Lyubomir Epitropov, the European champion in the 200-meter breaststroke, has advanced to the semifinals at the Olympic Games in Paris. The Bulgarian swimmer finished third in his heat with a time of 2:10.59 minutes, securing a spot in the top 16. This marks his second consecutive appearance in the semifinals at the Olympics, having also reached this stage in Tokyo.

In his heat, Epitropov was edged out by Japan's Yu Hanaguruma, who won with a time of 2:10.35 minutes. Epitropov’s time today earned him the 13th position overall, advancing him to the semifinals, which are scheduled for tonight at 22:59 Bulgarian time.

Epitropov’s national record stands at 2:09.45 minutes, set during the final of the European Championships in Belgrade earlier this year, where he clinched the gold medal.