Kira Toussaint on Learning to Deal with the Pressure of Big Meet Finals

2021 LEN EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Swimming: Monday, May 17th – Sunday, May 23rd, 2021
• Budapest, Hungary
• Prelims at 10:00 am local/Finals at 6:00 pm local
• Event Site
• Entry List
• Live Results
• Live Stream

Reported by James Sutherland.

WOMEN’S 50 BACK FINAL

• European Record: 27.10, Kira Toussaint (NED), 2021
• European Championship Record: 27.19, Kathleen Dawson (GBR), 2021

1. Kira Toussaint (NED), 27.36
2. Kathleen Dawson (GBR), 27.46
3. Maaike De Waard (NED), 27.74

Kira Toussaint is a Long Course European Champion for the first time, executing an excellent race to edge Kathleen Dawson by a tenth and win the women’s 50 back in a time of 27.36.

Toussaint, 26, owns the European and Dutch National Records at 27.10, set earlier this year. She also ends Great Britain’s streak of three consecutive gold medals in the event, and it’s also the first for the Netherlands in the women’s 50 back.

Dawson, who set a British and Euro Championship Record of 27.19 in the semis, claims the silver here in 27.46, and Maaike De Waard joined her countrywoman Toussaint on the podium with the bronze (27.74).

Great Britain’s Cassie Wild busted out a PB for fourth in 27.85, while Austria’s Caroline Pilhatsch ended up getting disqualified.