The European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Cup reached Barcelona on Saturday (September 20) for the penultimate leg of the 2025 series, and the Mediterranean city once again delivered a dramatic day of racing that may prove decisive in shaping the final outcome of the five-leg competition.
Against the backdrop of Port Vell on the Spanish coast, Hungary’s David Betlehem and Poland’s Klaudia Tarasiewicz rose to the occasion, the former taking his first Cup victory of the year and the latter securing her second.
The event also featured a groundbreaking co-operation with the Special Olympics, with whom European Aquatics signed a Memorandum of Understanding in July as a total of 27 athletes from nine countries competing in 800m Special Olympics open water races.
Betlehem, who has already demonstrated his credentials on the international stage with medals at both the European and World Championships this summer, showed his class in a tightly packed men’s race that came down to the final strokes.
After four laps of the 2.5km course, less than four seconds separated the top five, but it was the Hungarian who had the strength to touch first in 1:54:09.88. Italy’s Marcello Guidi followed just behind for silver, with Andrea Filadelli taking bronze a mere two tenths later.
Fabio Dalu, another of the Cup’s main protagonists this season, came in fifth after briefly leading through 7.5km, ensuring that the Italian contingent once again dominated the front of the field. For Betlehem, however, this victory represents a significant milestone, as he has now taken accolades at every step of competition this year.
If the men’s contest was close, the women’s race proved every bit as enthralling. Tarasiewicz, already a winner earlier in the series, timed her effort to perfection once more, surging through in the final stages to secure victory in 2:02:39.40.
Monaco’s Lisa Pou, who continues to lead the overall standings after a superbly consistent season, finished just under five seconds adrift, while France’s Caroline Jouisse took third ahead of home favourite Candela Sánchez Lora. Italy’s Elena Tortora put in a spirited performance to touch in fifth, with compatriots Iris Menchini and Giulia Berton also inside the top ten to keep themselves firmly in contention for overall honours.
For Tarasiewicz, still just 21, this second Cup triumph underscores her growing stature in the discipline and keeps alive her hopes of challenging Pou all the way to the final leg.
With Barcelona concluded, attention now turns to the finale in Razanac, Croatia next weekend. With the 10km races ready once again to wow those in attendance, the series top spots are all still up for grabs in what will be one of the most exciting conclusions to the competition in recent memory.
Click here to catch up on all the action on European Aquatics’ “Beyond The Buoy” YouTube show.
Click here for the full start list and results.
Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
