First medals won at inaugural European Championships

The first medals of the first-ever European Championships have been awarded to athletes from Synchronised Swimming, with twelve medal events taking place on day two of the Championships in Glasgow.

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Russian pair Svetlana Kolesnichenko and Varvara Subbotina will go down in history as the first gold medallists of the new Championships format; winning the Duet Technical Routine at Scotstoun Sports Campus.

Ukraine’s Anastasiya Savchuk and Yelyzaveta Yakhno took silver, while Linda Cerruti and Costanza Ferro of Italy finished in third.

Svetlana Kolesnichenko, on winning the first gold of the European Championships, said: “We are very happy because our coach has said it was perfect. In every element it was good and the best performance for us. The secret is our coaches. They give their hearts for this competition and when we finish, we look for our coach. This is for our coach."

Colin Hartley, Championships Director, said: “After years of planning we are now at the most exciting part of the European Championships journey – competition, and ultimately the medals that will be won by our athletes. Huge congratulations must to Svetlana and Varvara, who will long be remembered as the first gold medallists of the Glasgow 2018 European Championships.”

Amongst many firsts for this European Championships; medal winners from all seven competing sports will be awarded the same medals – a lasting and unifying symbol of sporting success.

The medal design is bold and dynamic with a contemporary triangular prism form inspired by the European Championships emblem. The front features a stylish 3D interpretation of the Championships brand, whilst the rear displays the sports federation logo along with event specific information.

Each medal is hung from a ribbon featuring a striking crystal design that builds to a full spectrum of rainbow colours that capture the spirit of this multi-sport event.

Russia made it two gold from two events with Mayya Gurbanberdieva and Aleksandr Maltsev winning the Duet Technical Routine Mixed; with Italy taking silver and Spain collecting bronze.

Four medals are up for grabs in the pool at Tollcross International Swimming Centre this evening, with a further six medal events at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Track Cycling.

A number of Scottish athletes will be competing in finals for Great Britain in front of a home crowd. Katie Archibald, Neah Evans and Jack Carlin are in action in the velodrome, while Hannah Miley will compete in the pool.