Below the statements of the winners and the best athletes of the third day of the 47th European Junior Championships, in Rome.

Men's 100m breaststroke - Final
Gold medalist. Volodymyr Lisovets' (Ukr) 1'00"28 pp: I am satisfied with my race. I felt a little weighted in the water but in the end it went well. It is my second international experience so I am happy with the result. Unfortunately I could not visit the city due to Covid restrictions, but this pool is wonderful.
Bronze medalist. Simone Cerasuolo (Ita) 1'01"56: I am not satisfied, I hoped to swim faster. In the water I felt tired but I still have the 50m semifinal and the medley mixed relay to do.

Women's 100m backstroke - Final
Gold medalist. Erika Gaetani (Ita) 1'00"65 pp: I have been aiming for victory since two years ago, after the silver medal. I wanted to win today and I knew I could do it. I am hoping for a pass to next year's European Championship here in Rome. I am happy to have honored the name of my region, Puglia.

Men's 200m individual medley - Final
Gold medalist. Berke Saka (Tur) 2'00"04 pp: After this medal I can focus on Tokyo. The training is very tough but I am happy to compete in Olympic Games with great champions. I am swimming in this beautiful pool for the first time and I am very excited.

Women's 200m butterfly - Final
Gold medalist. Anastasiia Markova (Rus) 2'08"41 CR: I am very happy to have set the new Championships record. I didn't expect to do so well but I still have to work hard because I am wishing to get good results at the Olympics. This is my first international gold.

Men's 100m freestyle - Final
Gold medalist. David Popovici (Rou) 47"30 WJR-CR: I am excited by today's result. This time confirms that I am training well for Tokyo. I am not going to stop here. I am aiming for the Olympic podium. I am glad that my parents were here tonight and could see my result. It is important to me to receive the support of my family before and after the races. That's why I hope my parents will be able to be in Tokyo too.

Men's 1500m freestyle - Final
Gold medalist. Mert Kilavuz (Tur) 15'02"22 pp: I am grateful to my coach, it's my first gold medal. I still have a lot of work to do. I think Rome is the most beautiful city in the world. I would like to visit and discover it better in the future.

4x100m medley mixed - Final
Gold medalist. Russia (Aleksei A. Tkachev 54"84, Georgii Glazunov 1'01"86, Daria Klepikova 58"89, Daria Tatarinova 54"66) 3'50"25. Tatarinova: It is the first gold we won in this relay. The championships are well organized and we would like to come back to Rome for other races.

Photo Credits Andrea Masini / DBM