Jere Hribar Fifth in 100m Freestyle Final, Lowers Croatian Record to 47.42
The Split native shaved 38 hundredths off his own national record and announced a medal bid in his strongest event.
The Split native shaved 38 hundredths off his own national record and announced a medal bid in his strongest event.
Croatian swimmer Jere Hribar finished fifth in the 100m freestyle final at the European Championships in Paris, clocking a new Croatian record of 47.42 seconds. The 22-year-old from Split qualified for the final with the eighth-fastest time in the semifinals, having already set a national record of 47.80 seconds in the heats.
In the final, Hribar improved his qualifying record by a full 38 hundredths, trimming a total of half a second off his own Croatian record at this European Championship. This confirmed his excellent form ahead of his strongest event, the 50m freestyle, in which he is the reigning European champion.
Romania's David Popovici took the gold medal with a new European Championship record of 46.56 seconds. Silver went to Russia's Yegor Kornev (46.74), while Hungary's Kristof Milak claimed bronze in 46.87. All three medalists swam under the 47-second mark, which is now a realistic next target for Hribar.
Another Croatian representative, 23-year-old Filip Mujan, also competed in the evening final session. The member of Split's Mornar club finished 15th in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:11.71, which was 48 hundredths slower than his personal and Croatian record.
For Jere Hribar, the European Championship in Paris is not over yet. He is set to compete in the 50m freestyle, where he defends his European title, and in the 4×100m freestyle relay, according to Dalmacija News. Given the form he has shown in Paris, Croatian swimming fans have every reason to hope for another medal.
