Lithuanian Swimmer Faces Tie-breaker for Championship Final Spot

Lithuanian swimmer Kotryna Teterevkova faced an unusual situation at the European Championships after narrowly missing a spot in the 50m breaststroke final. The 24-year-old from Vilnius finished the semifinals in ninth place with a personal best time of 30.55 seconds, just 0.08 seconds shy of qualifying for the final.

Her ninth-place finish was shared with Ralina Giliazova, a neutral athlete, who recorded the exact same time. This identical result necessitated a swim-off between the two swimmers to decide who would secure the ninth "reserve" position. This reserve spot is crucial, as it allows the athlete to potentially replace a finalist if needed.

However, the drama continued as both Teterevkova and Giliazova again touched the wall in the same time during their first swim-off. They are scheduled to dive into the pool for a third and final deciding race on Sunday morning. The final of the 50m breaststroke is set for Sunday evening at 7:35 PM.

Meanwhile, Rūta Meilutytė, another Lithuanian swimmer, secured her place in the final. She finished third in her semifinal with a time of 30.05 seconds. The fastest semifinalist was Italy's Benedetta Pilato, who clocked 29.84 seconds, followed by Estonia's Eneli Jefimova in second with 29.93 seconds.