European Championships, Budapest, day 7 finals

Men 4x100m medley

In a fitting end to a championships dominated by gold for Gaul - they won eight in all - the French quartet stormed to a 3:31.32 victory over Russia, on 3:33.29, with a breakthrough bronze going to a growing Dutch force in 3:33.99. Germany, European record holders, suffered a DQ but that did not affect the medals already decided. 

Camille Lacourt could not quite match the 52.11 of his solo victory but a 52.46 was damage enough to inflict on teams who could not find s sub-54 effort. The splits show where strength and relative weakness lay:

France - 3:31.32

• Camille Lacourt - 52.46; Hugues Duboscq - 59.67; Fred Bousquet - 51.84; Fabien Gilot - 47.35 

Russia - 3:33.29

• Stanislav Donets - 54.19; Roman Sludnov - 59.97; Evgeny Korotyshkin 51.27; Evgeny Lagunov 47.86 

Netherlands - 3:33.99

• Nick Driebergen - 54.48; Lennart Stekelenberg - 1:00.79; Joeri Verlinden 51.40; Sebastiaan Verschuren 47.32

Germany came in alongside Britain, 4th on 3:35.74, and Italy, 5th in 3:36.61 but was disqualified for a faulty takeover (0.07) by Markus Deibler into freestyle.

History unfolding:

Effect on race on all-time top 10:

Euro podiums:

• 2010: 3:31.32 - 3:33.99
• 2008: 3:34.25 - 3:36.85
• 2006: 3:34.96 - 3:36.61

Euro finals:

• 2010: 3:31.32 - 3:38.73 (Ger - DQ)
• 2008: 3:34.25 - 3:36.85
• 2006: 3:34.96 - 3:36.61
• Most Euro wins: RUS, 7
• Tightest Podium: 2004 - gold to bronze - 0.72sec

From the archive:  The tally of titles won by Soviet or Russian quartets since 1958 is 14. They have dominated the event, with every other title barring two having gone to Germans. The two that got away are 1999 - to a Dutch quartet fired by Pieter Van Den Hoogenband, and Ukraine in 2004, when some key nations were playing it carefully with the Olympic Games of Athens just around the corner. 

Records

Shiny suit era

• WR: 3:27.28 USA Aug 2009
• ER:  3:28.58 GER Aug 2009

February 1  2008

• WR: 3:30.68 USA Jul 2004
• ER: 3:33.62 GER Jul 2004