The second and third days of the swimming program of the European Aquatics Championship brought the Russian team two more first places. Following Yuri Prilukov, Arkady Vyatchanin and Roman Sludnov will bring gold from Budapest.
Vyatchan the Younger, who has not been spoiled with European titles until now, already in the semi-final race of the Spinists 100 meters surprised everyone, including himself. 53.91 - European Championship record, which was destined to hold out only a day. In the final, this result would be enough to win, but Arkady improved his own achievement by almost half a second and set a new continent record.
Sludnov was not the favorite of his race - 100 meters breaststroke: he reached the finals only with the fifth time. However, at the finish line, where the first and third prize winners were only three hundredths apart, ahead of Norwegian Dale Un and Ukrainian Lisogor, who did not seem to doubt his victory. After a long break, Roman regained his leadership at the continental level, but already in March in Melbourne he would have to compete with the world record holder Brendan Hansen, which is unlikely harder.
Among other events in the Tamash Sichi pool, the first significant victory of the Dutchman Peter van den Hugenband after the spinal surgery - he won the two-hundred-meter freestyle - as well as the European and world records set by Laura Manada and Britta Steffen, should be noted. The Frenchwoman at an 800-meter distance was ahead of the world schedule for a long time (at 300 meters by two and a half seconds), but in the end she was content with the European record and an advantage of eight plus seconds over the nearest competitor. But the result of Steffen can be safely called the main sensation of the current championship. The German swimmer surpassed the historical achievement of Janet Evans and thereby automatically became one of the favorites of the Melbourne world championship.
The first gold was finally mined and the owners of the championship. Laszlo Čech became the best integrated swimming at a distance of 200 meters. The triumph of the Hungarians turned out to be double: Tamas Kerekyarto received bronze in the same race. The bronze medal was also won by one of the most experienced Hungarian swimmers Agnes Kovacs at the 100 meter breaststroke.
Masters of diving began their competition on a small diving board. For men, Ilya Kvasha was in the lead after four jumps, but the final programs of his competitors were much more difficult, and as a result, the Ukrainian was left without a medal at all. Finnish Jon Poohkka excelled, Russian Alexander Dobroskok got the second place.
But the main hope of the Russian women's team three-time world champion Irina Lashko could not help the team. The reason is prosaic: the All-Russian Federation of Diving did not manage to document the change of sports citizenship of Irina. And although the Australians did not object to Lashko’s appearances under the Russian flag, she was not allowed to start the European Championships - in particular, the Swedes spoke out. What is not surprising: it was the Swedish Anna Lindberg who won the competition on the meter jump in the absence of Lashko.
European Aquatics Championship. Budapest
Swimming:
50 m butt. Men
1. S. Breus (UKR) - 23.41 (European Championship record)
2. D. Dragana (Chorus) - 23.62
3. J.Andcher (DAN) - 23.77
100 m n / a. Men
1. A. Vyatchanin (ROS) - 53.50 (European Championship record)
2. M. Rogan (AVT) - 54.07
3. A.Grigoriadis (GRE) - 54.34
50 m butt. Women
1. T. Alshammar (SWE) - 26.06
2. A.-K. Cammerling (SWE) - 26.23
3. S. Groot (GOAL) - 26.49
100 m breaststroke. Men
1. R.Sludnov (ROS) - 1.00.61
2. A. Dale Un (NOR) - 1.00.63
3. O. Lisogor (UKR) - 1.00.64
200 m n / a. Women
1. E. Baron (FRA) - 2.10.07
2. I. Amshennikova (UKR) - 2.12.13
3. M. Marshall (VLB) - 2.12.17
800 m high Women
1. L. Manadou (FRA) - 8.19.29 (European record)
2. R. Adlington (VLB) - 8.27.88
3. R. Cook (VLB) - 8.28.40
200 m high Men
1. P. van den Hugenband (GOAL) - 1.45.65
2. M. Rossolino (ITA) - 1.47.02
3. F. Magnini (ITA) - 1.47.57
100 m breaststroke. Women
1. A. Khlystunova (UKR) - 1.07.55 (European Championship record)
2.K. Belfur (VLB) - 1.07.95
3. A. Kovach (Vienna) - 1.08.60
100 m high Women
1. B. Steffen (GER) - 53.30 (world record)
2. M. Feldhuis (GOAL) - 54.32
3. N.-M. Nyangkuara (GRE) - 54.88
200 m set Men
1. L. Chekh (Vienna) - 1.58.17 (record of the European Championships)
2. A. Bojatto (ITA) - 2.00.14
3. T. Kerekyarto (VEN) - 2.00.17
Diving:
Springboard 1m. Women
1. A. Lindberg (SWE) - 291.90
2. D. Kottsian (GER) - 279.30
3.M. Marconi (ITA) - 267.35
Springboard 1m. Men
1. J.Puhakka (FIN) - 425.00
2. A. Dobroskok (ROS) - 416.60
3.K.Sakkin (ITA) - 415.70
Mikhail MELNIKOV