2026 European Swimming Championships
Italy react to missing the men’s 4×100 free final yesterday and use Carlos D’Ambrosio and Emma Virginia Menicucci, the #2 Italian male and female swimmer in history, respectively, on this morning’s relay. They are joined by Manuel Frigo, who led off in 49.38 yesterday to miss his individual time by over a second, and Alessandra Mao, who anchored the women’s 4×100 free relay in 53.37.
France take the opposite approach, resting what would have been their first-choice quartet. Nans Mazellier and Cedric Gabali were the top two finishers at the French Elite Championships, but were only 48.87 and 48.82, respectively. Albane Cachot and Giulia Rossi-Bene are the two women selected, after Cachot split 53.27 on the women’s 4×100 free relay. They run the risk of missing the final tonight, where a team of Maxime Grousset, Leon Marchand, Marie Wattel, and Beryl Gastaldello would have solid podium potential.
Czechia use their two individual female 100 free finalists in Barbara Seemanova and Barbara Janickova, who have reset the national records in the 200 free and 100 free, respectively, this week. Miroslav Knedla features on the second leg after lowering the Czech 50 back record and moving to #12 all-time yesterday.
Spain are not messing around either, with male national record holder Luca Hoek Le Guenedal swimming second after a 47.47 leadoff in the men’s 4×100 free relay last night. Miguel Perez-Godoy, who split 48.12 in that race as Spain shattered their national record, joins him, with 54-flat swimmer Miguel Daza Garcia and Ainhoa Amezcua Campabadal on the women’s side.
Neutral Athletes B put Vasilii Kukushkin on the second leg again after he split 47.22 there on the men’s 4×100 free relay yesterday morning, although he was half a second slower at 47.77 in the final. Kseniia Sorokina features after splitting 53.08 on the women’s relay, with Daria Surushkina swimming third and Roman Zhidkov leading off.
Great Britain use Alexander Cohoon and Gabriel Shepherd on the first two legs, who both split 48.1 on the men’s relay yesterday, with Evelyn Davis and Theodora Taylor on the back half. Davis has lowered her best to 53.97 this week, while Taylor split 53.61 on the women’s 4×100 free relay two days ago.
The Netherlands rest Marrit Steenbergen and Milou van Wijk, but lead off with top male swimmer Sean Niewold and have two of the top 11 finishers from the heats of the women’s individual event in Imani de Jong and Yara van Kalmthout. Poland rest their top swimmers and seem unlikely to make it through the heats this morning.
Germany lead off with men’s national record holder Joshua Salchow, who was nearly a second off that record leading off the men’s relay last night, and swim Julian Koch second after his 47.98 split yesterday. Nicole Maier and Nina Holt have both split 53-point this week and they should make the final out of lane 1 in the second heat.
Heat 1
Lane 1 – Spain
Lane 2 – France
Lane 3 – Lithuania – DNS
Lane 4 – Norway
- Sander K. SORENSEN M
- Elias Nordeng REFSTIE M
- Hedda ORITSLAND F
- Sandra Maria BALTO F
Lane 5 – Neutral Athletes B
Lane 6 – Czechia
Lane 7 – Armenia
- Gevorg TONOYAN M
- Ashot CHAKHOYAN M
- Varsenik MANUCHARYAN F
- Milania GUNKO F
Heat 2
Lane 1 – Germany
Lane 2 – Sweden
- Robin HANSON M
- Ludvig BARTOLEK M
- Sara JUNEVIK F
- Sofia ASTEDT F
Lane 3 – Poland
- Szymon Maksymilian MROZ M
- Pawel URYNIUK M
- Flawia KAMZOL F
- Aleksandra KNOP F
Lane 4 – Netherlands
Lane 5 – Italy
Lane 6 – Switzerland
- Mattia MAURI M
- Balint ASHTON M
- Julia ULLMANN F
- Manon RICHARD F
Lane 7 – Great Britain
