European Championships, Budapest, day 4 finals:
Women 4x200m freestyle
In a final that confirmed the drawing of lane lots as a practice not to be repeated, Hungary brought the crowd to its feet for a third time tonight with a nail-biting 7:52.49 victory that had echoes of the golden era of Helsinki 1952 about it and kept France at bay by 0.2sec. Britain took bronze in 7:55.29. Shame about the draw that placed the medals in lanes 3, 8 and 1 but what a fitting end to a great day for the hosts, one that lifted them to third on the medals table behind France and Britain. A touching detail to the victory: the last two home for Hungary were 200IMers Katinka Hosszu and Evelyn Verraszto, split by 0.01sec - an excruciating hit-miss, but Verraszto got to bring home a gold by the close of play.
The podium
- HUN -7:52.49
- Mutina 1:57.24; Dara 1:59.88; Hosszu 1:58.60; Verraszto 1:56.77.
- FRA - 7:52.69
- Balmy 1:58.53; Etienne 1:57.21; Farrell 2:00.04; Muffat 1:56.91
- GBR - 7:55.29
- Adlington 2:00.29; Carlin 1:57.85; Miley 1:58.90; Jackson 1:58.25
That made it the tightest podium in the history of the event. Italy, which has featured at European, world and Olympic level of late, did not field a team, so no second swim for Pellegrini.
The last time Hungary won any relay gold at any international level, men or women, was Turin 1954. And that after Daniel Gyurta gold, Katinka Hosszu gold and Evelyn Verraszto silver by 0.01 - even The God of the Hungarians, or Magyarok Istene moslygot rank, as the anthem has it, gets it just slight wrong sometimes (joint gold, now that would have capped it) though he surely smiled down on the pool named after the first Olympic swim champion, Alfred Hajos, this evening.
"What a day for Hungarian swimming!" said Katinka Hosszu, double gold winner of the day after that 200m medley victory by 0.01sec over 4x200m teammate Evelyn Verraszto, daughter of 1973 world 200m back champion Zoltan. Agnes Mutina and Eszter Dara completed the golden line-up.
For Britain, 400m medley champ ahead of Hosszu and Zsuzsanna Jakabos, Hannah Miley, bronze in the 200m behind Hosszu and Verraszto, looked ahead to another home meet of her own when she said: "It is this kind of thing we're looking forward to in London ... I feel honoured to swim in the same water as the Hungarian heroes."
The vuvuzelas cracked the skies over Margaret Island as the home quartet received their medals. Then the grace of the Hungarian anthem to close a fabulous session of swimming, a sport reborn.
History unfolding:
Effect on race on all-time top 10: 0
Euro podiums:
- 2010: 7:52.49 - 7:52.69
- 2008: 7:52.09 - 7:55.69
- 2006: 7:50.82 - 7:56.44
Euro finals:
- 2010: 7:52.49 - 8:10.76
- 2008: 7:52.09 - 8:03.66
- 2006: 7:50.82 - 8:09.81
- Most Euro wins: GER, 6
- Tightest Podium: 2010 - gold to bronze - 2.80sec
From the archive: Of the 14 titles handed out since 1983, German swimmers have won 10 (four of those to the GDR). Since breaking the world record, unexpectedly, in 2006, the German team has struggled to impress and on current form it is hard to see how the glory days can be relived as soon as Budapest 2010. The world record has been set three times during European Championships - twice by the GDR, in 1983 and 1987, and then by unified Germany in 2006, when a 7:50.82 world mark was celebrated by Petra Dallmann, Daniela Samulski, Britta Steffen and Annika Liebs. A year later, Germany took silver at the world titles, but lat year in Rome was unable to find four women capable of making the final. In fact, Germany did not even enter a team for prelims, just three years after having set a world record.
Records
Shiny suit era
- WR: 7:42.08 China Jul 2009
- ER: 7:45.51 Britain Jul 2009
February 1 2008
- WR: 7:50.09 USA Mar 2007
- ER: 7:50.82wr GER Aug 2006
