European Championships: Italy’s Margherita Panziera Closes Strong to Claim Gold in 100 Backstroke
Italy’s Margherita Panziera put together one of the best starts in the field, then closed with the fastest final 50 to cruise to the 100 backstroke title at the European Championships. She touched the wall in 59.40 after closing in 30.22 to claim the gold medal.
Panziera also claimed the 200 backstroke title earlier in the meet. She won that event for the third time and continues to prove to be one of the world’s top backstrokers, since her breakout moment of breaking Krisztina Egerszegi’s European Championships record in the 200 backstroke that was originally set in 1991.
Now, she is adding more 100 backstroke success to her already huge haul in the 200.
Competing in Rome has been special for Panziera, giving her extra motivation to win in her home country, which she has now twice this week.
“I could hear the crowd cheering, it was great, it’s a wonderful feeling to race here, at home in this pool,” she said after the 200 backstroke.
Great Britain’s Medi Harris earned the silver, finishing just sixth hundredths of a second behind Panziera, touching the wall in 59.46.
One more swimmer broke a minute in the event at the European Championships as Kira Toussaint of the Netherlands touched the wall in 59.53 to earn the bronze medal.
France’s Pauline Mahieu took fourth in a minute flat, followed.y Italy’s Silvia Scalia, who touched the wall in 1:00.12, ahead of France’s Emma Terebo (1:00.40).
Czech Republic’s Simona Kubova took seventh in 1:00.50, followed by Maaike De Waard of the Netherlands, who rounded out the finalists with a swim of 1:00.54.
