Alabama Swimmer Anne Poleska Wins European Gold
12/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
University of Alabama senior Anne Poleska dominated the field to win the 2004 European Championship 200-meter breaststroke title in Vienna, Austria.
Poleska out-dueled Austria's Mirna Jukic for the title. Poleska, a native of Krefeld, Germany stayed with the hard charging home-town favorite over the first 100 meters of the finals and then took control of the race over the third 50. By the final lap, Poleska had left Jukic and the rest of the field in her wake, winning by a full second with a 2:21.79.
"Anne really swam strong today," Alabama assistant head coach Sonya Porter said. "She had a very tough morning swim, having to beat out two of her German teammates to earn a spot in finals. Then to come back and swim the way she did tonight was great to see. She really controlled the race."
Poleska, who won the 200m breaststroke bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics will compete in the 100m breaststroke tomorrow.
Former Alabama NCAA Champion Stefan Gherghel is also making his presence felt at these European Championships. The two-time NCAA 200 butterfly champion earned a bronze medal in the 100m butterfly, posting career best times in the preliminaries, semi-finals and finals on the way to a 52.26. The Romanian swims his signature event, the 200m butterfly tomorrow.
