2024 LUXEMBOURG EURO MEET
The 2024 Luxembourg Euro Meet concluded today, giving us a glimpse into several swimmers’ preparations for next month’s World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
One swimmer who will not be in Doha is 19-year-old Romanian David Popovici, per the athletes entered per nation appearing on the World Aquatics’ website as of today, Sunday, January 28th.
Nevertheless, Popovici appeared to be in fine form, following up his 200m free season-best of 1:46.19 from last night with a gold medal-worthy performance in this evening’s 100m free.
Popovici stopped the clock in a time of 48.01 to beat the field by over half a second. Opening in 23.09 and closing in 24.92, Popovici’s outing represents a new season-best and his first hit at the event in 2024.
Behind Popovici was Diogo Ribeiro of Portugal who touched in 48.67 to tie the 6th-fastest time of his career. Andrej Barna of Serbia rounded out the podium in 48.70. Of note, South Africa’s Chad Le Clos won the men’s B-Final in 49.34.
The ‘Romanian Rail’ now ranks 5th in the world this season.
| 2 | Alessandro MIRESSI |
ITA | 47.61 | 11/30 |
| 3 | Thomas CECCON |
ITA | 47.97 | 10/07 |
| 4 | Chris GIULIANO |
USA | 47.98 | 11/18 |
| 5 | Haoyu WANG |
CHN | 48.02 | 09/24 |
Also making some noise was Shona Branton of Canada as she struck gold in the women’s 100m breast.
The Western University ace put up a shiny new lifetime best en route to winning the event, clocking 1:06.59. That not only ripped her previous PB of 1:07.79 to shreds but it also overtook the meet record when all was said and done.
The former Euro Meet benchmark stood at the 1:06.95 Sweden’s Sophie Hansson put on the books last year.
A pair of Italians finished behind Branton, as Arianna Castiglioni logged 1:07.87 as runner-up and teammate Martina Carraro bagged bronze in 1:07.96.
Branton ranks just outside the top 10 performers in the world this season but her outing tonight renders her Canada’s 6th-fastest performer in history. She also established a 50m breast PB earlier in the competition.
Sweden’s Michelle Coleman topped the women’s 100m freestyle podium in one of two sub-55 second results of the pack.
Coleman turned in a time of 54.83, with Danish swimmer Elisabeth Sabro Ebbesen right behind in 54.98. rounding out the top 3 was Mary-Ambre Moluh of France who touched in 55.27.
30-year-old Coleman is coming off a successful 2023 European Short Course Championships. There in Romania, she won the individual 50m free while also helping her nation grab gold in the women’s 4x50m free and medley relays.
Additional Winners
- Germany’s Maya Warner completed her trifecta of victories, taking the women’s 400m free in 4:10.88. Warner already nabbed gold in the 200m and 800m free races here.
- The men’s 100m breast saw the same trio of Italians from the 50m sprint land on the podium once again. This time it was Olympan Federico Poggio who got it done for gold, touching in 1:00.69. Alessandro Pinuti was just .01 behind, settling for silver in 1:00.70 while Simone Cerasuolo earned bronze in 1:01.47.
- French swimmer Emma Terebo clocked a time of 2:09.09 to establish a new meet record en route to winning the women’s 200m back. She beat the field by over 3 seconds, overtaking Ukrainian Daryna Zevina‘s Euro Meet mark of 2:09.85 from 2020 in the process. This was a new PB for Terebo slicing .26 off her previous best-ever 2:09.35 from last year’s Sette Colli Trophy.
- 30-year-old veteran Velimir Stjepanovic topped the men’s 400m free field by over 6 seconds with a time of 3:53.35.
- Switzerland’s Gian-Luca Gartmann won the men’s 200m IM in 2:02.06 while Great Britain’s reigning European Junior gold medalist Leah Schlosshan got it done for gold on the women’s side in 2:14.42.
- Yohann Ndoye-Brouard produced yet another met record, reaching the wall in 1:58.03 to take the men’s 200m back. He shaved .01 off his own previous MR of 1:58.04 from 4 years ago.