Young European Swimming Talents Who Rocked The Pool in Kazan
By Vanessa Steigauf, Swimming World College Intern
Last week, the European Shourt-Course Championships were held in Kazan, Russia. Long-known names, such as Sarah Sjöström (SWE) and Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA), were frequently found in the finals heat sheets. But racing in the lanes next to them were some young rising stars who should be remembered for the future.
The Young Talents
One young talent to watch is Evgeniia Chikunova from Russia. The 17-year-old breaststroker claimed first in the 200-meter breaststroke, touching in a world junior record of 2:16.88. She also placed fourth in the overall women ranking for this championship. Chikunova also flashed spring talent, as she finished second in the 100 breaststroke, tying with Eneli Jefimova, another young talent (15 years old) from Estonia.
Merve Tuncel is another rising star to remember. The 16-year-old Turkish distance swimmer already established her reputation on the international stage at the Olympic Games, where she contested the 800 and 1500 freestyles. This week, she made it to the final in all of her distance races, finishing fourth in the 1500 and sixth in the 400 and 800.
Another young talent is Daria Klepikova from Russia. At only 16 years old, she was part of the winning team in the women’s 200 freestyle relay. With a time of 23.63 seconds, she definitely left her mark on the international sprinting scene.
The young Romanian, David Popovici (17 years old), is already a known name, but he continues to surge. After his success at this summer’s Olympic Games, he remained hot with a win in the 200 free. With a time of 1:42.12, he fired another warning shot to the established freestylers around the globe.
Davit Margaryan might not be a name many know, but at only 14 years of age, he was the youngest participant in the competition. After he finished 33rd out of 34 entrants in the 50 breaststroke, the young Armenian might not have made a significant mark, but he earned great experience from racing the big stars in European swimming.
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