2023 European Junior Championships: Day Six Finals Live Recap

2023 EUROPEAN JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, July 4th – Sunday, July 9th
• Sports and Recreational Center “Milan Gale Muškatirović”, Belgrade, Serbia
• Prelims at 10am local (4am EDT)/Finals at 5pm local (11am EDT)
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Entries
• SwimSwam Preview
• Live Results
• Livestream
• Day 1 Prelims Recap |Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Finals Live Recap
• Day 5 Prelims Recap | Day 5 Finals Live Recap

We’ve finally arrived on the last day of action at the 2023 European Junior Swimming Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Entering tonight’s competition, the nation of Italy remains atop the overall medal table, with Hungary and Denmark also in the hunt.

Denmark will have three prime individual medal chances in the boys’ and girls’ 50m butterfly events and the boy’s 100m breast. Casper Puggaard and Martine Damborg lead their respective fly fields while Jonas Gaur will tackle the breaststroke race.

The Danish boy’s 4x100m medley relay also put up a top-seeded performance in this morning’s heats to set themselves up for a possible gold in that race as well.

Italy saw two boys claim slots in this evening’s 100m freestyle final, with Lorenzo Ballarati and Davide Passafaro ready to rumble. Christian Bacico is also the top seed in the 100m back to give Italy a solid shot at the top prize there.

Also set to race is 17-year-old fly phenom Lana Pudar of Bosnia & Herzegovina. The teen who fired off a new European Junior Record in the 200m fly last night and a new national record in the 100m fly the night before will try to complete the trifecta with a gold in the 50m fly sprint this evening.

Turkey’s Merve Tuncel will attempt to pull off a triple three-peat, gunning for girls’ 400m free gold to add to her earlier 800m and 1500m free victories. The 18-year-old was the title winner across all 3 events at both the 2021 and the 2022 editions of these championships.

The boy’s 400m free will represent another showdown between Bulgarian ace Petar Mitsin and his rival Vlad-Stefan Stancu of Romania. The pair dueled in the 800m free last night, with Mitsin winding up on top. Therefore, Stancu will try to exact his revenge in this shorter distance to cap off the individual events of the evening.

GIRLS 200 IM – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 2:06.89, Summer McIntosh (CAN) 2023
• European Junior Record: 2:11.03
• European Record: 2:06.12, Katinka Hosszu (HUN0 2015
• Championship Record: 2:13.03 Ilaria Cusinato (ITA) 2016
• 2022 European Junior Champion: Leah Schlosshan (GBR) 2:13.49

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Leah Schlosshan (GBR) 2:12.41 *Championships Record
• SILVER: Phoebe Cooper (GBR) 2:13.28
• BRONZE: Ellie McCartney (IRL) 2:14.31

Great Britain captured its first gold medal of these championships, courtesy of Leah Schlosshan in the girls’ 200m IM.

18-year-old Schlosshan produced a time of 2:12.41 to take the top prize, establishing a new meet record in the process. Her time overtook the longstanding meet mark of 2:13.03 Italy’s Ilaria Cusinato put on the books at the 2016 European Junior Championships.

Schlosshan successfully defended her title from last year where the Brit became the champion in a time of 2:13.49 while her lifetime best rests at the 2:11.72 she logged at this year’s British Championships. That rendered her GBR’s 8th-fastest woman in history.

Teammate Phoebe Cooper made it a 1-2 British punch while Ireland’s Ellie McCartney rounded out the top 3 in 2:14.21.

Cooper has earned two relay medals here so this 2IM represents her first individual medal of Belgrade. The same holds true for McCartney, with the 18-year-old bagging bronze, Ireland’s first medal at these championships.

GIRLS 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 57.57, Regan Smith (USA) 2019
• European Junior Record: 59.08, Anastasia Shkurdai (BLR) 2020
• European Record: 58.08, Kathleen Dawson (GBR) 2021
• Championship Record: 59.62, Polina Egorova (RUS) 2017
• 2022 European Junior Champion: Dora Molnar (HUN) 1:00.88

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Lora Fanni Komoroczy (HUN) 1:01.10
• SILVER: Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu (ROU) 1:01.24
• BRONZE: Giada Gorlier (ITA) 1:01.36

As was the case with last night’s semi-final, tonight’s medal-contending girls’ 100m backstroke race was extremely tight from wall to wall.

Ultimately, Hungary’s Lori Fanni Komoroczy touched first, posting a time of 1:01.10. That was enough to hold off Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu of Romania who was next in 1:01.24.  Italy’s Giada Gorlier also landed on the podium in 1:01.36 for bronze.

Komoroczy’s effort checks in as a big-time personal best, overtaking her previous PB of 1:01.77 from last year’s Hungarian Youth Championships.

Komoroczy’s medal helped deflect the fact that last year’s champion in this event and 200m back gold medalist this year, Hungarian teammate Dora Molnar, missed out on this 1back final. She finished in 9th place last night.

BOYS 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 52.53, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) 2018
• European Junior Record: 52.53, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) 2018
• European Record: 51.60, Thomas Ceccon (ITA) 2022
• Championship Record: 52.91, Ksawery Masiuk (POL) 2022
• 2022 European Junior Champion: Ksawery Masiuk (POL) 52.91

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Oleksandr Zheltyakov (UKR) 54.18
• SILVER: Christian Bacico (ITA) 54.36
• BRONZE: Matthew Ward (GBR) 54.61

Ukraine’s Oleksandr Zheltyakov powered his way to the wall first in this extremely close race among the top 3 finishers.

Zheltyakov clocked a mark of 54.18, scorching his 3rd-seeded time of 54.92 produced out of last night’s semi-final. His time also beat out the 54.26 he logged last year to earn runner-up status behind champion Ksawery Masiuk of Poland.

His Ukrainian national record remains at the 53.98 hit at the 2021 European Junior Championships.

Behind Zheltyakov was Italy’s Christian Bacico who punched a result of 54.36 while the 50m back bronze medalist here, Matthew Ward, rounded out the top 3 in 54.61.

Bacico’s silver medal-worthy 54.36 is yet another lifetime best, surpassing his previous PB entering this meet of 55.54 scored at this year’s Italian Nationals. He already lowered that to 54.52 to land lane 4 for this evening.

As for Ward, his 54.61 outing represents the teen’s second-ever foray under the 55-second barrier. He posted 54.96 to take the top seed out of the heats before producing 55.01 last night. His time this evening now renders him Great Britain’s 20th-fastest man ever in the event.

GIRLS 100 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 1:04.35, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) 2013
• European Junior Record: 1:04.35, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) 2013
• European Record: 1:04.35, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) 2013
• Championship Record: 1:05.48, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) 2013
• 2022 European Junior Champion: Enli Jevimova (EST) 1:06.50

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Eneli Jefimova (EST) 1:06.81
• SILVER: Olivia Klint Ipsa (SWE) 1:07.26
• BRONZE: Justine Delmas (FRA) 1:08.57

16-year-old Eneli Jefimova decisively won this girls’ 100m breaststroke, firing off the sole time of the field under the 1:07 barrier.

The Estonian ace opened in 31.90 and brought it home in 34.91 to capture gold in a final result of 1:06.81. This marks her second consecutive European Junior Championships title in this event after taking gold last year in Romania in a mark of 1:06.50.

Jefimova set a new Estonian record of 1:06.36 just this past April while competing at the Swim Open Stockholm. That performance ranks her 11th in the world on the season.

Sweden’s Olivia Klint Ipsa upgraded to silver in this 1breast, posting 1:07.26 as the runner-up. She’s already claimed bronze in the 50m and 200m breaststroke events.

Her time tonight obliterates her career-best entering this competition, a time of 1:08.48 registered in Athens this past May.

France’s Justine Delmas beat Jefimova to take the 200m breast title earlier in this meet but settled for bronze in this sprint in 1:08.57.

BOYS 100 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 46.86, David Popovici (ROU) 2022
• European Junior Record: 46.86, David Popovici (ROU) 2022
• European Record: 46.86, David Popovici (ROU) 2022
• Championship Record: 47.30, David Popovici (ROU) 2021
• 2022 European Junior Champion: David Popovici (ROU) 47.69

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Boldizsar Magda (HUN) 49.52
• SILVER: Davide Passafaro (ITA) 49.63
• BRONZE: Rafael Fente Damers (FRA) 49.72

Last night we saw the top 4 finishers get under the 50-second barrier and tonight one additional name was added to make it 5 in total.

Splashing and dashing his way to the wall first was Hungary’s 18-year-old Boldizsar Magda, touching in a gold medal-worthy 49.52.

It was Italy’s Davide Passafaro who was out quicker on the front half, producing a first 50m split of 23.60 to Magda’s 23.84. However, Magda surged in the final meters to relegate Passafaro to silver medalist in a time of 49.63.

Frenchman Rafael Fente Damers clocked a time of 49.72 to bag the bronze.

4th place finisher Lorenzo Ballarati of Italy and 5th place swimmer Patrick-Sebastian Dinu of Romania were the additional racers under 50 seconds in respective efforts of 49.75 and 49.83.

Champion Magda had only been in the 49-second zone on one occasion before this competition, owning a previous personal best of 49.68 from this year’s Hungarian Nationals. He clocked a time of 49.89 this morning to score the 2nd seed.

Passafaro earned bronze in the boys’ 50m freestyle while Damers’ bronze here checks in as his first medal in Belgrade. Damers had only ever been under 50 seconds one time before this meet, carrying a PB of 49.91 from April into these championships.

For the moment, Magda’s gold tips the overall swimming medal total in Hungary’s favor over Italy who was the leader entering tonight.

BOYS 100 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 59.01, Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) 2017
• European Junior Record: 59.01, Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) 2017
• European Record: 56.88, Adam Peaty (GBR) 2019
• Championship Record: 59.23, Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) 2017
• 2022 European Junior Champion: Volodymyr Lisovets (UKR), 1:00.96

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Jonas Gaur (DEN) 1:01.78
• SILVER: Steijn Louter (NED) 1:01.94
• BRONZE: Uros Zivanovic (SRB) 1:02.09

The top 3 finishers out of yesterday’s semi-final landed on the podium in the same positions this evening.

Denmark’s Jonas Gaur, fueled by a magnificent underwater at the halfway mark, stopped the clock in a time of 1:01.78. That matched his time from last night exactly, although this evening’s performance looked a little less comfortable as the 17-year-old noticeably tightened up on the final 20 meters.

He maintained his composure, however, to still beat out Dutchman Steijn Louter who hit 1:01.94 as the only other swimmer under 1:02.

Serbia’s Uros Zivanovic double up on his 50m breast silver to claim bronze here in 1:02.09. He remains the only swimmer to have medaled from the home nation thus far at these championships.

Entering this meet, champion Gaur’s previous lifetime best rested at the 1:02.39 notched just this past April. As for Louter, he was the bronze medalist in this event at the 2022 edition of the competition, posting a time of 1:01.32 in Romania.

GIRLS 50 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 25.46, Rikako Ikee (JPN) 2017
• European Junior Record: 25.66
• European Record: 24.43, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 2014
• Championship Record: 26.14, Daria Klepikova (RUS) 2021
• 2022 European Junior Champion: Lana Pudar (BIH) 26.49

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Lana Pudar (BIH) 26.10 *European Junior Championships Record
• SILVER: Martine Damborg (DEN) 26.40
• BRONZE: Anna Maria Boerstler (GER) 26.55

Bosnia & Herzegovina’s phenom Lana Pudar completed her sweep of the butterfly discipline at these championships, reaping gold in this 50m in a time of 26.10. That establishes a new meet record, slicing .04 off of the 26.14 Russian DAria Klepikova put on the books 2 years ago.

Pudar had the slowest start off the blocks but made up for it quickly in the water, beating out runner-up and top-seeded Martine Damborg of Denmark.

Damborg clocked 26.40 for silver while Germany’s Anna Maria Boerstler earned bronze in 26.55.

Pudar’s time this evening smashed the 26.49 she produced last year in Romania to take the title. In fact, the 17-year-old’s time this evening checks in as her lifetime best and a new BIH, beating out the 26.29 she logged for gold at the 2021 European Junior Championships.

Damborg’s silver medal-worthy time slashed .38 off of her previous PB of 26.78 she owned entering this competition.

BOYS 50 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 22.96, Diego Ribeiro (POR) 2022
• European Junior Record: 22.96, Diego Ribeiro (POR) 2022
• European Record: 22.27, Andrii Govorov (UKR) 2018
• Championship Record: 23.48, Noe Ponti (SUI) 2019
• 2022 European Junior Champion: Casper Puggaard (DEN) 23.67

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Casper Puggaard (DEN) 23.67
• SILVER: Ethan Dumesnil (FRA) 23.90
• BRONZE: Ivan Harbarchuk (UKR) 24.19

Already the 100m butterfly champion here, Casper Puggaard of Denmark made it 2-for-2, capturing 50 mfly gold in a rapid 23.67.

That hacked .25 off of his top-seeded effort of 23.92 from last night’s semi-final and ties what he put up to claim gold in this event last year in Romania.

Frenchman Ethan Dumesnil upgraded his 100m fly bronze to silver in this shorter event, clocking 23.90 as the only other-sub-24-second finisher.

Ukraine’s Ivan Harbarchuk rounded out the podium in 24.19.

GIRLS 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 3:56.08, Summer McIntosh (CAN) 2023
• European Junior Record: 4:03.57, Ajna Kesely (HUN) 2018
• European Record: 3:59.15, Federica Pellegrini (ITA) 2009
• Championship Record: 4:05.89, Ajna Kesely (HUN) 2018
• 2022 European Junior Champion: Merve Tuncel (TUR) 4:07.30

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Nikolett Padar (HUN) 4:08.06
• SILVER: Merve Tuncel (TUR) 4:10.44
• BRONZE: Maya Werner (GER) 4:12.32

In a surprising turn of events, 18-year-old Merve Tuncel of Turkey was denied her triple three-peat, settling for silver in this girls’ 400m free.

After reaping gold in both the 800m and 1500m free, as well as taking the top seed in this 400m free this morning, the Turk saw Nikolett Padar of Hungary soar to the wall first to grab the gold.

Padar hit a time of 4:08.06 while Tuncel’s time of 4:10.44 secured runner-up status. Germany’s Maya Werner collected bronze just shy of 2 seconds back in 4:12.32. This marks Werner’s first medal at these championships.

Padar took the 200m free earlier in this competition but was shut out of repeating as the 100m free European Junior champion.

As for Tuncel, she grabbed gold in this 4free last year in a time of 4:07.30 so she fell 3 seconds behind that marker while Padar’s 4:08.06 easily overtook her 4:12.04 clocked in Romania for bronze.

BOYS 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 3:44.60, Mack Horton (AUS) 2014
• European Junior Record: 3:45.93, Lorenzo Galossi (ITA) 2022
• European Record: 3:40.07, Paul Biedermann (GER) 2009
• Championship Record: 3:46.26, Yannick Agnel (FRA) 2010
• 2022 European Junior Champion: Lorenzo Galossi (ITA) 3:48.14

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Petar Mitsin (BUL) 3:44.31 *World Junior Record *European Junior Record *Championships Record
• SILVER: Alessandro Ragaini (ITA) 3:48.42
• BRONZE: Vlad-Stefan Stancu (ROU) 3:50.21

It was the Petar Mitsin show from start to finish in this boys’ 400m freestyle as the 17-year-old ripped a new World Junior Record en route to gold.

Mitsin stopped the clock in a time of 3:44.31, shaving .29 off of Australian Mack Horton’s previous WJR standard of 3:44.60 logged way back in 2014.

Mitsin led the field by over 2 seconds entering the last 100m and was .40 under World Junior Rcod pace turning into his last 50m. He kept his speed and long stroke all the way to the wall to beat out runner-up Alessandro Ragaini of Italy by 4 seconds and tonight’s bronze medalist, Vlad-Stefan Stancu of Romania by nearly 6 seconds.

Mitsin’s previous personal best entering this competition sat at the 3:48.02 he produced at the Grand Prix Burgas this past May. That means in a matter of two months the teen hacked off nearly 4 seconds to now rank 4th in the world at just 17 years of age.

GIRLS 4×100 MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 3:58.38, Canada (CAN) 2017
• European Junior Record: 4:00.30, Russia (RUS) 2019
• European Record: 3:53.38, Russia (RUS) 2017
• Championship Record: 4:01.83, Russia (RUS) 2019
• 2022 European Junior Champion: France (FRA) 4:05.33

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Italy (ITA) 4:04.26
• SILVER: France (FRA) 4:05.63
• BRONZE: Denmark (DEN) 4:06.13

The nation of Italy captured gold in the penultimate event of the night, the girls’ 4x100m medley relay.

The combination of Giada Gorlier (1:01.80), Irene Mati (1:08.78), Paola Borrelli (58.87) and Sara Curtis (54.81) combined to stop the clock in an effort of 4:04.26.

Behind Italy was France, whose quartet of Manon Domingeon (1:03.42), Justine Delmas (1:07.53), Tabatha Avetand (59.38) and Albane Cachot (55.30) posted a silver medal-worthy 4:05.63.

Denmark also landed on the podium in bronze, courtesy of Kristine Nilsson Norby (1:02.35), Ida Skov Kragh (1:09.81), Martine Damborg (58.65) and Schastine Tabor (55.32).

Last year France picked up the win so they fell one slot while Italy frog-hopped into first place after having been the bronze medalists in Romania at the 2022 edition.

BOYS 4×100 MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 3:33.19, Russia (RUS) 2019
• European Junior Record: 3:33.19, Russia (RUS) 2019
• European Record: 3:27.51, Great Britain (GBR) 2021
• Championship Record: 3:35.24, Italy (ITA) 2017
• 2022 European Junior Champion: Great Britain (GBR) 3:37.44

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Italy (ITA) 3:39.80
• SILVER: Denmark (DEN) 3:39.84
• BRONZE: France (FRA) 3:42.16

The final race of the 2023 European Junior Championships did not disappoint, as the top two teams in the boys’ 4x100m medley relay touched just .04 apart.

Italy led Denmark through the backstroke leg as Christian Bacico led off in 55.35 while Dane Mads Moller was behind in 56.30.

However, Denmark’s breaststroking ace Jonas Gaur split 1:01.98 to Italian breaststroker Christian Mantegazza‘s 1:02.52 to put the red and white caps right up against the Italians.

Then multi-gold medalist here Casper Puggaard unleashed a split of 51.70 on fly to surge ahead of his Italian counterpart Daniele Momoni who hit 53.42.

With one leg to go, Nicholas Castella would have to hold off Italy’s Lorenzo Ballarati in the ultimate test of grit for the gold.

Ballarati made up major ground into the turn, finally touching a fingernail ahead. Ballarati split 48.51 to Castella’s 49.86.

France bagged bronze in 3:42.16, with 100m free bronze medalist Rafael Fente Damers anchoring in 49.90 to add another medal to their haul.