RECORDS FALL ON OPENING NIGHT OF EURO CHAMPS
The quality of competition was evident on the opening night
of the European Championships in Budapest as Britain's best
were kept off the rostrum by a series of record-breaking swims.
In the 400m Freestyle, a personal best swim of 3:48.14 in
the heats from Commonwealth Champion David Carry (Loughborough
University) was only good enough to place him fifth through
the final where, unable to improve on his ranking in a strong
field, he touched home in 3:48.71 - a time that would have
won the event just two years ago.
Yury Prilukov of Russia won gold in a new Championship Record
time of 3:45.73, while Italy's Massimiliano Rosolino took
silver in 3:46.87 and bronze went to Nicolas Rostoucher of
France in 3:47.04.
"My aim was to get out quick as I felt I could come
back quickly," said Carry. "It was very painful
coming back down that last 100m.
"This meet is going to be much harder and quicker than
the Commonwealth Games. You have to race hard in the mornings
just to make it through to the final and it showed tonight.
"I'm still very positive. It was a best time this morning
and I'm learning all the time."
In the 400m Individual Medley, British Record holder Becky
Cooke (City of Glasgow) finished just half a second off her
best for sixth in 4:45.13, while 16-year-old Hannah Miley
(Garioch) was next home for seventh in 4:47.51. Gold went
to Alessia Filippi of Italy in 4:35.80.
Cooke, who uses the medley event as a warm-up, was positive
about her performance.
"I hope to step up from that later in the week,"
said Cooke. "The IM is something I really enjoy but my
main events are to come. I use the IM to vary my training,
which helps me a lot."
Miley, who represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games
earlier this year, was pleased to make the final at only her
second major senior international.
"That was just outside my best but I've found it a great
experience," she said. "It's a real boost to swim
against opposition like this."
Top breaststrokers James Gibson (Loughborough University)
and Chris Cook (City of Newcastle) will go head to head for
honours in the 100m Breaststroke tomorrow night after qualifying
third and fourth fastest in their quickest swims of the year.
A return to form for Gibson saw him post a time of 60.74,
while Cook, whose preparation was blighted by a groin injury,
swam home in 60.85.
Gibson was delighted with both their performances.
"We're both faster than we were at Commonwealth Games,"
he beamed. "In fact, that's my fastest 100m for three
years - I feel like I'm getting back to where I was.
"I'm quite relaxed now because we've both qualified
for the World Championships in Melbourne, but we need to make
sure we carry this forward to tomorrow. We've got a great
team here and I want to lift them as best I can."
Cook was equally pleased.
"That was a great performance," he said. "To
come through injury and swim that kind of time, especially
in my longer event, is a real positive. It's down to a really
good team of people that have helped me back to fitness."
Backstroke rivals Liam Tancock (Loughborough University)
and Matt Clay (Swansea) have both made it through to the finals
of the 100m event. After posting faster times than British
team-mates Gregor Tait and James Goddard this morning to seal
their spot in the semis, the pair kept up with the leaders
to qualify in fifth and seventh position.
Tancock, whose training was put on hold earlier this year
after suffering from a broken wrist, was fastest of the two
in 54.79 and Clay was just off his best in 55.05.
"I'm pleased with that tonight," admitted Tancock.
"I'm getting quicker all the time and I feel stronger
every time I get into the pool. The wrist feels much better
and I actually think it's given me more determination to succeed.
I'm excited about tomorrow."
Clay was also pleased with his performance.
"That was a better swim - not far off my best and I
put right what went wrong this morning," he said. "It
looks good for the finals."
In the women's 200m Backstroke, Loughborough University's
Mel Marshall and 15-year-old Lizzie Simmonds (Lincoln Vulcans)
have both progressed to the finals. Marshall goes through
fifth in 2:12.88 and Simmonds, competing at her first major
senior international, has qualified seventh in 2:13.18.
"It's a great experience coming out here," said
Simmonds. "Being part of such a big team and swimming
against some of the world's biggest names is just amazing.
"It's a lot tougher than the European Juniors - you
need to be much more mentally prepared as well as obviously
being much faster, but I hope to show I can make that step
up this week."
In the women's 4x100m Freestyle, there was a complete turnaround
from the team that qualified this morning as Marshall, Caitlin
McClatchey, Ros Brett (both Loughborough University) and Fran
Halsall (City of Liverpool) took up the baton for this evening's
race.
In a fast event that saw winners Germany claim a new World
Record of 3:35.22, the British team were just off the pace
and finished fifth in 3:41.44.
"I felt pretty tired after the backstroke," admitted
lead swimmer Marshall. "It was really tough leading off
and I didn't think I would feel it quite as much as I did."
"We hoped to go faster than the British Record but were
just outside it tonight," added Brett. "But with
the new guys coming through it's only a matter of time before
that falls."
After setting a new British Record of 3:19.01 in this morning's
heats, the men's 4x100m team of Ross Davenport (Loughborough
University), Chris Cozens (University of Bath), Craig Houston
(Stirling) and Simon Burnett (Wycombe) dipped below their
best again in the final to finish fifth, but it won't stand
after the quartet were disqualified for an error during the
Cozens / Houston changeover.
In the open water swimming, which finished just yesterday,
Alan Bircher closed the action in with tenth position in the
gruelling 25k. The University of Bath swimmer touched home
in 5h12:53.5, just two-and-a-half minutes behind champion
Gilles Rondy of France.
Diving kicks off tomorrow, where a squad of 10 young athletes
will be gathering vital experience at a major international
event.
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