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By Astrid Andersson in Madrid
Telegraph.co.uk, London, UK, Friday, May 14, 2004
MADRID, Spain - Double Olympic champion Yana Klochkova claimed the 10th
European long-course title of her exceptional career when she retained her
200 metres individual medley crown in commanding style yesterday.
The 21-year-old Ukrainian, who maintained her monopoly of the 400 medley on
Monday, led the 200 throughout to embellish a remarkable record of success
in European Championships.
Since 1999 she has won four 200 medley, four 400 medley and two 400
freestyle golds.
Klochkova won in 2min 12.56sec from Hanna Shcherba, of Belarus (2:15.03) and
Beatrice Caslaru, of Romania (2:15.70).
Klochkova's only significant long-course championship individual medley
defeat in the past five years came from American Maggie Bowen in the 200
event at the 2001 World Championships.
After three days of bitterly cold and wet weather, the sun shone and brought
welcome warmth to swimmers, who have had a tough time of it in the open-air
pool.
Ukrainian Denys Sylantyev made it two golds in quick succession when he won
the 200m butterfly after coming second three times in four European
Championships.
Sylantyev, world champion in 1998, led down the first length but trailed
third at the 100m mark before reasserting his dominance and winning in
1:56.71, 0.11 seconds ahead of fast-finishing Romanian Ioan Gherghel.
Eighteen-year-old Italian Paolo Bossini took gold in the 200m breaststroke,
just holding off Russian Dmitry Komornikov. Bossini clocked 2:11.73 with
Komornikov second in 2:12.02 and Richard Bodor, of Hungary, third in
2:13.27.
Germany's Stev Theloke regained the men's 50m backstroke title.
Ukrainian Denys Sylantyev smiles after winning the 200m butterfly
final at the European Swimming Championships in Madrid May 13, 2004.
Sylantyev won the gold medal, Romanian Ioan Gherghel won the silver medal
and Russian Anatoly Polyakov won the bronze medal. REUTERS/Susana Vera
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