Anastasiya Shkurdai Breaks Another European Jr Record to Win Gold in 100 Fly

2019 LEN EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, December 4th – Sunday, December 8th
• Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Glasgow, Scotland
• SCM
• Entry List 
• Competition Schedule
• Results Documents 
• Live Video – LEN TV

Belarus’ Anastasiya Shkurdai has earned her first major international gold medal via a win in the women’s 100 fly on Sunday, the final day of the 2019 European Short Course Swimming Championships. Slipping just .16 seconds ahead of Italy’s Elena Di Liddo for gold, Shkurdai swam a 56.21 in the final.

That breaks both her own Belarusian Record in the event, which was a 56.85 from prelims and before that a 57.05 done in 2012 by Aleksandra Herasimenia, as well as the European Junior Record.

Shkurdai will become the first official European Junior Record holder in the event, as she’s the first to clear the benchmark standard of 56.42 in the event. That time correlates to the best-known age-eligible time ever done by a European swimmer, which was the time done by Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom in 2009. She is the current World Record holder in the event in long course and short course meters (55.48 and 54.61, respectively).

Shkurdai’s best time coming into this meet in short course was 57.20, but with a 57.39 best in long course, that best time was always in the crosshairs. While she didn’t go out much faster in her record-breaking effort than she has previously, it was her closing speed that made the difference. Her 2nd 50 meters split was the 2nd-fastest in the field.

Split Comparison to previous personal best:

Shkurdai set the European Junior Record in the 50 fly earlier in the meet with a 25.28, but missed the podium. She also has a silver medal in the meet as part of Belarus’ mixed 200 medley relay.

She turns 17 on January 3rd, meaning that she has all of 2020 to set records as well. European Junior Records can be set by women aged 14-17 based on their age at December 31st of the year of competition.

Also significant in that 100 fly – Greece’s Anna Ntountounaki took bronze in 56.44. That’s her country’s first-ever women’s swimming medal at a European Short Course Championship meet.