A couple of weeks after a 1:57.51 effort that made her German national champion, Silke Lippok (GER) sealed the 200m free Euro junior crown in Helsinki 2:00.11, off splits of 27.86, 57.99 and 1:28.55. The prize for finishing speed went to silver medallist Henrietta Stenkvist (SWE): just shy of 3sec back from Lippok at the last turn and 1.06sec down on Valeriya Podlesna (UKR), the Swedish challenger stopped the clock on 2:01.72, 1.61sec shy of gold and 0.04sec ahead of Podlesna's bronze medal.
Lippok was pipped for gold in her second of three events. Britain's Francesca Halsall clocked a 25.28 championship record over 50m free last year before leaving her junior years behind with a silver medal at Roma09 world champs. Her mark survived a 2010 challenge, the crown going to Nadiya Koba, 1995 born in Ukraine, on 25.46, Lippok taking silver on 25.71, bronze going to Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) 25.98.
There was more to come from Lippok yest: she ended the session as she began: aloft the podium, this time as a member of the German 4x200m free quartet that set a championship record of 8:06.78 (inside the British time of 8:08.31 from 2009, the latest Britain quartet taking silver in 8:10.21, with bronze going to Italy in 8:15.37.
Lippok clocked 1:59.85 in the relay, the best split of the German quartet, led by Elisa Thimm, 2:03.06, with Juliane Reinhold, German medley champion, on 2:02.76, and Johanna Friedrich, 1995 born, taking over from Lippok to deliver victory with a 2:01.11 effort.
The youngest quartet among the medal winners, Britain was represented by Emma Saunders (2:01.74); Fiona Donnelly (2:03.65); Rachael Williamson (2:04.86) and Sophie Smith, who roared home to almost match Lippok's split, with a 1:59.96.
Hungary celebrated a 1-2 finish in the 200m backstroke, clear victory in 1:59.24 going to Peter Bernek (28.74; 58.85 and 1:29.22), the battle for silver clinched by Balazs Zambo in 2:01.10, just 0.04sec ahead of Yakov-Yan Toumarkin, of Israel, which held off a late fast-finish by 1993-born Christian Diener (GER), on 2:01.67.
Diener was not done yet: later in the session, he claimed the 50m backstroke crown in 26.03, 0.21sec up on Mateusz Zawada (POL), the bronze going to the champion's teammate Philipp Wolf just 0.02sec further adrift.
Britain's Rachael Kelly took the 100m 'fly crown in 1:00.47 off a 28.70 split that saw her turn in 5th place at the half-way mark. The silver went to Judit Ignacio Sorribes (ESP), on 1:00.60, the bronze to Beatrice Fassone (ITA), on 1:00.64
Ediz Yildirimer gave Turkey cause for celebration when he romped home to an 8:03.17 victory in the 800m free ahead of Sergiy Frolov (UKR), on 8:04.84, the battle for bronze going to Ward Bauwens (BEL), whose late challenge left him on 8:07.25 and 0.26sec ahead of Thomas Sunter (GBR).
The semis of the 200m free for boys confirmed Yannick Agnel (FRA) as the worthy tenant of lane four for the final, in a controlled 1:49.64, out in 54.22 and back in 55.42.
