Amelie Blocksidge Matches PB In Defence Of European Junior 1500 Title; Spain Set CR In Mixed 4×100 Free
Amelie Blocksidge defended her European junior 1500 free title as she matched her winning time from Vilnius last year on day two in Samorin.
Blocksidge went ahead after 300m and maintained her lead thereafter to stop the clock in 16:10.23 – matching the PB she recorded en-route to the title at the 2024 edition.
Vivien Jackl kept closest to the Briton up to the 1,000m mark but then slipped back as Emma Gianelli took up the challenge. However, although the Italian narrowed the gap to 2.67 after 1150m she could not get any closer as Blocksidge powered on. Gianelli was second in 16:13.11 with Jackl third in 16:17.42.
Blocksidge is the third-fastest British woman all-time with Jazz Carlin the sole swimmer inside 16mins with her 15:47.26 from the national championships in 2013, two years after Keri-anne Payne went 16:06.67.
“It was such a fight out there,” Blocksidge told European Aquatics. “I know that race brings out the best in me as that was my best time this season. I haven’t done a PB (personal best) in about a year and a half so that will give me a lot of confidence. I’ve had to adapt a little out here as I’ve never raced outdoors in a pool before but to be honest I’m really enjoying it, getting a bit of a tan and trying not to burn!”
Spain Set Relay CR After 48.14 Lead-Off
Spain mixed 4×100 free: Photo Courtesy: Istvan Derencsenyi/European Aquatics
Spain won the mixed 4×1 free in a Championship record of 3:27.69 following a 48.14 lead-off from Luka Hoek le Guenedal. Great Britain took silver in 3:29.06 ahead of the defending champions Italy on 3:29.37.
Hoek le Guenedal split 22.74/25.40 to register a time swifter than the Spanish national record of 48.34 set by Sergio de Celis at the national winter championships in February 2024. While it’s faster than the record time, it’s unclear as to whether it’ll be recognised as a national standard given it was achieved in a mixed relay and World Aquatics don’t recognise world or world junior records in such circumstances. European Aquatics confirmed to Swimming World this is also the case in European competition.
The quartet’s time was just 0.17 off the national record of 3:27.52 at the 2022 European Championships where Spain finished eighth.
Great Britain took silver in 3:29.06 ahead of the defending champions Italy on 3:29.37.
Blythe Kinsman claimed the second British title of the meet with a 27.79 victory in the 50 back. It was a PB and maiden crown for Kinsman ahead of Denmark’s 18-year-old Martine Damborg (28.18) with Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu of Romania earning bronze in 28.26.
Hungary’s 16-year-old David Antal upgraded Vilnius bronze to gold after a 30.10 final 50 propelled him from fourth to first in a 1:57.42 PB. Silver went Spain’s Isak Fernandez Rodrigo in 1:58.39 after leading from lane seven until the 150 before hanging on to claim second place by 0.01sec from Turkiye’s Tuncer Erturk.
Hungary has produced a long line of butterfly swimmers who take their place at the very top table, Kristof Milak and Laszlo Cseh among them over the last 15 years.
“I don’t believe in legacy because I think Kristof Milak was just like me here one time with the junior record, but he is a hero to me,” said Antal. “I think this result and the people in the crowd has really hyped me up with all the support here.”
Giefing Gets The Touch
Austria’s Christian Giefing won the men’s 200m freestyle in a race that was decided on the final stroke between himself, Lithuania’s Tajus Juska and Sander Sorensen of Norway.
Giefing won gold in a personal best of 1:46.88 to move second all-time in Austria behind Felix Aubock with Juska silver on 1:47.03 and Sorensen taking bronze on 1:47.47.
Bianca Nannucci earned Italy’s second gold of the championships in the women’s 200m freestyle with a superbly judged final effort which took her from fourth to first over the final 50 metres.
Last at the halfway point, the 17-year-old Italian – who qualified fastest from the semi-finals – powered down the final stretch to clock 1:58.41. Maria Daza Garcia of Spain came from fifth to second in 1:58.97 with bronze going to neutral athlete Sofia Diakova in 1:59.09.
The men’s 50m back title went to neutral athlete Georgii Iakovlev in 25.04, with fellow neutral athlete Mikhail Shcherbakov taking bronze in 25.30. Italy’s Daniele del Signore, a gold medallist in the previous evening’s men’s 4x100m freestyle, added a silver to his collection after clocking 25.25.
Smilte Plytnykaite defended her 50m breaststroke title by 0.03 from Estonia’s Egle Salu in 31.16 to 31.19. Bronze went to Spain’s Nayara Pineda Lopez in 31.26.
Turkiye’s Nusrat Allahverdi also made a successful defence in the men’s 50m breaststroke, surging ahead in the closing stages to clock 27.24, with Great Britain’s Filip Nowacki earned silver with a late, late effort in 27.61 ahead of Germany’s Jan Malte Grafe, who took bronze in 27.77.