. Anderson (GB) 1’53″09.
100 mx: 1. Steenbergen (Ola) 56″26 (European and championship record, previous 56″51 Hosszu, Ung, from 2017), 2.Vanotterdijk (Bel) 56″80, 3. Gorbenko (Isr) 57″17, 4. Gastaldello (Fra) 57″17.
Men-women – 4×50 freestyle: 1. Italy 1’27″26 (world and European record, previous 1’27″33 France on 16-12-2022 in Melbourne, Italian record, previous 1’28″28 in 2023, Deplano 20″97, Zazzeri 20″51, Di Pietro 23″07, Curtis 22″71), 2. Hungary 1’28″04, 3. Holland 1’28″42, 4. Poland 1’28″55.
Semifinals. Men, 100 backstroke: 1. Morgan (GB) 49″62 (23″76), 2. Knedla (R.Cec) 49″80, 3. Popescu (Rom) 49″99, 4. Ceccon (23″83), Mora (23″34), Tomac (Fra, 23″88) 50″07.
200 breaststroke: 1. Col Marti (Spa) 2’01″91, 2. Corbeau (Ola) 2’01″93, 3. Pock (Ger) 2’03″06, 4. Mladenovic (Aut) 2’03″42, 7. Mancini 2’04″30 (59″99), 8. Kamminga (Ola) 2’04″32, 9. Martinenghi 2’04″46 (59″11).
100 butterfly: 1. Ponti (Svi) 48″82, 2. Grousset (Fra) 49″03, 3. Masiuk (Pol) 49″52, 6. Stefanì 50″07 (22″86), 7. Busa 50″08 (23″13).
Women, 200m breaststroke: 1. McCartney (Irl) 2’18″81, 2. Evans (GB) 2’18″84, 3. Elendt (Ger), 4. Vanotterdijk (Bel) 2’19″90.
100 butterfly: 1. L. Hansson (Sve) 55″39, 2. Ntontounaki (Gre) 55″66, 3. Lahtinen (Fin) 55″87, 9. Gastaldi 57″20 (26″72), 13. Cocconcelli 57″68 (26″78).