Not quite as swift as the shiny suit season championship record of Russia's Daniil Izotov, on 48.48 a year ago, but Yannick Agnel continued to roll like growing thunder at European Junior Championships in Helsinki today with a best time of 48.80 (off 23.83) and dominant victory in the 100m freestyle.
As you might expect in an era when Gaul enjoys a production line of world-class sprinters, the silver also went to France, Mehdy Metella, brother of Olympic medallist Malia, on 49.89. The battle for bronze went to Jasper Aerents (BEL) who stopped the clock at 50.23 to hold off a late charge from Andrey Ushakov (RUS), on 50.28.
Agnel, 0.03sec inside the best time he set at the Paris Open last month and now sharing precisely the same season best as world 200m and 400m free champion Paul Biedermann (GER) and 50m back world champ Liam Tancock (GBR) for shared 8th in the world so far this year, brought more gold France's way with a 1:46.68 homecoming split in the 4x200m free at the end of the session. He is something else.
But clock too the name Bence Biczo. He was born in Hungary in 1993 and today in Helsinki claimed the European junior 200m butterfly crown in 1:55.82 (off splits of 26.48, 55.76 and 1:25.65). He had arrived in the Finnish capital with a best of 1:57.77 from last December, that effort a step up from a 2008 best of 2:01.45.
In qualifying for the final he shaved his best to a 1:57.13 and now finds himself third-best Hungarian all time, behind Olympic silver medallist Laszlo Cseh and Gergo Kis, and 6th best in the world so far this year. At the same age, Michael Phelps clocked a best of 1:54.86 on his bold trajectory to places where no man had ever gone.
The standard in Biczo's junior race was very high: silver went to Marcin Cieslak (POL), in 1:56.76, the bronze to Jordan Coelho (FRA), on 1:57.57.
Biczo hails from Pécs and is coached by Béla Sántics. We will not, sadly, see him in Budapest at a home European titles next month (at least not in the water): the teenager will, instead, be heading out to Singapore for the Youth Olympics.
The girls' 50m backstroke witnessed a championship record courtesy of a 29.01sec victory for Emma Saunders (GBR). The mark had stood to Ukraine's Mariya Tereschenko at 29.06, while Saunders inflicted a second wound on Ukraine by confining Daryna Zevina to silver by 0.11sec, the bronze going to Mathilde Cini (FRA) in 29.42.
Things were even tighter in the boys' 50m breaststroke, the crown going to Anton Lobanov (RUS), in 28.37, 0.14sec ahead of Yaroslav Parakhin (UKR), on 28.51 and the first of four men in a band just 0.16sec wide. Ivan Capan (CRO) got his hand to the wall in 28.56, ahead of Andrey Nikolaev (RUS), 28.62, and Vaidotas Blazys (LIT), 28.67.
In the girls' 200m breaststroke, Marina Garcia Urzainqui gave Spain reason to cheer with a swift 2:27.12 win off splits of 33.35, 1:10.20 and 1:48.18. She was never led though the silver created just as loud a cheer: 1995-born Jenna Laukkanen granted the hosts a place on the podium in 2:29.67, with bronze going to same-age Anastasia Sineva (RUS) in 2:30.00.
The boys' 200m medley was a tight affair, one that ended with Raphael Stacchiotti (LUX) painting his name in gold with a 2:02.52 win off splits of 26.12, 57.77 and 1:33.50. At the turn into freestyle, the champ-to-be had a lead of just 0.13sec over Ganesh Pedurand (FRA), with Britain's Ieuan Lloyd, 1993-born, 0.33 further adrift. Down the last length, Lloyd got past Pedurand and clawed back the deficit to Stacchiotti with each passing stroke but his bid came a touch too late and he had to settle for silver in 2:02.72, the bronze Pedurand's in 2:03.39.
The 800m free for girls went to Slovenia's Tjasa Oder, on 8:40.06, ahead of Claudia Dasca Romeu (ESP), on 8:43.31, and Donata Kilijanska (POL), 1995 born and on 8:44.81, an effort that locked Amalie Emma Thomsen (DEN) out of the medals by a frustrating 0.04sec.
The session came to a close with victory for France in the 4x200m free, Yannick Agnel hammering the message home with a 1:46.68 closing split to back up teammates Lorys Bourelly (1:51.95); Clement Mignon (1:52.14) and Mehdy Metella (1:50.83) for a 7:21.40 finish. The silver went to Great Britain 7:26.09, Ieuan Lloyd collecting a second silver after his 200m medley effort, the bronze going to Russia in 7:26.91.
Agnel's triumphs lifted France to the top of the medals table after three days of racing, with four golds for Gaul so far.
