Magnini beats Dutch rival to retain European crown

World champion Filippo Magnini defeated Olympic gold medallist Pieter van den Hoogenband to retain his 100 metres freestyle title at the European Championships yesterday.

Italian Magnini trailed seventh at the halfway mark but produced his hallmark strong finish down the return length to squeeze a narrow victory in 48.79 seconds.

Sweden's Stefan Nystrand snatched the silver in 48.91 and Dutchman Van den Hoogenband had to settle for the bronze in 48.94.

Van den Hoogenband won the 200 freestyle, with Magnini third, earlier this week on his major championship comeback after a back operation.

Kirsty Balfour secured Britain their first gold medal of the championships with a comprehensive victory in the women's 200 breaststroke, consigning Hungary crowd favourite Agnes Kovacs to a bronze.

Russia's Yuri Prilukov, winner of Monday's 400 freestyle, claimed his second Budapest gold when he won the men's 1,500 freestyle title for the third time in a row.

World short-course champion Prilukov took the lead from Sebastien Rouault after the 400-metre mark and stayed just clear of his French rival.

The 22-year-old Russian clocked a championship record 14:51.93, with Rouault taking the silver in 14:55.73 and fellow Frenchman Nicolas Rostoucher the bronze in 15:01.82.

Inge Dekker brought the Netherlands gold in the women's 100 butterfly, clocking 58.35 to depose 30-year-old Slovak Martina Moravcova, who had won the event at the last three European championships.

Moravcova took the silver in 58.98, with Alena Popchanka, once of Belarus but now of France, scooping the bronze.

Laure Manaudou, three gold medals and one bronze already in her possession, led the way through heats and semi-finals in the women's 200 metres freestyle to gain an edge over German rival Annika Liebs ahead of today's final.