The European Swimming Championships in Belgrade have been on the stage of… balkania, however the data of our athletes go away promise forward of Paris
The flurry of 17 medals gained by Greek swimmers on the European Championships in Belgrade was nearly hailed as a nationwide triumph and a sporting renaissance. “You may have carried the entire nation in your backs” exults the promoting signal proven across the clock on state tv within the run-up to the Paris Olympics. “Unprecedented success” wrote sports activities web sites, recalling the meager harvest of earlier competitions. Is that so or are we buying and selling pool kelp for silk medal ribbons?
The reality lies someplace within the center. The medals are of zero worth, for the reason that occasion was degraded to an excessive diploma and resembled a European championship of… hopes. Nonetheless, our athletes carried out exceptionally properly, broke 9 Panhellenic data, reached qualification limits for the Olympic Video games and left guarantees of distinction for Paris. Apostolos Christou specifically wrote occasions which will put him on the rostrum if he repeats them on the Protection swimming pool.
Christou gained the title of European champion in each the 50 and 100 backstroke. His occasions have been glorious, however they didn’t break his personal Panhellenic data: 24.39 within the 50 m and 52.23 within the 100. On the Tokyo Olympics the rostrum “closed” at 52.19, whereas on the current world championships in Doha he himself took bronze Christos with a time of 53.36 and the American Armstrong gold with 52.68. The governing our bodies of the swimming federation have marked this occasion, the 100m backstroke, with a blue marker. If treasured medal comes, it can come from there.
In Tokyo there was no 50 backstroke, however in Doha the bronze was determined in 24.44 and the silver in 24.33 (once more with absences). Christou might want to overcome himself to say one thing large in Paris. His private bests within the two occasions are 24.36 and 52.09. Vangelis Makrygiannis, who additionally returned from Serbia with double medals, did 24.73 and 52.83. It isn’t efficiency for Olympic distinction.
They dived in… with the seconds
By way of participation, the European championship was a multitude, since all of the superpowers snubbed it. Hungary emerged as the highest energy with 10+9+8 medals, however with second-rate swimmers. The Brits despatched the chicks and gained 2 gold medals (a silver and a bronze), whereas that they had 8 in Tokyo and seven in Doha. The French, Italians and Dutch didn’t go to Belgrade in any respect. The Swedes went down with the second ones. Russians do not exist anyway due to doping and conflict. Athletes from unlikely international locations, reminiscent of Austria, Switzerland, Denmark and Turkey, additionally reached the rostrum.
In truth the one international locations that took the occasion critically have been those who wished to promote a patriotic narrative. Israel, with a non-existent custom within the sport, is third within the medal desk with 7, of which 4 have been gold. Sure, with Greece in second place, which gained 5 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze medals.
European champion within the 400 m medley, Apostolos Papastamos hit the wall with a efficiency that could be a pan-Hellenic report, 4:10.83, sealing his Olympic passport on the similar time. The bronze medal on the Tokyo Olympics was judged in 4:10.38, whereas the silver at this yr’s world championships in 4:10.40, with 4:12.51 for the third podium. Hopes are sensible right here as properly, so long as the Greek swimmer repeats his efficiency in preliminaries, semi-finals and finals.
Performances for the rostrum
The identical goes for Stergio Bila, who was topped European champion within the 50m butterfly with a time of 23.15, however has a private better of 23.06, which might take him to a medal in Doha. 19-year-old Apostolos Siskos set a pan-Hellenic report with 1:55.42 within the 200 m backstroke, a efficiency that might have put him on the rostrum on the world championships. He completed second in Belgrade. The 4x200m freestyle quartet is certain to make the ultimate in Paris if they’ll barely enhance on their 3:13.73.
After the double in Belgrade, the duo Kristian Golomeev – Stergiu Bila has good hopes of inserting within the prime eight within the 50 m freestyle. Dimitris Markos broke the Panhellenic data within the 400 m and 800 m freestyle and was rewarded with the identical variety of medals. Nobody has the fitting to put in writing off the very skilled Anna Dutunaki, who completed third within the 50 m.
The qualification limits for Paris have been additionally reached in Belgrade by the “silver” Georgia Damasiotis within the 100 m butterfly (57.74) and Nora Drakou within the 50 m freestyle (24.59). The latter even gained two medals, whereas smashing the earlier Panhellenic report within the “race of 1 breath”, which was 24.89. “I’m crying from pleasure and from aid” he declared as quickly as he bought off the 50m backstroke podium.
After all, the calendar is filled with water, particularly for the athletes who had already secured participation within the Olympic Video games. In what situation will an athlete who far surpasses himself a month earlier discover himself on July 27? The absence of all the celebs of the previous continent from the European championship was no coincidence. The Italians, the French and the British don’t have any want of the degraded medals of Belgrade.
Exploitation
Again in Athens, the thurios proceed and can proceed for a very long time, since swimming is sort of the one federation the place the electoral plans of Lefteris Avgenakis have been profitable. President Kyriakos Yiannopoulos is in fact not a celebration insider, however the Ministry of Sports activities will promote progress and prosperity so as to methodize re-election. Athletics is sending at the very least 45 athletes to Paris, nearly half of the Greek delegation. And it’s doable that he’ll carry again blue-hued medals.
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