2024 European Junior Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap
By Riley Overend on SwimSwam
2024 EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tuesday, July 2nd – Sunday, July 7th
Prelims at 9:30am local/Finals at 6pm local
Lazdynai Pool, Vilnius, Lithuania
LCM (50m)
Meet Central
Entries
Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap
Day 2 Prelims Recap/Day 2 Finals Recap
Live Results
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Welcome back for Day 3 of the European Junior Championships, with finals of the boys 200 IM, girls 50 freestyle, girls 100 butterfly, boys 1500 free, and girls 4×200 free relay on tap for Thursday night in Lithuania.
There should be some fun showdowns, including an anticipated girls 50 free battle between European junior record holder Sara Curtis and Croatia’s Jan Pavalic, who was just .05 seconds behind the Italian sprinter during Wednesday’s semifinals at 24.78.
The third finals session will also feature semifinals of the both 200 backstrokes, both 200 breaststrokes, boys 50 free, and boys 100 fly.
Stay tuned for live updates below:
GIRLS 200 BACKSTROKE – SEMIFINAL
World Junior Record: 2:03.35, Regan Smith (2019)
European Junior Record: 2:06.62
European Record: 2:04.94, Anastasia Fesikova (2009)
Championship Record: 2:08.97, Polina Egorova (2017)
2023 European Junior Champion: Dora Molnar (Hungary), 2:11.06
TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:
Aissia Claudia Prisecariu (ROU) – 2:11.45
Lise Seidel (GER) – 2:12.29
Estella Tonrath (ESP) – 2:12.38
Nahia Garrido Malvar (ESP) – 2:12.61
Dora Molnar (HUN) – 2:13.08
Jinth Engelse (NED) – 2:13.90
Natalia Zaiteva (MDA) – 2:14.51
Martyna Karabacz (GBR) – 2:14.95
Aissia Claudia Prisecariu snagged the top qualifying spot in the girls 100 back with a time of 2:11.45, within half a second of her personal-best 2:11.00 from last month’s European Championships. The 16-year-old Romanian is closing in on a 24-year-old national record (2:08.16) that Diana Mocanu clocked back at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Germany’s Lise Seidel posted the first sub-2:13 effort of her career, qualifying 2nd for Friday’s final in 2:12.29. She shaved almost a second off her previous-best 2:13.07 from last summer.
Estella Tonrath, a 17-year-old Spaniard, is the No. 3 seed for Friday’s final with a time of 2:12.38 in the semifinals. She’s fresh off a huge lifetime best of 2:09.95 from last month’s Spanish Olympic Trials.
BOYS 200 IM – FINAL
World Junior Record: 1:56.99, Hubert Kos (2021)
European Junior Record: 1:56.99, Hubert Kos (2021)
European Record: 1:55.18, Laszlo Cseh (2009)
Championship Record: 1:59.17, Tom Dean (2018)
2023 European Junior Champion: Miroslav Knedla (CZE), 2:00.26
PODIUM:
Gold: Robert-Andrei Badea (ROU) – 2:00.05
Silver: Nil Cadevall Micolau (ESP) – 2:00.34
Bronze: Finn Hammer (GER) – 2:01.68
Romania’s Robert-Andrei Badea eked past Spain’s Nil Cadevall Micolau (2:00.34) for the boys 200 IM crown in a personal-best 2:00.05.
Badea, 16, shaved a tenth of a second off his own Romanian record of 2:00.15 from April’s Romanian Championships. He split 25.75 butterfly, 30.15 backstroke, 34.83 breaststroke, and 29.32 freestyle.
Cadevall Micolau was within a few tenths of Badea with his runner-up finish in 2:00.34. He dropped almost two seconds off his previous-best 2:01.99 from February.
Germany’s Finn Hammer rounded out the podium with a 3rd-place finish in 2:01.68. The Georgia commit (’25) took almost a second off his previous-best 2:02.29 from April.
GIRLS 50 FREESTYLE – FINAL
World Junior Record: 24.17, Claire Curzan (2021)
European Junior Record: 24.56, Sara Curtis (ITA), 2024
European Record: 23.67, Sarah Sjostrom (2017)
Championship Record: 24.67, Sara Curtis (ITA), 2024
2023 European Junior Champion: Sara Curtis (ITA), 25.14
PODIUM:
Gold: Sara Curtis (ITA) – 24.68
Silver: Jana Pavalic (CRO) – 24.92
Bronze: Skye Carter (GBR) – 25.24
European junior record holder Sara Curtis narrowly missed her own meet record from prelims (24.67) en route to the girls 50 free victory in 24.68. The 17-year-old Italian owns a lifetime best of 24.56 from the Italian Championships in March.
Croatia’s Jana Pavalic earned the runner-up finish in 24.92, slightly slower than her 24.78 from Wednesday’s semifinals. The 17-year-old boasts a career best of 24.67 from last month’s European Championships, where she ultimately placed 5th.
Great Britain’s Skye Carter claimed bronze in 24.24, within a tenth of her personal-best 25.15 from last August’s Commonwealth Youth Games victory. The podium results also showcased growing diversity in the sport as two of the girls 50 free medalists (Curtis and Carter) are Black. Carter also took bronze at last year’s European Junior Championships (25.41) behind Curtis (25.14).
BOYS 50 FREESTYLE – SEMIFINAL
World Junior Record: 21.75, Michael Andrew (2017)
European Junior Record: 21.83, Artem Selin (2019)
European Record: 20.94, Frederick Bousquet (2009)
Championship Record: 21.83, Artem Selin (2019)
2023 European Junior Champion: Lorenzo Ballarati (Italy) – 22.56
TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:
Lorenzo Ballarati (ITA) – 22.37
Nikita Sheremet (UKR) – 22.46
Tie: Carlos D’Ambrosio (ITA) / Tajus Juska (LTU) – 22.58
–
Vlaho Nenadic (CRO) – 22.59
Luca Hoek le Guenedal (ESP) / Maro Miknic (CRO) – 22.64
–
Justin Cvetkov (SRB) – 22.72
Italy’s Lorenzo Ballarati clinched the top qualifying spot in the boys 50 free with a time of 22.37, lowering his lifetime best from last year’s World Junior Championships (22.38) by one hundredth of a second.
Nikita Sheremet, a Ukrainian currently training in Warsaw, Poland, was 2nd in the semis at 22.46, dropping a couple tenths off her previous-best 22.70 from April.
Italy’s Carlos D’Ambrosio (22.58) tied with Lithuanian 15-year-old phenom Tajus Juska (22.58) for the No. 3 seed.
GIRLS 200 BREASTSTROKE – SEMIFINAL
World Junior Record: 2:19.64, Viktoria Gunes (2015)
European Junior Record: 2:19.64, Viktoria Gunes (2015)
European Record: 2:17.55, Evgeniia Chikunova (2023)
Championship Record: 2:21.07, Evgeniia Chikunova (2019)
2023 European Junior Champion: Justine Delmas (France) – 2:25.62
TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:
Hannah Schneider (GER) – 2:29.00
Lena Ludwig (GER) – 2:29.31
Theodora Taylor (GBR) – 2:29.54
Lucrezia Mancini (ITA) – 2:29.77
Lisa Nystrand (SWE) – 2:30.11
Brigitta Vass (ROU) – 2:30.18
Charlotte Bianchi (GBR) – 2:30.73
Martina Burkvic (SRB) – 2:30.97
Germany secured the top two qualifying spots in the girls 200 breast courtesy of Hannah Schneider (2:29.00) and Lena Ludwig (2:29.31).
Schneider lowered her previous-best 2:30.37 from prelims this morning. Before this meet, her best time was just 2:34.67 from December.
Ludwig reached the wall within a couple seconds of her personal-best 2:27.68 from last summer.
Great Britain’s Theodora Taylor qualified 3rd in 2:29.54, just off her personal-best 2:29.18 from January.
BOYS 200 BREASTSTROKE – SEMIFINAL
World Junior Record: 2:08.83, Zhihao Dong (2023)
European Junior Record: 2:09.64
European Record: 2:06.12, Anton Chupkov (2019)
Championship Record: 2:10.69, Anton Chupkov (2015)
2023 European Junior Champion: Steijn Louter (Netherlands) – 2:14.11
TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:
Doruk Yogurtcuoglu (TUR) – 2:12.49
Filip Nowacki (GBR) – 2:13.47
Max Morgan (GBR) – 2:13.54
Kerem Ilyem (TUR) – 2:13.83
Evangelos Efraim Ntoumas (GRE) – 2:13.95
Maksim Manolov (BUL) – 2:14.01
Collin van der Hoff (NED) – 2:14.43
Sebastien Capogna (FRA) – 2:14.57
BOYS 200 BACKSTROKE – SEMIFINAL
World Junior Record: 1:55.14, Kliment Kolesnikov (2017)
European Junior Record: 1:55.14, Kliment Kolesnikov (2017)
European Record: 1:53.23, Evgeny Rylov (2021)
Championship Record: 1:55.79, Oleksandr Zheltyakov (2023)
2023 European Junior Champion: Oleksandr Zheltyakov (Ukraine) – 1:55.79
TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:
GIRLS 100 BUTTERFLY – FINAL
World Junior Record: 56.43, Claire Curzan (2021)
European Junior Record: 56.46
European Record: 55.48, Sarah Sjostrom (2016)
Championship Record: 56.95, Lana Pudar (2023)
2023 European Junior Champion: Lana Pudar (Bosnia-Herzegovina) – 56.95
PODIUM:
Gold:
Silver:
Bronze:
BOYS 100 BUTTERFLY – SEMIFINAL
World Junior Record: 50.62, Kristof Milak (2017)
European Junior Record: 50.62, Kristof Milak (2017)
European Record: 49.68, Kristof Milak (2021)
Championship Record: 51.35, Egor Kuimov (2017)
2022 European Junior Champion: Casper Puggaard (Denmark) – 52.67
TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:
BOYS 1500 FREESTYLE – FINAL
World Junior Record: 14:46.09, Franko Grgic (2019)
European Junior Record: 14:46.09, Franko Grgic (2019)
European Record: 14:32.80, Gregorio Paltrinieri (2022)
Championship Record: 14:58.89, Kuzey Tuncelli (2023)
2023 European Junior Champion: Kuzey Tuncelli (Turkey) – 14:58.89
PODIUM:
Gold:
Silver:
Bronze:
GIRLS 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL
World Junior Record: 7:51.47, Canada (2017)
European Junior Record: 7:57.33, Russia (2017)
European Record: 7:45.51, Great Britain (2009)
Championship Record: 7:58.99, Hungary (2017)
2023 European Junior Champion: Hungary, 8:00.25
PODIUM:
Gold:
Silver:
Bronze:
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