European Short Course Championships, Day Five Finals: Marrit Steenbergen Just Misses WR in 200 IM, Sets Pair of European Records
There are five finals on the schedule for the fifth night of racing at the European Short Course Championships in Lublin, Poland. Dutchwoman Marrit Steenbergen, who earlier in the meet set continental records in the 100 individual medley and 200 freestyle, blasted two more European records on the way to gold medals in the 200 IM and 100 freestyle.
Other winners in the session included Hungary’s Zalan Sarkany in the men’s 800 free, Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez in the men’s 200 IM and France’s Maxime Grousset in the men’s 100 free. Additionally, Germany’s Johannes Liebmann lowered his own world junior record in the 800 free.
Here is an event-by-event recap of the Day Five action:
- Link to Eurovision/Live Coverage
- Results
- Entry Lists
- Day 1 Prelims Recap: Women
- Day 1 Prelims Recap: Men
- Day 1 Finals Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Recap
- Day 2 Finals Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Recap
- Day 3 Finals Recap
- Day 4 Prelims Recap
- Day 4 Finals Recap
- Day 5 Prelims Recap
Women’s 50 Freestyle (Semifinals)
Poland’s Kasia Wasick and Italian Sara Curtis have each contributed impressive 50 freestyle anchor legs during the European Championships, and now they’ll duel in the final of the 50 free. Wasick grabbed the top seed for the final, as her mark of 23.30 was quicker than the 23.49 of Curtis. They were followed in the third position by France’s Beryl Gastaldello, who was timed in 23.67.
Men’s 50 Freestyle (Semifinals)
Frenchman Maxime Grousset established himself as the favorite for the gold medal, albeit slightly, by booking Lane Four for the final of the 50 freestyle. Grousset, who was the bronze medalist in the 50 butterfly earlier in the meet, delivered a time of 20.83 to narrowly edge Italian Leonardo Deplano (20.85) and Croatian Jere Hribar (20.89).
Women’s 200 Individual Medley (Final)
For the third time during the competition, the Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen broke a European record, this time in the 200 individual medley. Steenbergen blew away the competition, prevailing with a time of 2:01.83. The effort was not far off Kate Douglass’ world record of 2:01.63 and bettered the European standard, which had stood to Katinka Hosszu at 2:01.86 since 2014.
Steenbergen surged into the lead on the opening butterfly leg and was never challenged, as she backed up previous European records in the 100 IM and 200 freestyle. She was followed for the silver medal by Ireland’s Ellen Walshe (2:04.78) while Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko took the bronze medal in 2:05.32.
Men’s 200 Individual Medley (Final)
Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez had too much for the opposition as he captured a gold medal in the 200 medley, a title that complemented his victory in the event at the 2020 edition of the long-course European Champs. Gonzalez covered the event in 1:51.39, which was comfortably ahead of the 1:52.05 by Italy’s Alberto Razzetti. The bronze medal went to Turkey’s Berke Saka in 1:52.25.
Men’s 800 Freestyle (Final)
Hungarian Zalan Sarkany had the lead for 775 meters, trailing after only the first length, on the way to the European title in the 800 freestyle. Sarkany turned in a performance of 7:26.84 to defeat Belgium’s Lucas Henveaux, who rallied over the final laps to grab the silver medal in 7:28.03. Henveaux passed Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen in the latter stages of the race, with Wiffen taking the bronze medal in 7:30.14.
Germany’s Johannes Liebmann, who set a world junior record in the prelims, lowered that standard even further in the final. En route to fourth place, Liebmann finished in 7:30.47, which cut .47 off his day-old record. Liebmann is another product of the Magdeburg powerhouse, led by coach Bernd Bernkhahn, and which incudes Lukas Märtens, Florian Wellbrock and Isabel Gose.
Women’s 200 Butterfly (Semifinals)
Denmark’s Helena Bach will race out of Lane Four in the final of the 200 butterfly, thanks to a prelims mark of 2:04.37. Bach earned the No. 1 seed for Sunday night by .31, the margin to Finland’s Laura Lahtinen (2:04.68). Great Britain’s Emily Richards (2:05.16) and Ireland’s Ellen Walshe (2:05.60) moved on as the third and fourth seeds, Walshe not long after winning silver in the 200 IM.
Men’s 200 Butterfly (Semifinals)
Switzerland’s Noe Ponti will seek his third medal in as many butterfly events when the final of the 200 fly is held. Ponti already won gold in the distance and silver in the 100 distance. The Swiss star earned the top seed for the 200 fly when he raced to a mark of 1:51.53 in the semifinals. Tying for the second spot were Polish twins Michal Chmielewski and Krzysztof Chmielewski, who had matching swims of 1:51.66. Italian Alberto Razzetti is lurking in fourth after a time of 1:51.99.
Women’s 50 Backstroke (Semifinals)
Great Britain’s Lauren Cox secured the top seed for the championship heat of the 50 backstroke. Cox raced to a time of 26.17 in the semifinals, which was .06 faster than the 26.23 of Dutchwoman Maaike de Waard. Italian Sara Curtis qualified for her second final in the session, going 26.25 for third. Curtis earlier grabbed the No. 2 seed for the final of the 50 freestyle.
Men’s 50 Backstroke (Semifinals)
Estonia’s Ralf Tribuntsov will be the No. 1 seed in the final of the 50 backstroke following a 22.63 performance in the semifinals. Tribuntsov finished ahead of Italian Francesco Lazzari, who was second-fastest in the morning behind a time of 22.79. Next was the Czech Republic’s Miroslav Knedla, who touched the wall in 22.87. Ollie Morgan set his second British record of the meet when he went inside the previous standard of 23.09 held by Chris Walker-Hebborn since the 2015 edition in Netanya, Israel. It followed his record of 49.55 in the 100 back prelims.
Women’s 50 Breaststroke (Semifinals)
Eneli Jefimova has already dominated the 100 breast final in Lublin, and now the NC State breaststroker will be in position to add another gold in the 50 breast. She was the top seed coming out of semifinals at 29.00, one-third of a second ahead of Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte (29.33). Meilutyte is the world-record holder with four consecutive long course world titles in 50 breast.
Belgium’s Florine Gaspard, already the runnerup in the 100 breast, took third in 29.47 ahead of Poland’s Dominika Sztandera (29.48). Twelve swimmers got under 30 seconds in the round, and the last swimmer to make it back was Germany’s Anna Elendt, with the 100 breast world champion going 29.64.
Men’s 50 Breaststroke (Semifinals)
Simone Cerasuolo was the surprise winner of the 50 breast world title this year, and he has lane four for the continental final after a 25.57 clocking in the semifinal. The Italian led a group of four swimmers who went below 26 seconds, including Turkiye’s Emre Sakci (25.70), Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi (25.80) and Germany’s Melvin Imoudu (25.94).
Spain’s Carles Coll Marti, the 200 breast winner, qualified fifth in 26.03. The only other swimmer in the field to win a medal already this week was Sakci, who got second in the 100. Norway’s Jorgen Scheie Braathen edged Denmark’s Jonas Gaur by one hundredth, 26.22 to 26.23, for the eighth spot in the final.
Women’s 100 Freestyle (Final)
Marrit Steenbergen had only 90 minutes in between her two races Saturday evening, but she emerged from the 100 free with her second continental record in as many tries. Steenbergen, the world champion in the 100 free in Singapore this year, faced a competitive race from France’s Beryl Gastadello but held on to finish in 50.42, breaking the European record set by Sarah Sjostrom eight years ago in Eindhoven.
Steenbergen became the fourth-fastest performer ever, behind only Kate Douglass, Cate Campbell and Gretchen Walsh, and she crushed the previous championship record of 50.95 held by Ranomi Kromowidjojo. She now has five gold medals this week after previously earning top honors in the 200 free, 100 IM and 200 free relay.
Gastadello got second in 50.60, just off the previous European mark but good enough to edge her previous best time (50.60). The French veteran is the seventh-fastest swimmer ever in the event. Bronze went to Italy’s Sara Curtis in 51.26.
Men’s 100 Freestyle (Final)
France’s Maxime Grousset won his second individual title of the meet with a wire-to-wire effort in the 100 free. Grousset surpassed the field by almost a half-second as he touched in 45.17, less than a quarter-second off the European record held by countryman Amaury Leveaux. Grousset, the world champion in the 50 and 100 butterfly earlier this year and the winner of the 100 fly already at this meet, moved into the all-time top-10 in the event. He will have a chance for another gold in Sunday’s 50 free, and he enters the final as the top seed.
Croatia’s Jere Hribar grabbed silver in 45.64, a stellar final length propelling him ahead of Great Britain’s Matt Richards, who won bronze in 45.82 ahead of Lithuania’s Tomas Lukminas (45.87). Richards, who’d secured the last spot for the final in a swimoff at the end of the prelims session, lowered his British record from 2022 with that effort, taking it from 45.85 to 45.82.
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