European athletics: Papastamos for a medal and qualification to Paris

Swimming premieres tomorrow (17/6) at European Athletics Championships in Belgradewith Greek interest focusing on his effort Apostolos Papastamos at 400 m. mixed individual. Not only because the Olympiakos athlete has the third performance (4:14.52) among the 20 participants and can claim a medal, but also because it is his last chance to catch the limit for Paris (4:12.50) and secure the his second participation in the Olympic Games. Papastamos has an individual – and pan-Hellenic – record of 4:11.93 from 2019, while at the Tokyo Olympics he swam exactly within the required limit.

The 23-year-old Chanio swimmer will compete at 10:35 am, in race 5 of the 2nd qualifying series. Right next to it, on route 6, will be the Daniel Yourtzidiswhile in the 1st row (10:30), on route 6, will “fall”. Vassilis Sofikitis. The two athletes have respectively the seventh (4:17.99) and eighth (4:18:14) times and one of the two can be in the final, which will take place in the afternoon (19:46). It is worth noting that four of the five best times have Hungarian swimmers, of which only two can qualify for the final.

The team will compete with many hopes of distinction 4X200m. men’s free, as the absence of the traditional forces of European swimming leaves the… field free. The Greek team is expected to line up in the 2nd qualifying round (11:43, route 3) with the composition with which they won the qualification for the Olympic Games (Dimitris Markos, Kostas Englezakis, Kostas Stamou, Andreas Vazaios), with the final scheduled for 20:34. If she manages to reach the podium, it will be Greece’s first medal in a team event in 18 years.

We will have double Greek participation in 50m men’s butterflyby Stergio Bila to “fall” in the 5th qualifying round (11:02), on route 5. The European champion in the U23 category has the fifth best performance among the participants with last year’s 23.16, which he has not managed to come close to this year. In the 6th and last series (route 0), at 11:04, will compete o Tasos Kougulos, who with 23.85 has the 25th year. The semi-finals take place at 19:30 at the start of the afternoon program. THE George Aspougalis, finally, he will participate at 11:27 in the 4th series of the 100m. breaststroke (course 8), where with 1:01.39 he has the 23rd performance.

The program of the 1st day and the Greek participations:

10:30 400m. mixed individual A (Qualifiers) — Papastamos, Giourtzidis, Sofikitis —

10:42 100m. freestyle C (Qualifiers)

10:55 50m. butterfly A (Qualifiers) –Bilas, Kougoulos–

11:07 200m. backstroke C (Qualifiers)

11:19 100m. breaststroke A (Qualifiers) –Aspougalis–

11:33 4X200m. freestyle C (Qualifiers)

11:43 4X200m. freestyle A (Qualifiers) –National team

12:03 800m. freestyle C (Qualifiers)

19:30 50m. butterfly A (Semifinals)

19:37 100m. free C (Semifinals)

19:46 400m. mixed individual A (FINAL)

19:55 200m. backstroke C (Semifinals)

20:05 100m. breaststroke A (Semifinals)

20:21 4X200m. freestyle C (FINAL)

20:34 4X200m. free A (FINAL)