European Championships: Anastasia Gorbenko Defends 200IM Title; Sixth Medal For Marrit Steenbergen In Second
Anastasia Gorbenko led from start to finish to successfully defend her 200IM title at the European Championships in Rome.
Gorbenko made history when she became the first Israeli woman to win a European swimming title when she did so at the previous edition in Budapest in May 2021.
She dominated from the off at the Foro Italico to take gold in 2:10.92 ahead of Marrit Steenbergen and Sara Franceschi.
Splits: 27.93/1:00.66 (32.73)/1:38.64 (37.98)/2:10.92 (32.28)
Steenbergen was fifth at halfway before moving up to third at the final turn and unleashing a final 50 of 30.31 – the only woman inside 31 – to stop the clock at 2:11.14, overhauling Franceschi in the process with the Italian touching in 2:11.38.
Katinka Hosszu, who won five straight titles between 2010 and 2018 plus bronze at the previous Europeans in Budapest, was eighth in 2:14.37.
Gorbenko said:
“I cannot believe that I’ve won. I’m very, very happy, I’ve worked very hard this year, I think sometimes the load was too much perhaps.
“I achieved what I wanted. My aim was to win this event so I’m happy that I could close this extremely long season with a result like this.”
It was a sixth medal for Steenbergen who has four golds – including the 100-200 free double – a silver and a bronze and follows her mixed medley relay bronze from the World Championships.
Steenbergen has really blossomed in 2022 and is at the forefront of a new wave in Netherlands swimming and she said:
“What a crazy and intense week with a lot of racing! I’m really happy with this particular medal and it was absolutely not expected to win six medals here.”
Franceschi said:
“I knew I stood a chance. I focused on breaststroke because that is my speciality.
“This is my first individual podium and this was the last competition of the season for me, so I squeezed out everything from myself and I’m really satisfied.”
Results
- Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR); 2:10.92
- Marrit Steenbergen (NED); 1:11.14
- Sara Franceschi (ITA); 2:11.38
- Katie Shanahan (GBR); 2:12.29
- Kristyna Horska (CZE); 2:12.49
- Maria Ugolkova (SUI); 2:12.56
- Dalma Sebestyen (HUN); 2:13.45
- Katinka Hosszu (HUN); 2:14.37
