title: Swimming at the 2012 European Aquatics Championships – Men's 800 metre freestyle
text: # Swimming at the 2012 European Aquatics Championships – Men's 800 metre freestyle
  
  The men's 800 metre freestyle competition of the swimming events at the 2012 European Aquatics Championships took place May 24 and 25. The heats took place on May 24, the final on May 25.
  
  ## Records
  
  Prior to the competition, the existing world, European and championship records were as follows.
  
  | | Name | Nation | Time | Location | Date |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | World record | Zhang Lin | China | 7:32.12 | Rome | July 29, 2009 |
  | European record | Federico Colbertaldo | Italy | 7:43.84 | Rome | July 29, 2009 |
  | Championship record | Sébastien Rouault | France | 7:48.28 | Budapest | August 13, 2010 |
  
  ## Results
  
  ### Heats
  
  21 swimmers participated in 3 heats.
  
  | Rank | Heat | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | 2 | 2 | Sergiy Frolov | Ukraine | 7:57.54 | Q |
  | 2 | 3 | 6 | Gabriele Detti | Italy | 7:57.61 | Q |
  | 3 | 1 | 4 | Gregorio Paltrinieri | Italy | 7:57.92 | Q |
  | 4 | 2 | 4 | Sébastien Rouault | France | 7:57.94 | Q |
  | 5 | 3 | 4 | Gergő Kis | Hungary | 7:58.09 | Q |
  | 6 | 2 | 3 | Evgeny Kulikov | Russia | 8:00.86 | Q |
  | 7 | 1 | 1 | Maxym Shemberyev | Ukraine | 8:02.41 | Q |
  | 8 | 3 | 2 | David Brandl | Austria | 8:03.73 | Q |
  | 9 | 3 | 1 | Sören Meissner | Germany | 8:03.82 | |
  | 10 | 2 | 5 | Anthony Pannier | France | 8:04.00 | |
  | 11 | 3 | 3 | Gergely Gyurta | Hungary | 8:04.03 | |
  | 12 | 1 | 6 | Anton Goncharov | Ukraine | 8:06.81 | |
  | 13 | 1 | 5 | Federico Colbertaldo | Italy | 8:08.04 | |
  | 14 | 1 | 7 | Anton Sveinn McKee | Iceland | 8:08.58 | NR |
  | 15 | 3 | 5 | Rocco Potenza | Italy | 8:08.60 | |
  | 16 | 1 | 3 | Jan Wolfgarten | Germany | 8:12.79 | |
  | 17 | 1 | 2 | Uladzimir Zhyharau | Belarus | 8:15.48 | |
  | 18 | 2 | 1 | Ventsislav Aydarski | Bulgaria | 8:16.03 | |
  | 19 | 3 | 7 | Jovan Mitrovic | Switzerland | 8:16.08 | |
  | 20 | 2 | 7 | Jan Karel Petric | Slovenia | 8:23.42 | |
  | | 2 | 6 | Michal Szuba | Poland | DNS | |
  
  ### Final
  
  The final was held at 17:02.
  
  | Rank | Lane | Name | Nationality | Time |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | 2 | Gergő Kis | Hungary | 7:49.46 |
  | | 3 | Gregorio Paltrinieri | Italy | 7:52.23 |
  | | 4 | Sergiy Frolov | Ukraine | 7:52.81 |
  | 4 | 6 | Sébastien Rouault | France | 7:53.78 |
  | 5 | 5 | Gabriele Detti | Italy | 7:56.16 |
  | 6 | 7 | Evgeny Kulikov | Russia | 7:59.90 |
  | 7 | 1 | Maxym Shemberyev | Ukraine | 8:00.96 |
  | 8 | 8 | David Brandl | Austria | 8:03.28 |
  