Dubai’s Velimir Stjepanovic will be gunning for a second gold at the European Championships in Berlin today after he qualified for the final of the 200m freestyle in sublime fashion last night.
The 21-year-old Abu Dhabi-born Serb recorded the second fastest time in the semi-finals, clocking 1:46.79, just one tenth of a second slower than world record holder Paul Biedermann.
Biedermann had missed out on the final in the 400m freestyle the day before and made sure he didn’t suffer a similar fate last night as he powered to a 1:46.69 win.
Reigning Olympic 200m champion Yannick Agnel barely made the cut as he clocked 1:47.90. The Frenchman, who like Biedermann missed the 400m final, was 0.04 seconds away from not making it through the semi-finals in the 200m yesterday.
Stjepanovic, who stunned the field with his gold medal-winning performance in the 400m free on Monday, will be looking to top the podium for a second time this week.
He will contest the heats of his signature event, the 200m butterfly, tomorrow morning before lining up for the 200m free final in the evening.