Meilutytė Advances to 50m Breaststroke Final, Eyes European Championship Gold
BUDAPEST, Hungary – Rūta Meilutytė of Lithuania is poised for a medal fight after securing a spot in the final of the 50m breaststroke at the European championships. Meilutytė finished her semi-final heat in 29.33 seconds, the second-fastest time trailing only EstoniaS Eneli Efimova (29.00 seconds).
The 28-year-old Meilutytė, a former world record holder in the event (28.37 seconds), comfortably advanced from the preliminary heats earlier Saturday, posting a time of 29.69 seconds for third place and a place among the 16 fastest swimmers. The final is scheduled for sunday at 8:10 p.m. local time.
Lithuania’s Mantas Kaušpėdas did not advance in the men’s 50m backstroke, finishing ninth in the semi-finals with a time of 23.11 seconds. He tied with two othre swimmers for ninth place. Estonia’s Ralf Tribuntsov was the fastest qualifier in the men’s 50m backstroke semi-finals (22.63 seconds), after also placing ninth in the selection round with a time of 23.31 seconds.
Andrii Šidlauskas also fell short of the final in the 50m breaststroke, finishing 11th in the semi-finals with a time of 26.30 seconds, following a 13th-place finish in the morning selection round (26.41 seconds).
Sunday’s Schedule for the Lithuanian Team:
* 10:30 a.m.- Men’s 4 x 50m Medley Relay
* 8:10 p.m. – Rūta Meilutytė, 50m Breaststroke Final
* 10:11 p.m. – Men’s 4 x 50m Medley Relay Final (potential participation)
