The European Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships Hungary 2026 got underway in style on Thursday, as Lake Velence hosted four fiercely contested races packed with dramatic moments and photo-finish drama.
Across the 10km and 7.5km events for J3 and J2 athletes respectively, the host nation set the early tone, with Hungary claiming gold in both boys’ races in front of a home crowd at the Katalin Kovacs National Kayak Academy.
Krisztian Grandpierre produced arguably the performance of the day to win the Boys’ 10km J3, completing one of the most dramatic turnarounds of the meet.
The Hungarian was down in 21st place after the opening 1.66km and remained there at the halfway mark, before a strong middle section lifted him to 17th and then 14th. His decisive move came between 6.66km and 8.33km, where he surged 13 places to hit the front, and he held his nerve over the closing stages to touch in 1:53:59.87.
It proved the tightest of margins, with Italy’s Davide Grossi – the early leader who slipped as low as 10th before rallying – taking silver just 0.06 seconds back, and France’s Ethan Parker, who had sat second for much of the race, completing the podium a further 0.89 seconds behind in bronze. Ultimately, it came down to the touch, as Grandpierre took an extra stroke to get his hand to the pad first.
The Girls’ 10km J3 went the way of Russia’s Polina Koziakina, who put in one of the most consistent performances of the day before snatching victory right at the line. She sat second at every lap, which also saw the feeding stations at intervals, never more than two seconds off the pace, before finally hitting the front on the finish straight to win in 2:02:38.03.
Germany’s Julia Ackermann produced the standout late move of the race, climbing from tenth place at the penultimate lap to steal silver by just 7.33 seconds, while Russia’s Varvara Kharchenko, a top-five fixture throughout, held on for bronze.
Hungary doubled up in the Boys’ 7.5km J2, where Balint Kreisz and Armand Attila Marossszeki locked out gold and silver. Kreisz sat fourth and fifth across the opening two legs before moving to the front at 4.5km and controlling the race from there, winning in 1:26:23.24.
Marossszeki was never far behind, climbing steadily from fifth to finish just 4.13 seconds adrift for a Hungarian one-two, while Russia’s Semen Demidov, who dropped to 12th at the 3km mark before fighting back through the field, claimed bronze.
Kreisz was visibly moved by the home support when speaking following an emotional medal ceremony. “It means a lot to have so many Hungarian supporters come out and support me and the whole team,” he said. “I’m very happy to win this competition. It was a big moment for me.”
Italy’s Mahila Spennato completed the day’s medal picture with victory in the Girls’ 7.5km J2, taking the lead at 3km before briefly slipping to third with 1.5km remaining and finding a strong finish to reclaim top spot in 1:32:49.37.
Spain’s Carlota Del Rio Decabo came home for silver, but the story of the race belonged to Hungary’s Anna Bartalos, who endured a tricky middle part of the race, before producing a remarkable response to lead outright at the final buoy. She ultimately settled for bronze, just 5.33 seconds off the win, a repeat of the medal colour she took in the 5km event in Setbal last year.
Spennato was overcome with emotion at the finish, in what was her first individual European title. “When I touched the finish pad, I was so incredible and happy in the same moment, because I’ve never won a European title before,” she said.
“This is my first time, and I can’t be happier than this. I’m so proud of the work I did with my coaches this year, because last year I had a shoulder injury, so I didn’t compete at all at the last European Championships. The things I couldn’t give last year, I gave now, and I can’t be happier than that.”
Hungary’s boys’ double, allied to Bartalos’s bronze, gives the hosts an early lead on the medal table as they chase the overall crown they won in Portugal last year. Attention now turns to the Boys’ and Girls’ 5km J1 races on Friday, which get underway at Lake Velence from 10am local time (CEST).
Click here to access the event page, which includes live results and start lists.
Click here to watch all of the action on EuroAquaticsTV.
Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
