European Championships, Budapest, day 3 finals:

Men 1,500m freestyle 

Jean Taris in 1934 was the last Frenchman to win the Euro 30-lap crown. Sebastien Rouault, coached by Lionel Horter in Mulhouse, is the latest and he scooped the prize in the fastest time in the world so far this year: 14:55.17. 

If that was 0.28sec inside Chad La Tourette's effort last week at US nationals, it also placed the Frenchman ahead of an historic silver medal for the Faroe Islands, courtesy of Pal Joensen, on 14:56.90, the bronze going to Samuel Pizzetti (ITA) in 14:59.76. No others got below 15mins, the last man home 2007 world 800m champion Przemyslaw Stanczyk (POL) on 15:24.26. Not quite as swift as the 2008 final, the race marked the second time in championship history the podium placers all raced inside 15mins.

Joensen, of the Faroes (about halfway between Great Britain and Iceland and a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland) is not yet 20. What he lacks in age he more than makes up for in courage. One of only two men (and teenagers) in the final who had never swum in a big senior final before (alongside Gergely Gyurta, HUN, Daniel's little bro), he attacked the 30-lap battle from the go, establishing, by 500m, a two-bodylength lead on the much more experienced rivals on either side of his leading role in lane 5. By 1,000m, he turned in 8:56.16, the only man showing a hint of fight-back Pizzetti, on 8:58.48, Rouault close by but not yet ready to make a move.

A further 100m on, and then 200m on, the teenager was still out front and going strong, with Pizzetti coming under pressure from Rouault in what still looked being the battle for the minor spoils.

With 200m, the Frenchman, 1.2sec adrift, started to sprint furiously and soon came into contention for gold 1.2sec adrift. At the next turn Rouault was up with Joensen, and took the lead with 100m to go and going away fast. The young brave from the Faroes, coached by Jon Bjarnason, had lost gold but what a worthy silver medallist and a great hope for the future.

Rouault said: "I had to build up my race, given that I know I have a very good last 300m. For that reason, I stayed back a little but at some point I was a bit afraid that Pal Joensen was too far ahead ... but then my last 300m was excellent." The Frenchman nearly quit because of the suits fiasco. Fitness and time and place all played a part in hard times for the 1,500m man but suits really stuck in his craw. “I asked myself the question whether it was worth continuing at all. The bodysuits did not give me an advantage due to my build. I was considering stopping … If they had been kept, if the suits had remained, I would probably have quit ...," said Rouault.

Joensen noted: "I think that's the first international medal in any sport for my country but in swimming that's a fact. I don't yet know whether I'll stay long-term in the Faroes because the conditions are not very good. I can only train short-course."

Faroe Islands: build that man a 50m pool and name it after him...

History unfolding:

Effect on race on all-time top 10: 0

Euro podiums:

• 2010: 14:55.11 - 14:59.76
• 2008: 14:50.40 - 14:58.78
• 2006: 14:51.93 - 15:01.82

Euro finals:

• 2010:  14:55.11 - 15:24.26
• 2008:  14:50.40 - 15:30.35 
• 2006:  14:51.93 - 15:37.92 
• Most Euro wins:  Jorg Hoffmann (GER); Yuri Prilukov (RUS), 4 [Vladimir Salnikov RUS, 3, first 2 when Europeans were held every four years]
• Most Titles/Nation:  GER, 5
• Tightest Podium:  1987 - gold to bronze - 0.83sec

From the archive:  Vladimir Salnikov, one of the all-time greats of distance swimming, the first man to race inside 15mins, Olympic champion in 1980 an '88 and now president of the Russian Swimming Federation, turned 50 on March 21 this year. At 15, he took silver in the 1,500m at the European junior championships, while in senior waters, he never lost a European final over 1,500m, winning in 1977, 1981 and 1983. Between March 1979 and July 1986, Salnikov dominated distance freestyle, setting 13 world records over 400m (6, including 1 equalled), 800m (4) and 1,500m (3). In 1987, at his comeback European championships, Salnikov failed to make the final and was written off as an Olympic medal hope. In 1988 he became the first swimmer ever to win the same Olympic swim crown eight years apart. The historic title tally since 1926 disregarding the borders that kept shifting around: 9 to Germans, 8 to Russians

Records

Shiny suit era

• WR:  Grant Hackett (AUS) 14:34.56 Jul 2001
• ER:  Yuri Prilukov (RUS) 14:41.13 Aug 2008

At February 1,  2008

• WR:  Grant Hackett (AUS) 14:34.56 Jul 2001
• ER:   Mateusz Sawrymowicz (POL) 14:45.94 Mar 2007