The Polish women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team clinched the bronze medal at the European Swimming Championships in Belgrade. The team, consisting of Kornelia Fiedkiewicz, Zuzanna Famulok, Wiktoria Guść, and Aleksandra Polańska, delivered an impressive performance, finishing behind Hungary and Denmark.
A Surprise Victory
The Polish quartet clocked a time of 3:41.01, trailing the victorious Hungarian team, who finished at 3:36.77, and the Danish team, who came in at 3:38.48. Kornelia Fiedkiewicz got the team off to a strong start, securing third place in the first leg. Despite a brief dip in position during Zuzanna Famulok’s turn, the team remained competitive. Wiktoria Guść’s efforts restored their third-place standing, which Aleksandra Polańska valiantly maintained to the finish.
This bronze medal is particularly remarkable given that the Polish team had only the seventh-best time in the preliminary rounds. Both Famulok and Guść had also competed in the 200m freestyle semifinals earlier, where they missed out on the finals but found their stride in the relay event.
Other Polish Performances
While the relay team’s success was the highlight, other Polish swimmers came close to medaling. Ksawery Masiuk finished fifth in the 200m backstroke final, and Dominika Sztandera narrowly missed the podium in the 100m breaststroke, finishing fourth. Krzysztof Chmielewski also put up a valiant fight in the 800m freestyle, finishing fourth, just 0.15 seconds shy of a medal, even after setting a personal best.
Anticipation for Upcoming Events
The championships continue, with more opportunities for Polish swimmers to shine. Fans can tune in to TVPSPORT.PL for live coverage starting at 18:30 on Thursday.
Final Results
Women:
50m Butterfly:
1st: Sara Junevik (Sweden) – 25.68
2nd: Roos Vanotterdijk (Belgium) – 26.08
3rd: Anna Ntountounaki (Greece) – 26.18
6th: Paulina Peda (Poland) – 26.25
8th: Anna Dowgiert (Poland) – 26.58
100m Breaststroke:
1st: Eneli Jefimova (Estonia) – 1:06.41
2nd: Lisa Mamie (Switzerland) – 1:07.15
3rd: Olivia Klint Ipsa (Sweden) – 1:07.73
4th: Dominika Sztandera (Poland) – 1:07.75
400m Individual Medley:
1st: Anastasia Gorbenko (Israel) – 4:36.05
2nd: Vivien Jackl (Hungary) – 4:38.96
3rd: Zsuzsanna Jakabos (Hungary) – 4:40.24
Aleksandra Knop (Poland) – Disqualified
4x100m Freestyle Relay:
1st: Hungary – 3:36.77
2nd: Denmark – 3:38.48
3rd: Poland – 3:41.01
Men:
100m Freestyle:
1st: David Popovici (Romania) – 46.88
2nd: Nandor Nemeth (Hungary) – 47.49
3rd: Andrej Barna (Serbia) – 47.66
8th: Kamil Sieradzki (Poland) – 48.84
200m Backstroke:
1st: Ołeksandr Żełtiakow (Ukraine) – 1:55.39
2nd: Apostolos Siskos (Greece) – 1:55.42
3rd: Roman Mityukov (Switzerland) – 1:55.75
5th: Ksawery Masiuk (Poland) – 1:57.50
800m Freestyle:
1st: Mychajło Romanczuk (Ukraine) – 7:46.20
2nd: Dimitrios Markos (Greece) – 7:48.59
3rd: Zalan Sarkany (Hungary) – 7:49.29
4th: Krzysztof Chmielewski (Poland) – 7:49.44
Polish swimming fans have plenty to look forward to as the European Championships continue, with the promise of more thrilling races and potential medals on the horizon.