The European Aquatics Masters Championships 2026 continued in Samorin and Graz over the past three days, with the open water swimming programme beginning and the diving programme continuing at the respective locations with a series of quality performances and memorable moments.

The springboard programme in Graz produced tight finishes throughout the second day as it got underway following an impressive opening. In the men’s 3m Springboard 35-39 category, Germany’s Stephan Alt (SSV Freiburg) held off Finland’s Aatu Keranen by fewer than two points, winning with 255.20 to a score of 253.30. Germany’s Sebastian Becher took third.

Sweden’s Kirill Zakharov won the 30-34 category with 239.50, while Poland’s Marcin Kulczycki, who spoke to European Aquatics about how he returned to the sport following a near ten-year hiatus and whilst working for the organisation, topped the 25-29 field with 246.70 ahead of Britain’s Iain St John.

The women’s springboard events spanned the oldest age groups on the programme. Austria’s Irmtraud Bohn won the 85-89 category, Germany’s Gabriella Gulyas took the 80-84 title, and Britain’s Jenni Cluskey won the 75-79 group ahead of Finland’s Marja Salonius and Sweden’s Tunde Maday. Austria’s Grete Kugler won the 70-74 category, and the Netherlands’ Yvonne van der Meer topped the 65-69 field with 203.00.

The schedule then turned to the 1m boards, Austria’s Luis Mario Olave Lopez won the men’s 65-69 category ahead of France’s Thierry Pichon and Hungary’s Janos Kormos, while Sweden’s Per Lovgren won the 60-64 title. In the older groups, Lithuania’s John Deininger (85-89), the Netherlands’ Yal Bashtbavi (75-79) and Hungary’s Frederic Fiedler (70-74) all took their respective titles.

Germany’s Bernadett Schroder won the women’s 3m 55-59 category with 201.00 ahead of compatriot Kerstin Happke, while Sweden’s Madeleine Jarl won the 60-64 title. On the men’s 1m board, Germany’s Markus Braun won the 55-59 category, edging Sweden’s Olle Strombeck by just over five points.

In the 40-54 age groups, Norway’s Jarle Jokiel (50-54), NAB athlete Roman Nekrasov (45-49) and Italy’s Federico Tortarolo (40-44) all won their categories on the men’s 1m board. On the women’s 3m board, the Netherlands’ Astrid Swager narrowly beat Germany’s Manuela Pach in the 45-49 category, 185.35 to 183.30, while Czechia’s Marie Sebkova won the 40-44 title.

The attention then turned to day three, as Denmark’s Ane Naur Jensen won the women’s 3m Springboard 25-29 category with 185.20, while Norway’s Nora Hamrell, the only entrant in the 20-24 group, posted 142.20.

Finland’s Aatu Keranen went one better than his day-two silver, winning the men’s 1m 35-39 category with 272.45. Sweden’s Kirill Zakharov and Britain’s Iain St John won the 30-34 and 25-29 titles respectively.

Germany’s Uschi Freitag won the women’s 3m 35-39 category with 248.05, and compatriot Antonia Pawlowski took the 30-34 title with 230.70.

The 3m synchro events produced some of the closest scoring of the Championships. In the women’s 100+ category, Sweden’s Madeleine Jarl and Gunilla Etsare beat Germany’s Bernadett Schroder and Jana Oertel by just 0.18 of a point — 166.08 to 165.90. Hungary’s Peter Slegel and Janos Kormos won the men’s 100+ synchro title, while Germany’s Erik Seibt and Stephan Alt topped the men’s 40-99 category.

Pawlowski and Freitag paired up to win the women’s 40-99 synchro with 202.23, while in the mixed events Seibt partnered Schroder to win the 100+ category and Pach teamed with Becher to win the 40-99 group.

The Championships’ open water programme took place at a canal not far from the X-Bionic Sphere, which was where the swimming took place. Proceedings opened with the 4x1km relays. In the men’s 240-279 combined-age category, Ireland’s Aer Lingus Masters won two of the top three places, with their B team taking gold in 58:31.58 well clear of their own A team, more than 16 minutes back in second. Austria’s Atus Judenburg finished third.

Hungary’s Bacsviz-KVSC edged Austria’s SC Vienna Oldies in the men’s 200-239 category, 56:25.70 to 56:33.52. Estonia’s U-Klubi, the only entrant in the 280-319 category, and Italy’s Chiese Nuoto ASD, which featured brothers Davis and Nicolas Panieri, in the 120-159 group both won their divisions unopposed.

In the women’s events, Israel’s Aquatkim won the 240-279 category, Ireland’s Aer Lingus Masters won the 200-239 group, Austria’s SU Citynet Hall took the 160-199 title, and Slovenia’s SD Riba Ljubljana won the 120-159 category as the sole entrant.

The mixed relays saw Estonia’s U-Klubi win the 280-319 category, Ireland’s Aer Lingus Masters take the 240-279 title, Austria’s SC Hakoah Wien win the 200-239 group, and Spain’s CN Aquamasters beat Serbia’s PK Vojvodina in the 120-159 category. Germany’s DSC 1898 Dresden won the mixed 80+ category ahead of ASC Gottingen 1846.

The individual 1.5km races on day two spanned the full breadth of the Masters age range. Germany’s Alisa Fatum-Boker won the women’s 25-34 category in 17:44.12, while compatriot Jenny Wachsmuth topped the 35-44 field in 18:32.39.

Amongst the older athletes was Britain’s Michael Read, born in 1941, who completed the men’s 85-89 race in 32:46.06, and France’s Christian Araud, born in 1940, finished the same category in 55:22.57. Switzerland’s Kurt Frei won the men’s 80-84 group, Germany’s Helmut Hertelendy took the 75-79 title, and Norway’s Sverre Kile won the 70-74 category.

Belgium’s Steven Claes won the men’s 20-29/35-39 wave outright in 16:35.55, while Italy enjoyed a strong showing across the younger men’s categories: Francesco Ghettini won the 30-34 group, Claudio Fantoni the 40-44 group, Nicola Nisato the 45-49 title, Andrea Marcato the 50-54 category, and Luca Di Iacovo the 55-59 group. France’s Benoit-Marie Vassent won the men’s 60-64 category, and Spain’s Enrique Mata Diaz took the 65-69 title.

In the women’s older categories, Spain’s Maria Ramo Guillen Munoz won the 65-69 group, the Netherlands’ Liselotte Joling took the 50-54 title, Ireland’s Norma Cahill won the 60-64 category, and Italy’s Eleonora Ferrando won the 55-59 group. Italy’s Valentina Lugano won the combined 20-24/45-49 wave in the 45-49 category.

The preliminary stages of the water polo programme also began at the X-Bionic Sphere, with teams from almost every possible age category getting stuck in with some high-quality play as the competition comes to a head.

The competition now enters its final stage, with two more days of diving and one final day of open water swimming to come, as well as the water polo medals to be decided.

Click here for the start lists and results from the competition.

Click here to watch all of the action on EuroAquaticsTV.

Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics