– I would have liked to go for the gold, and I know I have it in me, but I am very happy with a silver, said Louise Hansson to SVT when the price list became official.
Louise Hansson had a busy Thursday night as she first swam home a bronze medal in the 100m medley, went on to have the fastest time in the semi-finals of the 50m backstroke and then finished with a gold in the 4x50m medley team race.
On Friday, she only had two branches to keep in order.
First, she swam the semifinals of her para distance 100 meter butterfly where she is a strong gold candidate. Hansson was responsible for a calm and controlled race where it was mainly about securing the final place without wasting too much energy.
Something she succeeded in doing. Hansson had the second fastest time without misbehaving.
The reason she wanted to saving energy was that 40 minutes after that semi she would swim the final of the 50 meter backstroke – and there she was looking for a medal.
Previously, the Swede had won three medals during the days in Bucharest.
On Friday came the fourth.
In the 50-meter backstroke final, she was fourth after the first 25 meters, and thanks to a good finish, she won a silver medal.
The first swimmer to reach the tile was Kira Toussaint from the Netherlands, but after the finish it was dramatic.
It took some time before the results list was presented, and it soon became clear that it was Kira Toussaint’s underwater swimming that was being reviewed.
After a minute or so, however, the news came that she had not broken the surface of the water after 15 meters, and thus the gold was hers.
Michelle Coleman finished fourth in the 100m freestyle final. Photo: Nikola Krstic/Bildbyrån
When 30-year-old freestyle swimmer Michelle Coleman came to Bucharest to swim the European Championships, it was nine years since she last won an individual medal, and in total there had been only two in her career.
Already on the second day of the championship, she broke the nine-year wait for the next individual medal.
Coleman got everything right in the 50m freestyle final, taking a confident victory after setting a new personal best.
In addition to the individual gold has Michelle Coleman also, as usual, played a central role in the two Swedish team race golds in the 4×50 meter freestyle and 4×50 meter medley in Bucharest.
On Friday night, she had the chance to claim her second individual medal in Bucharest when the 100m freestyle final was decided.
After 75 meters, the Swede was in third place, but this time the strength was not quite there and she finished fourth after losing at the end.
– There has been a lot in recent days, and I have been quite tired, said Michelle Coleman to SVT.
– I had a bad run into the wall in the last turn. If I had timed it better, I think I would have held on a little better in the last five to ten meters.
Frenchwoman Beryl Gastaldello won, somewhat unexpectedly beating the favorite Anne Hopkin.
– I had a perfectly okay time (52.27), although I had hoped for a bit more because I know the form is there.
Even if it didn’t win a medal in the 100 meter freestyle, the EC in Bucharest is a perfect starting point for Michelle Coleman before the Olympic year 2024.
Backstroker Hanna Rosvall’s EC has been disrupted by illness, but when the trials and semi-finals of her favorite discipline, 100 meter backstroke, she managed to get through to Saturday’s final.
Sara Junevik will also swim the final on Saturday after she finished eighth in the semifinals of the 100-meter butterfly, and Erik Persson advanced to the final of the 200-meter breaststroke with the fourth best time.
2023-12-08 17:44:54
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