Masters open water swimming brought its signature warmth of spirit to Hungary’s Lake Velence on Friday, as the second leg of the European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Masters Tour 2026 took place in Sukoro on the opening day of the European Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships weekend.
Following the disrupted opener in Protaras, where the elite race was cancelled and the Special Olympics event moved into the pool because of rough seas, this was a far gentler affair.
Conditions on the lake were calm, and with the men’s and women’s 3km races run back to back in the afternoon and early evening, there was a relaxed, sociable feel to proceedings from start to finish.
Germany’s Maximilian Hils made it back-to-back wins in the 25-29 category, having also taken the title in Protaras. Norway’s Håkon Skaarud Karlsen, gold medallist in the 45-49 age group in Cyprus, backed that up with another win at the Katalin Kovacs National Kayak Academy .
Martin Foster and Alan Parkins both added to their tallies for Great Britain, winning the 60-64 and 65-69 categories respectively, with Italy’s Simone Di Sabato also going back-to-back in the 50-54 age group.
One name stood out above all, however. Great Britain’s Michael Read, competing in the 85-89 category, was the oldest athlete in the field by some distance.
Read is referred to as a legend of long-distance swimming, having crossed the English Channel 33 times and held the King of the Channel title for over two decades.
Now in his mid-eighties, he still travels to compete internationally, and his outing in Sukoro is the latest in what he hopes will be an ever longer series of appearances.
The women’s races were equally well contested. Hungary’s Gloria Okos edged out Italy’s Alina Panzetti in the 25-29 category, while Great Britain’s Carly Fraser, another silver medallist from Protaras, went one better in Sukoro to win the 30-34 title.
Viktoria Haden-Felfoldi produced one of the strongest swims of the day to take the 40-44 category for the home nation, and Ireland’s Dymphna Morris, Germany’s Jana Gareis and Spain’s Marta Vila Fortuny all added further titles to their names from the tour’s opening weekend.
Once the medals had been presented in-front of the viewing gallery, athletes, coaches and officials stayed on for a social gathering by the lake. It was a fitting way to mark the halfway point of the tour, and was an example of the continuing good spirit that the Masters Tour has developed since its introduction.
The Tour now heads to its final stop in Samorin, Slovakia, where it will conclude during the European Aquatics Masters Championships 2026, with overall champions crowned after tallying the total scores across the three legs.
Click here to view the Masters Tour event page.
Click here to view the full results from the competition.
Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
