European Championships, Budapest, Day 6 finals:
Women's 50m backstroke final at the end of this file.
Men 50m breaststroke
Fabio Scozzoli (ITA) claimed the 50m breaststroke crown in 27.38 ahead of Dragos Agache (ROU) in 27.47 and Lennart Stekelenburg (NED), on 27.51. But for the timing of his last stroke, In a blanket finish and over in lane 1, 100m champion Alex Dale Oen (NOR), on 27.55, might have been champion, but he had to settle for fourth instead.
At the four championships held between 2002 and 2008, Oleg Lisogor (UKR) won and then refused to relinquish the crown, after Mark Warneke had won the first two titles for Germany in 1999 and 2000 as LEN switched to even years to accommodate FINA's switch to holding world titles every two, not four, years. Lisogor still held the world record of 27.18 going into the shiny suits era, that effort now the 22nd best 'performance' in history though comparison is invalid so changed are the conditions of racing, a fact not (at least as yet) recognised by international federations.
Scozzolli, coached by Tamas Gyertyanffy, thus makes Italy only the third nation to win the title in seven times of asking.
History unfolding:
Effect on race on all-time top 10: 0
- Euro podiums:
- 2010: 27.38 - 27.51
- 2008: 27.43 - 27.64
- 2006: 27.48 - 27.87
Euro finals:
- 2010: 27.38 - 27.99
- 2008: 27.43 - 28.48
- 2006: 27.48 - 28.25
- Most Euro wins: Oleg Lisogor (UKR), 4
- Most Titles/Nation: UKR, 4
- Tightest Podium: 2010 - gold to bronze - 0.13sec
From the archive: Since 1999, six titles have been contested - and those have been won by just two men, Mark Warneke (GER) taking the first two, Oleg Lisogor (UKR) the next four, after taking silver behind Warneke in 1999 and 2000. At the dawn of shiny suits, Lisogor held the world record at 27.18. By the time the time non-textile suits were banned 23 months later, his best was the 22nd best performance ever. Lisogor has retired, and so too has Warneke, though the latter will play a part in the action come Budapest 2010: in his role as German team doctor. Warneke has another line in his list of achievements: in 2005, aged 35, he became the oldest world champion in history when he claimed the 50m breaststroke crown in Montreal.
Records
Shiny suit era
- WR: 26.67 Cameron van der Burgh (RSA) Jul 2009
- ER: 26.83 Hendrik Feldwehr (GER) Jul 2009
February 1 2008
- WR/ER: 27.18 Oleg Lisogor (UKR) Jul 2002
Lisogor retired after racing for a last time in Rome last summer.
Women 50m backstroke
Aliksandra Herasimenia (BLR) claimed the European crown and championship record in 27.64 five years after returning from a steroid doping ban. The silver went to Daniele Samulski (GER), on 27.99, bronze to Mercedes Peris (ESP), on 28.01.
Samulski said: I desperately wanted to swim under 28 seconds and that's what I achieved by 0.01sec. I'm happy with my performance and the silver. That's my best time in a textile swim suit." Good for her - and if life bans were with us, she'd be a champion too this evening.
Peris said she had not been surprised to win a medal, noting: "Spain's women seen to be on the upwards trend, particularly on backstroke. We already got as medal in the 200m back." And in the 50m, the y have the best record (see below).
History unfolding:
Effect on race on all-time top 10: 0
Euro podiums:
- 2010: 27.64 - 28.01
- 2008: 28.05 - 28.17
- 2006: 28.36 - 28.73
Euro finals:
- 2010: 27.38 - 28.81
- 2008: 28.05 - 29.01
- 2006: 28.36 - 29.35
- Most Euro wins: Nina Zhivanevskaya (ESP), 2
- Most Titles/Nation: ESP, 2
- Tightest Podium: 2010 - gold to bronze - 0.13sec
From the archive: Five of the six podiums settled since the event's introduction in 1999 feature the same swimmer: Nina Zhivanevskaia, who raced for her native Russia at the 1996 Olympic Games before switching to Spain through marriage. The only final and podium missing from her collection is Budapest 2006, while her best results came in 2000 and 2002, as champion. On the other three occasions, Zhivanevskaia won silver, by margins of 0.31, 0.03 and 0.06. Her efforts make Spain the most successful nation on historic count in this event.
Records
Shiny suit era
- WR: 27.06 Jing Zhao (CHN) Jul 2009
- ER: 27.23 Daniel Samulski (GER) Jul 2009
February 1 2008
- WR: 28.09 Yang Li (CHN) Oct 2007
- ER: 28.19 Janine Pietsch (GER) May 2005
