Samorin 2025: More success for Damborg as Tuncelli nears second 800m freestyle title on day 4 of EA Junior Swimming Championships

Martine Damborg’s busy schedule in Samorin continued apace this morning as she qualified for tonight’s women’s 100m freestyle semi-finals and then helped Denmark qualify third fastest for the mixed 4×100 medley final – also tonight…

Meanwhile Turkiye’s Kuzey Tuncelli, who won a third consecutive men’s 1500m freestyle title last night, moved closer to retaining his 800m title as he qualified fastest for tomorrow’s final.

Damborg, who won 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly gold last night, was joint fourth fastest qualifier in the 100m freestyle as she and Great Britain’s Theodora Taylor – who took joint silver behind her in the previous evening’s 50m freestyle – clocked 55.68.

Fastest through was Spain’s Maria Daza Garcia on 54.83 ahead of Ireland’s Grace Davison on 55.35 and Alessandra Leoni of Italy on 55.58.

Damborg’s swim on the butterfly made up almost two seconds, setting up Lucas Linderoth for a final leg freestyle that saw him come home first in the heat with a split of 49.96 that gave Denmark a final time of 3:54.04.

Italy were fastest qualifiers on 3:52.38, followed by Poland on 3:53.19.

“It was so nice to do well in the relay so we can swim again,” Damborg told European Aquatics. “And I am also happy to have qualified in the 100m freestyle.”

The 18-year-old Dane is also scheduled for tomorrow’s heats of the women’s 50m butterfly, in which she won joint gold last year with Croatia’s Jana Pavalic, whose disqualification in last night’s 50m freestyle final left Damborg as gold medallist.

“I hope I will defend my title in the 50m butterfly. Hopefully I can do a great time because there are many good girls in the race. I am looking forward to it.”

Commenting on her busy schedule, she said: “I like to do lots of stuff at the same time. It’s quite difficult but at the same time it’s fun.”

After nodding in apparent satisfaction as he looked up from the pool to note his time of , Tuncelli confirmed that he was indeed happy with his performance.

“Yes. I was pleased with that,” he said. Pointing to a nastily scraped middle toe on his right foot, the result of a training accident, he added with a smile: “My foot is still a little bit bad but .. it’s OK.”

Recalling how he had spoken before these Championships began about his aim of winning three golds here – he is also entered for Sunday’s men’s 400m freestyle – he said: “I hope it’s going to be real for this Championship. I am going to give my everything for three medals and I hope it’s going to be real.”

Great Britain’s 16-year-old Amelie Blocksidge, who has already retained her women’s 1500m freestyle title here, set out this morning in defence of her 800m freestyle title, finishing as second fastest qualifier for tomorrow’s final in 8:42.99 behind neutral athlete Sofia Diakova on 8:39.44.

Italy’s 2024 bronze medallist Emma Gianelli, who took silver behind the Briton in the 1500m final, was third fastest on 8:43.06.

Sarah Dumont, Belgium’s 2024 gold medallist in the women’s 200m butterfly, qualified third fastest for tonight’s semi-finals in 2:12.58 behind Britain’s Edith Price, who clocked 2:11.53, and neutral athlete Serafima Fokina on 2:11.55. Germany’s 2024 bronze medallist Alina Baievych was fifth fastest in 2:12.78.

In the men’s 400m individual medley defending champion Robert-Andrei Badea – who lost his 200m medley title to neutral athlete Mikhail Shcherbakov last night – progressed to tonight’s semi-finals third fastest in 4:23.16. He will have a job on his hands o hold off the challenge of the Spaniard who edged past him in his heat to clock 4:22.69, Cristobal Vargas, and neutral athlete Anton Denysenko, who had the fastest time of 4:22.19.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics

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