European Championships, Day 6 Finals: Anastasia Gorbenko Leads Israel 1-2 in 200 IM

Anastasia Gorbenko & Lia Polonsky: Photo courtesy: European Aquatics

European Championships, Day 6 Finals: Anastasia Gorbenko Leads Israel 1-2 in 200 IM

It’s been a fast spring for Anastasia Gorbenko. The do-everything Israeli swimmer has reset a slew of national records and appears to be rounding into form just in time for Paris. She’s collecting hardware at a frantic pace and bringing friends along with her.

Gorbenko won her fourth gold medal of the 2024 European Championships Saturday in Belgrade, swimming a time of 2:09.75. As important was Leah Polonsky finishing second behind her for an Israeli 1-2.

All the action from Belgrade, in an evening session that was abbreviated by a pair of lightning delays. That required the men’s 1,500 free final being postponed to Sunday.

Men’s 200 butterfly

Kristof Milak isn’t exactly in his impervious form of years past, but he’s getting there. The Hungarian won the 200 fly Saturday in 1:54.43, a composed and quick race in which he held off the brothers Chmielewski in a wire-to-wire victory.

Milak’s is the sixth-fastest performance in the world in 2024. He owns No. 2 on that list, a 153.94 from Mare Nostrum three weeks ago.

Both Polish swimmers swam Olympic A cuts. Krzysztof Chmielewski was second in 1:54.78. Michal Chmielewski took bronze in 1:55.51. They resisted the push from Richard Marton, who finished fourth in 1:56.07, with Apostolos Siskos another four tenths back.

Krzysztof Chmielewski said: “I didn’t think he (Milak) went out too fast, so I thought he was going to try my tactic to finish strongly and I tried my best.

“I think I’m experienced now as I’ve swam with him for the past two years and he is the fastest in the world.

“He has his own tactics so I am not trying to catch him I’m trying to swim my own race. I am feeling good & now we’ll see what I can do in Paris.”

Women’s 50 freestyle

Petra Senanszky just outtouched Theodora Drakou of Greece by .03, the Hungarian swimmer winning 24.56. Both are A cuts.

Drakou’s 24.59 lowers her national record from heats, which had been 24.89, that swim downing a Nery Mantey Niangkouara record that had stood since Euros in 2012. Drakou had slipped into finals in eighth place after a disappointing semi. Senanszky trims .01 off her Hungarian mark.

Third was Denmark’s Julie Kepp Jensen in 24.79, ahead of Kornelia Fiedkiewicz of Poland. The top seed from semis, Croatia’s Jana Pavalic, couldn’t improve on her national record. She was .18 slower for fifth in 24.85.

Men’s 50 breaststroke

The race of the day saw Emre Sakci won by .01 over Noel De Geus of Germany in a thriller. Sakci went 26.92, buzzing within .09 of his Turkish record.

Israel’s Kristian Pitshugin secured silver in 27.02, besting Bernhard Reitshammer of Austria by .05 seconds. Pitshugin’s time is an Israeli record, trimming the 27.05 of Itay Goldfaden from 2021.

Women’s 200 individual medley

Anastasia Gorbenko made it four medals with her time of 2:09.75 to win the IM. She took control in backstroke and powered away from there, 1.43 seconds up on Leah Polonsky. She got silver by three-tenths, rallying from third to second on the final 50 for a time of 2:11.18.

That’s an A cut for Polonsky, her best time having been 2:12.85 from TYR Pro Swim Series in San Antonio in April.

“The delay was a little bit of a disappointment because I felt like I wasn’t warm enough for a race,” Gorbenko said. “But I am so excited for my teammate, she made the cut and we went 1-2 for Israel which is huge for us. I think that is what I am most excited about today.”

Third was Barbora Seemanova of Czechia in 2:11.48. She and Polonsky passed Great Britain’s Leah Schlosshan on the final lap, Schlosshan sliding to fourth in 2:11.74.

Gorbenko’s time is a second off the 2:08.55 she set at Mare Nostrum earlier this year.

Men’s 50 freestyle semifinals

Greece’s Kristian Gkolomeev leads the way into the final with his time of 21.73 seconds. Second is Andrej Barna of the home country, having gone 21.92. Barna is in sizzling form from the relays.

The third seed went to Vladyslav Bukhov of Ukraine in 21.94, while Shane Ryan is the fourth seed. He recorded his second A cut of the day in 21.96, after having set the pace in prelims. Szebasztian Szabo of Hungary and Jere Hribar of Croatia tied for fifth.

Women’s 50 breaststroke semifinals

Veera Krivirinta was out quickest in 30.73 as she looks for Finland’s first medal of the meet. That’s quicker than Poland’s Dominika Sztandera by .13 seconds. Teya Nikolova of Bulgaria was third in 30.91.

Women’s 200 butterfly

Helena Rosendahl Bach led the way with a time of 2:07.39, the quickest in the field by nearly two seconds. It puts on alert her national record from the Danish Open this spring of 2:06.93.

She was followed by a pair of Hungarian veterans, Boglarka Telegdy Kapas second in 2:09.35 and Zsuszanna Jakabos third in 2:09.42. Lana Pudar’s 2:10.39 is fourth.

Men’s 200 individual medley semifinals

Ron Polonsky clubbed nearly a second off his Israeli record to set the top time in 1:57.01. He had been 1:57.99 at Worlds in 2022. He’s more than a second ahead of Hubert Kos, who clocked in at 1:58.12.

That’s ahead of Turkey’s Berke Saka (1:58.56) and Dominik Torok of Hungary (1:59.07). Olympic bronze medalist Jeremy Desplanches of Switzerland took fifth in a race where .64 seconds separated fourth and eighth.

Women’s 100 backstroke

In a late final in the session, Adela Piskorska of Poland was the only swimmer of the week to break a minute, stealing into the win in 59.79. That’s an Olympic A cut, and it came within .04 seconds of Pauline Peda’s national record.

Danielle Hill of Ireland, the top seed out of prelims, claimed silver in 1:00.19. Roos Vanotterdijk, the top seed from semis, secured bronze in 1:00.58. Vanotterdijk passed Ukraine’s Nika Sharafutdinova in the final 50. Fifth was Ireland’s Lottie Cullen.

Men’s 100 backstroke semifinals

It’s a Greek 1-2 into the final, with Apostolos Christou winning the second semifinals heat in 53.20 after Evangelos Makrygiannis had claimed the first heat in 53.31. Kaswery Masiuk is the third seed in a crowded final that features four swimmers under 54 seconds. That includes Kacper Stokowski, the fourth seed.

Mixed 800 freestyle relay

Hungary ended the day with a win in the five-team relay. Richard Marton, Balazs Hollo, Minna Abraham and Nikolett Padar went 7:30.11 in the niche event. Abraham inherited the race in second before putting them to the lead.

Slovenia led after 200 meters thanks to Saso Boskan’s 1:48.23, but it faded to fourth. Poland took silver, briefly leading after Kamil Sieradzki’s 1:46.97 on the second leg, but drifting to 7:35.08, nearly five seconds back. Germany was third.

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