Sara Junevik was the fastest of all in the 50m butterfly heats at the European Championship in Belgrad. The 24-year-old swimmer clocked 26.01 and easily advanced to the semi-finals later in the evening. The Slovakian Tamara Potocka was the second fastest in the heats with 26.12.
Junevik is beforehand Sweden's biggest gold hope in the European Championship and has a chance to take her first individual championship medal as a senior.
However, the 50m butterfly is not an Olympic event, and Junevik hopes to qualify for the Olympics in the double distance later during the European Championship.
This year's swimming European Championship is late and several stars, including Sarah Sjöström, are opting out since the Olympics in Paris await at the end of July. Sjöström is one of several Swedish swimmers who instead are participating in the Sette Colli tournament in Rome during the Midsummer weekend.
