European S/C Championships, Day 2 Prelims: Jack McMillan & Isabel Gose Return After 400 Titles
Jack McMillan and Isabel Gose returned the morning after their respective 400 free titles to take on the 200 prelims on day two of the European Short Course Championships in Lublin, Poland.
The session started with the 100IM heats and also featured the 4×50 mixed medley relay before concluding with the men’s 1500 free heats which included defending champion Daniel Wiffen, world record-holder Florian Wellbrock and Kuzey Tuncelli, who holds the WJR.
Men’s 100IM
Andreas Vazaios, who won the bronze two years ago at Otopeni 2023, led the way in 52.09 with Heiko Gigler (52.32) pipping his Austrian teammate Luka Mladenovic by 0.01 in 52.32 to 52.33. Noè Ponti, silver medallist in 2023, was next in 52.38 and returns for the semi tonight when he’ll also be taking on the 50 fly final in which he rattled his own WR on the opening night.
Women’s 100IM
Marrit Steenbergen has already visited the top of the Lublin podium as part of the Netherlands 4×50 free squad that won on the opening evening. She posted 57.99 to lead prelims ahead of Roos Vanotterdijk (58.59), Anastasia Gorbenko (58.61) and Ellen Walshe (58.80).
Men’s 200 Free
If ever there was a race that underlined Britain’s depth, it was this. Olympic silver medallist Matt Richards went in the sixth of eight prelims where he touched first in 1:41.79. He had to wait until the final prelim for his GB teammates where McMillan and Duncan Scott – Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo – were in lanes three and four. McMillan surged ahead with the pair 1-2 for much of the race and although Scott came back on the final 25, it was McMillan who was first in 1:41.41 to 1:41.58. It meant the Stirling training partners progressed to the semis with Richards, the defending champion, third swiftest but out because only two swimmers per nation can advance from prelims.
