Connect with Us:
50 'Fly Titles To Alshammar & Munoz
Aug 10, 2010 - Craig Lord
European Championships, Budapest, Day 2 finals
Men's 50m butterfly final at the end of this file
Women's 50m butterfly
Therese Alshammar (SWE) claimed the crown by 0.06sec over Jeanette Ottesen (DEN), the bronze going to Melanie Henrique (FRA), on 26.09. That locked out world 100m champion, Sarah Sjoestroem, still dripping from taking lane 4 for the 100m free final, on 26.14.
Alshammar, who in winning extended Sweden's gold count in the event to 5, said: "I had a very bad start but I swam well. I have a lot of experience but anything can happen. And as it is my 60th medal at Olympic, world and European levels I will have to continue my career to equal Martina Moravcova's 67 medals."
History unfolding:
Effect on race on all-time top 10:
Euro podiums:
Euro finals:
From the archive: A third of all medals handed out since 1999 have gone to Sweden. In that tally are the first three titles - all won by Anna-Karin Kammerling (SWE). Between 1999 and 2006 not a year went by but Kammerling did not find her way on to a big international podium over: a bronze medallist in the 4x100m free with Swedish teammate at Sydney 2000 and world short-course champion in the 50m butterfly in 2002, the sprinter boasts an impressive treasury of prizes: at world long-course level, a silver and two bronzes; at world short-course, five gold, four silver and three bronze; at European long-course, four gold, three silver, one bronze. Her last European success was silver, by 0.17sec, behind Alshammar in Budapest 2006.
Records
Shiny suit era
The 2010 champion was just outside her textile best.
Men's 50m butterfly
Rafael Munoz, coached by Joan Fortuny at the Vista Allegre centre, claimed gold in 23.17 ahead of Fred Bousquet (FRA), 23.41, and Evgeny Korotyshkin (RUS), on 23.43. Fourth man home was Steffen Deibler (GER), on 23.63, and that may yet be significant. Munoz's medal is not entirely secure: FINA let him off after he missed three anti-doping tests in the past year on the grounds that a doctor said that on one of the occasions he had been "in a vulnerable psychological condition", but the World Anti-Doping Agency is reviewing the case to determine whether it will launch a challenge at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a case that sets precedent. Any decision against Munoz would force him to hand back any prizes won within six months of any offense deemed to have fallen foul of the WADA Code.
Munoz said: "After the past few weeks of worries I am happy that today everything went so well." He felt that his victory confirmed his status in a shiny suit, though the time was 0.64sec away from his world record pace.
World record holder on 22.43 in spring last year, he claimed bronze at the world championships in Rome last year, in 22.88, the crown going to Milorad Cavic (SRB) in 22.67. Cavic, European champion in 2008, did not defend his crown in Budapest after having had treatment on a lower back injury earlier this summer.
History unfolding:
Effect on race on all-time top 10: 0
Euro podiums:
Euro finals:
From the archive: Who can remember the winner of the inaugural sprint 'fly crown back in Istanbul 1999? Think Orange, think freestyle, think Eindhoven Express and then leap to Flying Dutchman. Yes: Pieter Van Den Hoogenband. In 23.89 he kept at bay Milos Milosevic (CRO) and joint men of bronze, Lars Frolander (SWE) and Mark Foster (GBR). The next two crowns went to Jere Hard (FIN), before Sergiy Breus (UKR) took two in 2004 and 2006. In 2008, Breus finished second to Cavic's 23.11sec Europe and record and in doing so became the most successful competitor in the short history of the event.
Records
Shiny suit era
February 1 2008
