Mark Foster: “[Pál] is my story of the championships”

Bretin Mark Foster væntaði at Rouault fór at vinna, men vónaði, at Pál fór at fáa eina medalju.

Soleiðis søgdu tey á Eurosport undan 800 frí finaluni…

Eurosport Carrie Anne: “What are your predictions for the 800 free for the men?”

Thomas Rupprath: “Now we [týskarir] are on the top with Christian Kubusch, I hope that he can make a very good race in the 800, and, hey! he looks very strong. He comes from altitude in Sierra Nevada, so he is in a very good shape, and when he makes no mistake he has a chance to win.”

Eurosprot Carrie Anne: “What about the french Rouault?”

Mark Foster: “I think Rouault is going to be the favorite. I actually think he, I would say walk it, but I think he will win it. We saw him on the last 300 in the 1500 being so strong. This is a shorter event that will suit him, but Pál Joensen as well who was 2nd in the 1500, which is my story of the championships, I like to see him win another medal. That would be great!”

Eurosport Carrie Anne: “Well, we’ll see who is right…”

Drew Gordon og Mark Foster søgdu frá í finaluni.

Beint áðrenn startin:

Drew Gordon: “Pál Joensen [tey úttala hann sum Pal Jonson ella Pal Johanson]. Well one of the sensation stories, of course. Now everybody knows about it. 3rd in the 1500 [uha Drew, tað er ikki rætt :-)]. Finale [-ist] in the 800.
Mads Glæsner, the danish record holder, 7:52.28 to his credit. He is way off that, not looking [like] himself, but certainly a contender…”

0-150 m:

Drew Gordon: “The mens 800 freestyle. Fascinating battle in store. Let me just run across the line-up for you again… …Pál Joensen, sensational story of the Faroes-man, winning a medal, silver, in the 15[00], and now final in the 800. Does he have the speed? He certainly has the commitment…”

Mark Foster: “Pál Joensen was in the 1500 freestyle. [He] took out the first 1200 m, and then Rouault in [lane] 5 of France just put a spurt on him, destroyed him down the last 300, but that is the Pál Joensen way of doing it, he sets the pace, he sets his stool out. He gets into his own rhythm as it were. Rouault, on the other hand, sort of uses him as a bit of a hare, and just sits off him, and uses his pace. He is not about the time, as it were, he is trying to win the race.”

150-200 m:

Mark Foster: “Joensen at first. Glæsner in [lane] 7 is 2nd. Rouault [is 3rd]. All the activity is in lane 5, 6 and 7. I think that is how it is going to stay throughout the whole race. Pizzetti down in [lane] 8 is also, eh, was 3rd in the 1500, he is actually fastest in the World with 7.51, but I think he is a little bit out off souse.”

Drew Gordon: “So setting up the pace in the first 200, occasionally watching to see if somebody is going to make a break. And they are certainly not going to let Joensen go away on this one. 1:54.58.”

200-300 m:

Drew Gordon: “In lane 5 then, Sebastien Rouault. Now, rather to play a patience and waiting game, he has gone up there with the leaders. In [lane] 6, Pál Joensen, with that the very different stroke now, it’s not quite so short. A little bit longer, a little bit lengthy, almost like a polo player going after the ball, actually. Just ahead. There is the difference [Joensen, Glæsner +0.28, Rouault +0.37]. Joensen with the turn putting a bit of pressure on his opponents. Glæsner of Denmark finally wakening up for the European Championships, and he is looking very look. He has a lovely stroke technique. He in lane 7 on the left of your picture there. And he and Joensen going stroke for stroke. In [lane] 4, Kubusch, struggling a little bit to keep in this early pace. The rest 4 or 5 m off the lead.”

300-400 m:

Drew Gordon: “2:54 then. We are on 6 seconds under the 2 minutes and then a minute for the 3rd. Now they are going to watch the race. They got to be in their own form. They got to swim their own type of battle on the 800. And it is building up, 4 or 5 swimmers heading this race up. And this is good racing and pacing from these men here in Budapest.”

Mark Foster: “All the activity is still in [lane] 4,5, 6 and 7. Rouault is taking on a different type of story than in the 1500. He had so much left in that race. He has got a lot of speed on the rest of these swimmers. And he is also being pressured by Kubusch in [lane] 4, so he can’t just sit on Pál Joensen, who has gone back slightly here.”

400-500 m:

Mark Foster: “So 400. Rouault goes through first, Kubusch is 2nd, Glæsner is 3rd and a half away. So halfway through the 800 m is Rouault leading in [lane] 5, second [is] Kubusch in [lane] 4, just leading behind [is] Pál Joensen, but coming through in lane 3 Gergo Kis, who was 3rd in the 400 freestyle with a great swim, so he knows he’s got a lot of speed as well, and with a bit of home crowd support, who knows what he can do?”

Drew Gordon: “Yeah, he is one of these swimmers, Mark, who can drop a gear and really punish himself at the end of the race. But there is the close head to head between Sebastien Rouault and Christian Kubush. Kubusch is 7:49 the german record [holder], Rouault 7:51.”

500-600 m:

Drew Gordon: “Now Sebastien Rouault is actually chasing a 7:51.57 Nicolas Rostoucher french record, and if he keeps working against Kubusch. This [record] will be there, but the german taking a chance here. The german team giving targets of getting into semifinals, and then trying to swim faster of making finals, they have all done that, they have all got 2nd swims, a few of them into finals. So far [pausa… hann telur, giti eg] 4 medals. Kubusch looking good a this stage for the medal, but Rouault has something to say about that. Now lane 8, Samuel Pizzetti, the bronze from the 1500, starting to make a little move. He is up level with Kis across there and lane 3, as they get to the 600 m mark.”

600-700 m:

Drew Gordon: “Through 5:52 and the battle is still the same.”

Mark Foster: “Yeah 600 m is done. 200 m to go. Kubusch, I think he is trying to break Rouault. He knows, what he can expect after the 1500. Rouault has got an awesome finish, so I think he is trying to take the finish out of him, and he is doing a fantastic job. Kubusch lead the way, still [with] a nice strong leg kick. Next [to] him, Rouault. In third is Kis down here at the bottom of the screen. Pizzetti, he is not giving up the chase for the bronze at the moment.

Drew Gordon: “The german distance swimmers, of course, under of great Jörg Hoffmann, four times European Champion, and they have done some real murder camps. Rouault bringing in a little more kick just to cover the push from the german. It’s not a spurt, it’s just a gradual pressure during the swim. You can see the tempo of the german picking in from the first 400.

700-800 m:

Drew Gordon: “Pizzetti still, in lane 8 on the outside, in bronze medal position just sneaking in up on them as well. His legs really working hard. Now here comes the final challenge. Who has the speed? Joensen being left behind with the speed of the top men in Europe. Gergo Kis fighting for the bronze against Pizzetti. Pizzetti trying to get up, but there is too much distance. Rouault versus Kubusch. That is what it will be for the last 50. They turn together! Their feet hitting the wall. There is 5/100 separating them! Here comes the big legs into play. The german stretching. Rouault, beautiful technician. And it’s the french man, who looks to have edged him with 25 to go. He is building in the strongest. You said, Mark, he has an awesome finish, and he is leaving him for dead. It’s Formula 1 time, drop the gear, pedal to the metal, Sebastien Rouault, doubles up in 7:48, a new championship record to the french man in a wonderful shoot-out in the mens 800. Silver to Kubusch of Germany, what a swim from him! 7:49.12. That makes a new german record just by point one. So that is the quality of this racing in textile two.”

Mark Foster: “Yeah, I think that captures all in the finish. Rouault had too much in the end. Just took off that last length, put two metres between himself and Kubusch of Germany. He has got that change of gear, so he just left. He can generally just sit on these swimmers and out-kick them, at this level anyway in Europe.”

Drew Gordon: “Yeah, tongue out, finger up, Sebastien Rouault. Championship and french record. German record. And Pizzetti, well he is chasing a very though italien record.” [Colbertaldo, 7:49.98 sum Pizzetti tók]