European Championships, Day 2 Finals: History Made As Camila Rebelo Gets Portugal’s First Gold

Photo Courtesy: European Aquatics

European Championships, Day 2 Finals: History Made As Camila Rebelo Gets Portugal’s First Gold

With French Olympic Trials concurrent and the schedule logjam of an early-year Worlds, the 2024 European Championships were always going to give some different swimmers and different nations chances to shine.

Step into the spotlight, Camila Rebelo.

The 23-year-old won the women’s 200 backstroke in 2:08.95, rallying to get the country’s first European gold medal.

All the action from Day 2 in Belgrade, which included big names like Kristof Milak and David Popovici in action.

Women’s 200 backstroke

Camilo Rebelo didn’t just win the 200 back. She did so in thrilling fashion. She was fifth at 100 meters and fourth as the field turned to home but roared back in 32.24. That got her to the wall .07 faster than Hungary’s Dara Molnar, in 2:08.95 to 2:09.02. Eszter Szabo of Hungary got silver in 2:09.21, rallying with the fastest final 50 split of 31.92 to go from sixth to third.

That came at the expense of Holly McGill, who slipped to fourth. Adela Piskorska of Poland was second after 150 meters but dropped to seventh.

The time is a national record, trimming nearly a second off her 2:09.84 from Spanish Championships in 2023.

“At first I view the time, 2:08. 2:08? Oh my God, it’s first!,” Rebelo said.

It also brings history for Portugal. Diogo Ribeiro won 50m butterfly bronze at Rome 2022. Earlier this year, he became Portugal’s first World champion in the pool when he did the 50/100m butterfly double in Doha. Gabriel Lopes won bronze in the men’s 200m individual medley with Angelica Andre also finishing third in the 10km open water in Rome.

“It’s unbelievable, I never thought I could win this race,” she said. “We are working hard to be in the best shape for Paris. I’ve come here from an altitude camp two days ago, so I’m really surprised to win this gold.”

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Men’s 50 butterfly

Greece continued a strong meet with another gold, Stergios Marios Bilas edging out Simon Bucher by .04 for the win. Bilas went 23.15. Bucher was 23.19.

Bronze went to Czechia’s Daniel Gracik in 23.26, .02 ahead of Meiron Cheruti.

Women’s 100 freestyle

It was an all-Czechia 1-2 with Barbora Seemanova and Barbora Janickova getting the top two spots. Seemanova dominated in 53.50, chipping .18 off her national record from 2021.

Janickova was second in 54.17, just edging Nikolett Padar of Hungary by .05. Cyprus’s Kalia Antoniou was off the podium by a single hundredth.

Men’s 100 breaststroke

Melvin Imoudu defending his top seed by winning the 100 breast in 58.84. He remains just a tenth off the national record, set last year by Lucas Matzerath, who finished fourth in 59.33 on Tuesday.

Imoudu came from fourth at halfway to move through the field. It was a maiden journey through the 59sec barrier for the 25-year-old.

Imoudu joins the likes of Adam Peaty, Qin Haiyang, Arno Kamminga and Nicolo Martinenghi in the land of the 58s this year.

He was the first German to have claimed the title since Gerald Mörken took gold for West Germany in 1977 and just the second overall.

“I definitely didn’t expect to swim that fast at this point but I am very happy,” he said. “It is a very good feeling for Paris. I am just a few days in for preparing for this competition and I with this time, I think there is something more happening.”

The silver medal went to Berkay Omer Ogretir of Turkey in 59.23, with Andrius Sidlauskas third for Lithuania. Five swimmers broke a minute, with Jan Kalusowski fifth.

Women’s 100 breaststroke semifinals

With top seed Anastasia Gorbenko having scratched after setting the fastest time in prelims, Eneli Jefimova of Estonia will lead the field into finals. She went 1:06.60 to set the pace. Sweden’s Olivia Klint was second in 1:06.92, while Lisa Mamie of Switzerland was third. Dominika Sztandera was fourth.

Men’s 100 freestyle semifinals

Make it two 47s for David Popovici in the 100 free Tuesday. After a 47.90 in the morning, the Romanian European record holder went 47.82 at night to earn the top seed in the final on Wednesday.

“I am feeling fine,” Popovici told European Aquatics. “I am excited to have a final tomorrow – it’s been a long time since I’ve had a final at this level as big as this. I like the fact that the pool is outside, that helps me as well.”

The double European champion also explained the importance of Belgrade 2024, saying: “It was very important for me and for anyone else who is here and maybe they are also at other competitions. The truth is that everyone needed a competition at this time of the year leading to Paris and it’s great for training very fast and training with competitors to your side.”

Andrej Barna of the host country was the nearest to stay with him, going 48.04. Hungary’s Nandor Nemeth and Kristof Milak followed, in 48.05 and 48.23, respectively, before a three-way tie for fifth. That knot is Olympians all, Ireland’s Shane Ryan, Lithuanian Danas Rapsys and Jere Hribar of Croatia, in 48.39. For Ryan, it improves his Irish record by a tenth of a second.

Women’s 50 butterfly semifinals

Sara Juvenik led the field to the final, the Swedish swimmer clocking in at 25.84 to be a cut above the field. Ana Ntountounaki of Greece was second in 26.12, followed by Belgium’s Roose Vanotterdijk. Julie Kepp Jensen of Denmark is also among the finalists.

Men’s 200 backstroke semifinals

The top seed out of prelims, Roman Mityukov of Switzerland, was only third in semifinals but still comfortably into the final. He went 1:57.00. That was .46 behind Greece’s Apostolos Siskos, who set the pace. In between was Ukraine’s Oleksandr Zheltiakov in 1:56.90.

Hungary has two in the final with Adam Telegdy and Benedek Kovacs. David Gerhick of Israel, the second seed after prelims, was seventh.

Women’s 800 freestyle

Hungary’s Anja Kesely was crowned the champion, getting to the wall first at 8:29.96. She was 3.5 seconds clear of runner-up Fleur Lewis of Great Britain.

Kesely bided her time, going to the lead in the ninth 50 and turning on the jets from there. She split 31st up until the 600-meter mark and built enough of a lead to hold off the chasers.

Lewis was third at 700 meters but ten came back to silver. She passed Deniz Ertan of Turkey in the final 100, Ertan getting bronze in 8:34.31. She just held off a charge by Francisca Martins of Portugal by .04.

Mixed 400 Medley Relay

Israel picked up another win in its recently good form, the foursome of Anastasia Gorbenko, Ron Polonsky, Gal Groumi and Andrea Murez going 3:45.74. That was withing two seconds of the national record they had set the Olympics in 2021.

Goumi put the Israelis ahead for good on the fly leg, and Murez head off a push from Germany, which finished second in 3:48.12. Both Poland and Greece, the latter running second after 300 meters, were disqualified.

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