The second day of the 2018 European Junior Championships saw considerably more championship records tumble down. Among those posting new records were Kliment Kolesnikov, Ajna Kesely, and Akos Kalmar.
2018 European Junior Championships, Day 2 Finals – Results
Men’s 100 Back
The second session of finals kickstarted with the championship record tumbling down in the men’s 100 back. Reigning champion Kliment Kolesnikov of Russia and Daniel-Cristian Martin of Romania held steady throughout the entirety of the race. Martin led by .20 seconds at the 50 meter mark, out-splitting Kolesnikov 25.47 to 25.67, but Kolesnikov still had some gas in the tank. In the final 50 meters, Kolesnikov delivered a split of 27.85 compared to Martin’s 28.05, which resulted in a tie for first.
The two posted matching times of 53.52 to share the gold, effectively downing Kolesnikov’s 2016 championship record of 53.65.
Great Britain’s Nicholas Pyle turned in a 54.69 for third.
Women’s 400 Free
Ajna Kesely of Hungary collected her third gold medal of the meet, turning in the fastest time in the women’s 400 free by more than five seconds. Kesely led the race throughout the entirety of the race, stopping the clock at a final time of 4:05.89. Her time eclipsed her own 2016 championship record of 4:08.10 and just missed her own European Junior record of 4:05.61.
Germany’s Isabel Marie Gose posted a second place finish of 4:11.01, while Austria’s Marlene Kahler grabbed a close third with a 4:11.62.
Men’s 100 Free Semi-Final
Israel’s Tomer Frankel topped the semi-finals of the men’s 100 free, posting the top qualifying time at a 49.28.
David Zorzetto of Italy claimed the second place seed with a time of 49.55, followed closely by Russia’s Andrei Minakov and his time of 49.57.
Women’s 200 Fly
Blanca Berecz of Hungary continued to reign over the women’s 200 fly, scratching 1.16 seconds off her semi-finals time of 2:11.12 with a 2:10.06.
Great Britain’s Ciara Schlosshan built upon a strong breaststroke leg to edge past Hungary’s Dora Hathazi. Schlosshan turned in a final time of 2:11.18 for the silver medal, while Hathazi grabbed the bronze with a 2:!1.54.
Men’s 200 IM Semi-Final
Russia’s Maksim Stupin topped the men’s 200 IM semi-final heats, delivering the top qualifying time at a 2:00.42.
Thomas Dean of Great Britain collected the second place seed going into tomorrow’s finals with a 2:01.72, folloewd by Russia’s Danil Zaytsev and his time of 2:02.59.
Women’s 100 Free
Freya Anderson of Great Anderson sprinted to victory in finals of the women’s 100 free, posting the fastest time of the evening at a 54.65, despite flipping fourth at the 50-meter mark with a 27.21 split. Anderson delivered an impressive final split of 27.44, the fastest backhalf of the field by .72 seconds.
Russia’s Elizaveta Klevanovich picked up the silver medal with a time of 55.31, while Turkey’s Selen Ozbilen turned in a 55.69 for third.
Men’s 200 Breast
Aleksandr Zhigalov of Russia moved up from his second place seed time of 2:13.46 with a final time of 2:12.47, leading the race for the final 150-meters.
Poland’s Jan Kalusowski moved up from his third place seed to finish second overall with a time of 2:13.45, while Caspar James Corbeau of the Netherlands took third with a 2:14.13.
Women’s 200 Back
Anastasia Avdeeva of Russia continued to distance herself from the competition, posting the fastest time of the evening at a 2:09.56.
Hungary’s Laura Vanda Ilyes grabbed second overall with a time of 2:10.67, followed by Moldova’s Tatiana Salcutan‘s 2:11.37.
Men’s 200 Fly Semi-Final
Denys Kesil of Ukraine flew to the top of the qualifying list in the men’s 200 fly semi-finals, clocking a time of 1:57.94.
Italy’s Federico Burdisso posted a 1:58.26 for the second place seed, while Great Britain’s Jacob Peters delivered a 1:58.60 for the third place seed.
Kristof Milak of Hungary, the reigning European Junior Champion, qualified fourth overall with a 1:58.65.
Women’s 200 Breast Semi-Final
Russia’s Alena Chekhovskikh and Lithuania’s Kotryna Teterevkova posted close 2:26’s to qualify as the first and second place seeds in the women’s 200 breast. Chekhovskikh built the last 100 meters to qualify first with a 2:26.79 over Teterevkova’s 2:26.97.
Russia’s Anastasia Makarova turned in a third place qualifying time of 2:27.65.
Men’s 1500 Free
Akos Kalmar of Hungary concluded the meet with his first gold medal and a new championship record to his name. Kalmar continued to distance himself from the competition in the timed finals of the men’s 1500, finishing first with a top time of 15:04.91. His time eclipsed the 13-year-old championship record of 15:06.04, posted in 2005 by Mateusz Sawrymovicz.
Alexander Noergaard of Denmark finished second overall with a time of 15:10.88, followed by Italy’s Johannes Calloni’s 15:11.47.
