Scozzoli sets a new championship record at European SC Championships

European Short Course Championships 2017

• December, 13th to 17th
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• 25m
• Entry lists
• Live timing
• Results 

The first day’s preliminary session started with the men’s 100m butterfly. Hungary’s defending champion, Laszlo Cseh, set the 5th fastest time in 50,80 during the heats. Fastest into seminfinals was Italy’s Piero Codia.

Two Finnish swimmers were the only ones under 30 seconds in the women’s 50 m breaststroke: Ida Hulkko in 29,85 and Jenna Laukkanen in 29,85. Laukkanen is the defending European SC champion. Ruta Meilutyte (LIT) qualified 3rd overall in 30,03.

Olympic champion and SC world record holder, Mireia Belmonte (ESP), was set to compete in the 400m IM and 800m freestyle today but she did not swim her prelim races. 

Fabio Scozzoli (ITA) took the top seed from heat 6 with a new championship record of 25,90 in the men’s 50m breaststroke followed by Adam Peaty (GBR) in 25,94.

Katinka Hosszu (HUN) easily advanced to the women’s 400m IM final with the top time, clocking 4:27,45 ahead of France’s Fantine Lesaffre in 4:32,91. Emily Large (GBR) is the youngest swimmer who moved into the final in 4:40,60, she is 16 years old. Mireia Belmonte set a new world record in the 400m IM in August in 4:18,94, Hosszu was the former record holder.

Peter Bernek (HUN, 3:39,86)) and Henrik Christiansen (NOR, 3:40,07) qualified 1st and 2nd for the top spots in the evening’s final in the 400m freestyle. Bernek won the event in 2015 at the SC European Championships in Netanya (Israel).

And it was again Katinka Hosszu (HUN) who took the top spot in the 100m backstroke heats in 56,78 followed by Netherland’s Kira Toussaint in 57,62. Hosszu won six titles two years ago in Netanya. Italy’s superstar Federica Pellegrini touched fifth in 57,95.

Germany’s Christian Diener set the pace in the 200m backstroke, he was the only man under 1:50 in 1:49,77. Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) took 2nd overall in 1:50,92. The defending champion from Poland, Radoslaw Kawecki, also made it into the final in 1:52,03.

The fastest men’s team in the 4x50m freestyle relay were the Italians in heat 1 in 1:25,33. Also in tonight’s final are: Netherlands, Russia, Hungary, Serbia, Belgium, Sweden and Poland. Russia won the gold medal two years ago.

In the absence of the SC world record holder Mireia Belmonte, it was Germany’s Sarah Köhler who set the top time for tomorrow’s final in 8:19,39. Simona Quadarella (ITA, 8:20,41) and Julia Hassler (LIE, 8:20,75) qualified 2nd and 3rd.