Olli Kokko wearing Mattsson’s swimming goggles to the breaststroke EC final – “It felt like I had gone to the Colosseum as a gladiator”

will show the EC swimming competitions in Rome live. The European Championship ends on August 17.

Olli Kokko, 28, swam in the semi-finals on the six course, his second record time of the day, 27.43. As the eighth swimmer, that was enough for tomorrow’s EC final in Rome. Italy was the fastest in the 50-meter breaststroke semi-finals Nicolo Martinenghi with a time of 26.86.

The place in the finals of the prestigious long track competition is the first in Koko’s career.

– This time is the fulfillment of dreams. The stadium had an incredible atmosphere, which gave more strength. It was like going to the Colisseum as a gladiator. You could already hear a hum in the back room, which was sickly great, Kokko described.

Kokko already swam his previous record time of 27.46 in the morning heats.

– The finish hit really well, I realized it already five meters before the finish line. That was the hundredths and I guessed that there would be a better time. It could have dripped a little more, even four hundredths, Kokko grinned and pointed to SE time.

The breaststroke final will be swum on Tuesday evening. The Finnish record of 27.39 for the trip is in danger.

– Maybe tomorrow you could try (in the finals) without a weight and do shakes and push-ups instead. It has worked before.

– I lost my three swimming goggles somewhere at the hotel, but I got them Matt (Mattsson’s) spare glasses. Maybe it was because it was going so well now. The glasses look so good, Kokko mused.