ADLINGTON EARNS DISTANCE SILVER ON LADIES' NIGHT
Seventeen-year-old Becky Adlington won her first senior international
honours as Britain's women opened the medal count at the European
Championships with double silver and bronze.
The Nova Centurion (Nottingham) swimmer put in the race of
her life in the 800m Freestyle to claim silver in a new best
of 8:27.88 ahead of British team-mate and distance stalwart
Rebecca Cooke (City of Glasgow).
In a race dominated by French swimming sensation Laure Manadou
who was under world record pace to the 600m mark, Adlington
kept her composure and pulled into second position at the
halfway point. Cooke was a tenth of a second shy of her best
for bronze in 8:28.40 and Manadou finished with a new European
Record of 8:19.29.
"I don't think it's sunk in yet," said an excited
Adlington. "I won the European Juniors two years ago
but I didn't expect to medal here. I was lying sixth and just
started moving through the field. Manadou was just out there
and it left me to concentrate on my own race."
Cooke had been hoping to post a lifetime best in the pool
tonight.
"It was just outside my PB by a tenth," she said.
"I would have liked to of gone under 8.28 - it didn't
happen tonight but I'll take the medal."
In the 100m Breaststroke, Kirsty Balfour (City of Edinburgh)
was just off her British Record as she lost out to international
newcomer Ganna Khlystunova of the Ukraine.
Despite lowering her time in the finals to 1:07.95, Balfour
had to settle for silver as the Ukrainian romped home with
a new Championship Record of 1:07.55. Agnes Kovacs of Hungary
took bronze in 1:08.60 and Loughborough University's Kate
Haywood finished fifth in 1:08.78.
"I'm really pleased with that," said Balfour. "It
was close there at the end but she took the gold. I thought
I had her - two more metres and maybe I would have made it
to the top step.
"That result has given me a lot of confidence. It's
not my main event so to get a silver in the bag in the 100m
Breaststroke is a real bonus. It's part of a great night for
Britain in the pool which really spurred me on. I'm really
excited now at having a go at the 200m."
With the women's 200m Backstroke moved to this evening's
opener after last night's session was cut short by an electrical
storm, Loughborough University's Mel Marshall rallied the
troops with a gutsy performance. The 24-year-old led the field
to the final turn but was unable to keep the pace and touched
third in 2:12.17 behind Esther Baron of France (2:10.07) and
Ukraine's Iryna Amshennikova (2:12.13).
"I'm very happy to have won a medal," said Marshall.
"I would have liked to go a bit faster but given the
conditions I'm really pleased.
"It's not my main event but I really went for it and
I felt sick over that last 50m. I maybe went out a bit fast
but I wanted a medal for the team and myself."
In the same race, 15-year-old Lizzie Simmonds proved she
can make the transition to senior competition and finished
fifth in 2:13.02.
"Fifth in a senior European final is something I have
to be excited about," she said. "I was happy with
the time and I'm up for the rest of the Championships."
Simmonds also competed it the semi-final of the 100m event
tonight where she swam a personal best of 1:02.42 to finish
ninth, ahead of team-mate Katy Sexton who was 11th in 1:03.09.
Last night's disruption also affected the men's 200m Freestyle
which meant both semis and finals were swum today. British
prospects David Carry (Loughborough University) and Simon
Burnett (Wycombe District) made it to the final but were just
outside the medals in fourth and fifth position - Carry an
agonising one hundredth of a second off a podium spot.
In a fast race, Carry knocked more than half a second off
his best for fourth in 1:47.58 and Burnett finished fifth
in 1:48.01. European Record holder Pieter Van Den Hoogenband
won gold in 1:45.65 and Italian duo Massimiliano Rosolino
and Filippo Magnini took silver and bronze in 1:47.02 and
1:47.57 respectively.
Carry, who beat Loughborough team-mate Ross Davenport to
make it past the heats, was delighted with his performance.
"That was a great swim and better than expected as I
didn't even think I'd make the final," he said. "It's
a PB for me and more than I could have asked for. The 200m
Freestyle is so strong in Britain at the moment, which is
why I didn't expect to be in the final, but it bodes well
for the relay."
Burnett, who holds the British Record of 1:46.59, was less
pleased with the result.
"We saw some great swimmers in there tonight but I'm
obviously disappointed with my performance," he said.
"I can't dwell on it now as we've got the relay to come,
but I'll look at it and learn from it later."
Youngster Fran Halsall continued her top form in a fast 100m
Freestyle that saw Germany's Britta Steffen set a World Record
of 53.30 for gold.
Halsall, who at 16 was youngest in the field, lowered her
personal best again with a strong swim from lane one that
earned her fourth place in 54.88. Holland's Marleen Veldhuis
won silver in 54.32 and Nery-Madey Niangkouara of Greece took
bronze in 54.48.
"I can't believe it - that's two fourth places in two
events," she said. "Hopefully next time I'll medal!
It's not all bad though. This is my first senior Europeans
and I was the youngest swimmer by six years.
"I didn't really have a plan tonight - I just went for
it and it really hurt coming back over the last 50m. But to
swim in a race and see a world record topple is an amazing
sensation."
There was disappointment for Gregor Tait (City of Cardiff)
who ran out of gas on the final leg of the 200m Individual
Medley and was forced into fourth in 2:01.00. The Scottish
swimmer moved into second position on the backstroke leg and
was tucked in behind European record holder Laszlo Cseh of
Hungary who went on to win in a Championship Record of 1:58.17.
Overtaken on the freestyle length, Tait was stripped of his
medal hopes by Alessio Boggiatto of Italy and Hungary's Tamas
Kerekjarto who took silver and bronze in 2:00.14 and 2:00.17
respectively.
"I was so close to my best time and to a medal,"
he said. "It's frustrating to get so close and come away
with nothing - just a little bit more would have seen me on
the podium. It was a really fast race and I just didn't have
anything else to give. I felt empty."
Fellow Brit Euan Dale swam a personal best of 2:02.27 for
sixth position.
British rivals Matt Clay and Liam Tancock, who missed out
on the medals in last night's 100m Backstroke, will be head-to-head
once more after qualifying for the final of the 50m event.
Clay goes through second in 25.42 and Tancock is fourth in
25.57.
Newcomers to international competition Joe Roebuck and James
Kirton also impressed in this evening's packed schedule.
At his first international long-course event, Loughborough
University's Roebuck finished 13th in the semi-finals of the
200m Butterfly in 2:00.72, while Kirton (City of Sheffield)
has qualified for the final on the 200m Breaststroke in fifth
in 2:13.20. British team-mate Kris Gilchrist follows him through
as seventh fastest in 2:13.55.
"I wasn't one hundred per cent happy with that swim,"
admitted Gilchrist. "It felt a lot better than the heats
but the time was slower that I expected.
"I've got the final tomorrow and I know I can go faster.
My aim is to qualify for the Worlds but if I can get into
the mix for the medals it would be great."
In today's diving action, Ben Swain of City of Sheffield
finished 15th after the preliminaries with 324.00 points.
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