Hosszú takes gold medal tally to six at European Short Course Swimming Championships

Hungarian Katinka Hosszú continued her impressive performance at the European Short Course Swimming Championships as she claimed double gold on the fourth day of the event in Netyana, Israel.

World long course champion and world record holder Hosszú secured her first victory by reigning supreme in the women’s 200 metres individual medley in 2min 02.53sec, though the time was well below her usual standards.

Siobhan-Marie O’Connor set a British record as she earned silver in 2:05.13, while Louise Hansson of Sweden sealed the final spot on the podium with bronze.

The Hungarian, nicknamed the "Iron Lady", then went on to win the women’s 50m backstroke event with ease, touching the wall in 26.13sec to clinch a clean sweep of the backstroke events and claim her sixth gold medal of the competition in Netanya.

Aleksandra Urbanczyk of Poland was second and Croatian Sanja Jovanovic finished third.

Elsewhere, Germany’s Marco Koch, who won the 200m breaststroke in a time just outside of the world record, stunning world long course champion Adam Peaty of Britain over half the distance to bag his second gold medal of the event.

Koch surged to victory in 56.78 to break the German record, with Peaty not far behind in 56.96, while bronze went to Lithuania's Giedrius Titenis.

Germany's Marco Koch stunned world long course champion Adam Peaty of Britain to win gold in the 200m breaststroke ©Getty Images

Italian Federica Pellegrini, an Olympic gold medallist at Beijing 2008, picked up her fourth European Short Course Swimming Championships 200m freestyle title, clocking 1:51.89.

Pellegrini, who had previously claimed victory in the event in 2008, 2009 and again in 2013, touched the wall in front of Russian Veronika Popova.

Dutchwoman Femke Heemskerk, the early race leader, had to settle for bronze.

Finland’s Jenna Laukkanen added the 100m breaststroke crown to her 50m title she had earned on Wednesday (December 2) as she powered to gold in a time of 1:04.56, breaking her own national record in the process.

Moniek Nijhuis of The Netherlands was her closest challenger as she clinched silver, edging out Turkey's four-times world junior champion Viktoria Gunes.

Ukrainian Andriy Govorov was the winner in the men’s 50m butterfly in 22.36, beating Yauhen Tsurkin of Belarus, while Russia’s Aleksandr Popkov came through to take bronze.

An action packed fourth day of competition came to a close with the 4x50m mixed freestyle relay, with the Italian team of Federico Bocchia, Marco Orsi, Silvia Di Pietro and Erika Ferraioli claiming gold in a Championship record time of 1:29.26.

Russia secured silver and Germany took bronze.

The Championships are due to conclude tomorrow.