Tribuntsov finished second in his semi-final with a time of 24.89 seconds, smashing the Estonian national record by more than half a second. The previous record of 25.44 seconds was held by Daniel Zaitsev.

"Everything worked out, I had confidence in myself," said Tribuntsov after the swim. "I fought my way to the end and I didn't expect such a fast time, but when I saw the result starting with' 24' on the scoreboard, I was delighted."

Tribuntsov was fifth-quickest overall in the semi-finals, guaranteeing him a spot in the final. The result means he is only the third Estonian men's swimmer to make it through to a European long-course swimming final since the country regained independence. "It's great to be in the final, but you should always aim for a medal," said Tribuntsov.

Apostolos Christou of Greece was the fastest overall in the semi-finals with a time of 24.52 seconds. The final takes place on Friday evening at 8.54 p.m. Estonian time.

In the semi-finals of the women's 200m breaststroke, Estonia's Maria Romanjuk finished tenth overall with a time of 2 minutes 30.03 seconds, missing out on a place in the final.

"I went on the attack and didn't hold back," said Romanjuk. "Unfortunately the ending was difficult, but my focus before this race was on the 100m, so it was a good result."

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