By Riley Overend on SwimSwam
2024 EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, July 2nd – Sunday, July 7th
- Prelims at 9:30am local/Finals at 6pm local
- Lazdynai Pool, Vilnius, Lithuania
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- Entries
- Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Recap/Day 2 Finals Recap
- Day 3 Finals Recap
- Day 4 Prelims Recap/Day 4 Finals Recap
- Day 5 Prelims Recap
- Live Results
- Livestream ($)
Amelie Blocksidge became the fastest 16-and-under British girl ever in the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday night with her win at the European Junior Championships in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Blocksidge stopped the clock at 8:30.05, dipping under the British age record for 15-year-old girls (8:31.56) that Holly Hibbott set back in 2015. Her best time before today stood at 8:32.61 from April.
Blocksidge is the fastest 16-and-under girl in British history, as her new lifetime best is also under the record for 16-year-olds (8:34.03) that Keri-Anne Payne posted way back in 2004.
It’s the second British age record of the week for Blocksidge, who already lowered her own standard in the 1500 free (16:21.10 from May) by almost 11 seconds down to 16:10.23 en route to victory on Tuesday. Her lifetime best sits at 16:10.04 from February, before she turned 15 in April.
Blocksidge will conclude her time at European Juniors with an appearance in the 400 free on Sunday, the final day of competition. She triumphed in both the 800 free (8:32.61) and 1500 free (16:13.39) at April’s British Olympic Trials, but her winning times were outside of the Olympic ‘A’ cuts.
Girls 800 Free – Final
- World junior record: 8:11.00 – Katie Ledecky (USA), 2014
- European junior record: 8:21.91 – Merve Tuncel (TUR), 2021
- Meet record: 8:21.91 – Merve Tuncel (TUR), 2021
- 2023 European junior champion: Merve Tuncel (TUR) – 8:35.10
PODIUM
- GOLD: Amelie Blocksidge (GBR) – 8:30.05
- SILVER: Vivien Jackl (HUN) – 8:32.33
- BRONZE: Emma Vittoria Giannelli (ITA) – 8:33.83
Blocksidge finished more than two seconds ahead of Hungarian 15-year-old Vivien Jackl. She earned the runner-up finish in 8:32.33, not far off her personal-best 8:30.74 from April.
Italian 17-year-old Emma Vittoria Giannelli claimed the bronze medal in 8:33.83, annihilating her previous-best 8:39.27 from last November.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Amelie Blocksidge Breaks British Junior Record in 800 Free En Route to Euro Junior Title