It’s taken him four long years but Roberto Pavoni was finally toasting his first major senior international medal at the European Championships as he kept the British medal rush going on day three.
Pavoni made his major senior international debut at the European Championships four years ago and he has been so close yet so far at every single swimming event that matters since.
However that all changed on the third evening in Berlin as he kept pace with the front runners in the 200m medley final to claim bronze in 1:58.22 minutes behind Hungarian Laszlo Cseh and home hope Philip Heintz.
Britain had won nine medals on the first two nights, seven on Wednesday including three golds, and Pavoni admitted his surprise at adding to that growing number in Germany.
“The hard part of the race happened between lanes three and five, and I was only lane six, so I could not see what was going on, except for my direct neighbour,” he said.
“So, it came as a surprise to clinch a medal. It is my very first international medal at this level.”
Jay Lelliott, a contributor of one of the first two bronze medals on the opening night in the 400m freestyle, was aiming to add to his tally as he returned for the 1500m freestyle final.
Despite a new personal best of 14:58.74, he was unable to climb the podium and placed fifth while fellow Brit Stephen Milne, sixth in the 400m freestyle, was an agonising fourth.
He also clocked a personal best, his time of 14:53.83, 1,30 shy of bronze, and two Brits also went head to head in the 200m breaststroke semi-finals.
Drawn in the same heat, Ross Murdoch got the better of Andrew Willis to qualify as the fastest into the final in 2:08.65 with German home hope Marco Koch splitting the two.
Elsewhere Aimee Willmott, the second of Britain’s bronze medallists in the 400m medley on day one in Berlin, progressed safely into the 200m medley final in third.
Newly-crowned double European champion Chris Walker-Hebborn is also into the 50m backstroke final as the third quickest while Georgia Davies will swim for a medal in the women’s 100m equivalent.
She won her semi-final in 1:00.18 for second overall however Lizzie Simmonds, who won silver over 200m on Tuesday, just missed out as did Cameron Brodie in the men’s 200m butterfly.
© Sportsbeat 2014