A packed Aqua Lublin arena reverberated in celebration tonight as the final session of the European Aquatics Short Course Swimming Championships brought the hosts the gold they had hoped for, courtesy of Katarzyna Wasick in the women’s 50m freestyle, and one they had not dared to hope for, from Justina Kozan in the 400m medley.
There was double celebration too for Estonia as 31-year-old Ralf Tribuntsov and 18-year-old Eneli Jefimova won golds in the space of five minutes, the latter in a women’s 50m breaststroke Championship record of 28.81.
Meanwhile Italy ensured they topped the medals table, moving up from second place at the last edition of these Championships in Otopeni two years ago. They secured four individual golds through 19-year-old Sarah Curtis, in a short-lived European women’s 50m backstroke record of 25.49, Simone Cerasuolo, Simona Quadarella and Alberto Razzetti.
Another gold in the concluding men’s 4x50m medley saw them finish with 20 medals, of which nine were gold.
The Netherlands finished second with seven titles, the last of which came in the penultimate event, the women’s 4x50m medley relay, which enabled Marrit Steenbergen to secure a fifth gold at these Championships – and a fifth European record.
The 25-year-old powered her team towards victory with an opening backstroke leg in 25.47 – taking 0.02 off the record established in opening race of the final session by Italy’s Curtis.
Steenbergen had also set a Championship 50m backstroke record of 25.64 in the morning’s heats…
Reflecting on her performance, Steenbergen said: “I’m very happy with this relay. My time this morning was a big personal best so I wanted to do that again. I think the only words I have overall are ‘what the hell?’ I don’t really know what happened!”
Elsewhere on a pulsating final night Switzerland’s Noe Ponti held off the inspired challenge of Poland’s twins Krzysztof and Michal Chmielewski to win his third gold at Lublin 2025 in the 200m butterfly.
Ellen Walshe earned Ireland’s third gold of these Championships in the women’s 200m butterfly and Croatia’s Jere Hribar won the men’s 50m freestyle title.
Wasick. 33, delivered the longed-for first home gold at these Championships 14 years after earning a medal the last time the event took place in Poland.
When her moment of opportunity came in a women’s 50m freestyle final for which she had been fastest qualifier she rose to the challenge superbly, coming home in 23.20 as the venue erupted into red and white celebration.
France’s 30-year-old Beryl Gasteldello, setting a national record of 23.41, shared silver with Italy’s Curtis, already a visitor to the top of the podium.
The joy on Wasick’s face as she stepped up to take her medal amidst thunderous applause was something to behold.
“I think I tried to convince myself that there was no pressure, that it was just illusion,” Wasick told European Aquatics. “But I know that racing in front of the home crowd, people had expectations of me, and I had raced fast this year. I wanted to prove myself and I am very happy with this win.
“The crowd was just incredible. I tried to step up and I feel every emotion, because it’s not every day that you can see your crowd, see your people truly cheering for you. It’s incredible.”
But the party had not finished for the home supporters as Kozan came on strong in the two final disciplines of the women’s 400m medley – the penultimate individual event – to overtake the two Spaniards who had qualified fastest, Alba Ruiz and Emma Carrasco, the second of whom had established a three-second lead by halfway.
It was a grandstand finish for Poland, and the LA-based 23-year-old looked dazed as she removed her goggles and beheld the effect her efforts had wrought upon the stands.
Kozan clocked 4:28.56, with Vazquez taking silver in 4:29.57 and Carrasco earning eventual bronze in 4:31.27.
“It was great representing Poland on my home soil,” Kozan said. “And I felt like that last 100 definitely the cheering pushed me forward and it really helped.”
The flags of Estonia were flying after the second race of the session as Tribuntsov came through as an exuberant winner in the men’s 50m backstroke in 22.68 to earn his country’s second gold following the achievement of Jefimova in retaining her 100m breaststroke title.
But Jefimova had not finished. She earned a golden double in the women’s 50m breaststroke as she took on Lithuania’s 28-year-old defending champion, world record holder and three-times world short course champion Ruta Meilutyte, finishing in a Championship record of 28.81. Meilutyte took silver in 29.22, with bronze going to Belgium’s Florine Gaspard in 29.34.
Italy’s spectacular golden finale was set in motion in the first event of the evening by Curtis, anchor leg swimmer for the mixed 4x50m freestyle team that broke the world record on day 3, as she won the women’s 50m backstroke title in a European record of 25.49.
That eclipsed the mark of 25.60 set by Kira Toussaint of The Netherlands in 2020.
France’s Analia Pigree took silver in 25.96 ahead of Maaike de Waard of The Netherlands, who earned bronze in 25.97.
Italy’s world 50m breaststroke champion Simone Cerasuolo added the European short course title to his CV as he finished in 25.67, with Turkiye’s world record holder Emre Sakci taking silver in 25.85 and bronze, in 25.86, going to Italy’s Olympic 100m breaststroke champion Nicolo Martinenghi.
Having taken silver behind Germany’s Isabel Gose in the women’s 400m and 800m freestyle, Italy’s 26-year-old Simona Quadarella – who won world long course gold at this distance in 2019 and 2024 was set on a title, arriving in the final with a qualifying time almost seven seconds superior to her nearest rival.
There was gold at the end of the rainbow for her as she finished her lonely race against the clock in 15:29:93. Germany’s 20-year-old Maya Warner claimed silver in 15:47.00 from Hungary’s Ajna Kesely, who clocked 15:51.73.
Italy’s Alberto Razzetti retained his men’s 400m medley title in imperious fashion, finishing more than four seconds clear in 3:58: 79 to earn Italy’s fourth individual gold of the session.
Silver went to Great Britain’s Max Litchfield in 4:03:29, and Germany’s Cedric Bussing took bronze in 4:03.51.
Ponti, who has battled throughout these Championships against France’s Maxime Grousset, finished his final high pressure race by pointing at his head – referencing the mental strength he had just exhibited in resisting the identical Polish twins either side of him as they strove to give the raucous home crowd the result they craved.
Although Krzysztof Chmielewski closed down the defending champion’s early lead to the point where they were near level over the final 50m, Ponti found the way to win, securing his third gold at Lublin 2025 in 1:50.17.
Krzysztof took silver in 1:50.24, with brother Michal claiming bronze in 1:50.30.
Hribar, beaten to men’s 100m freestyle gold by Maxime Grousset, earned revenge in the men’s 50m freestyle as the 2.03m (6ft 6in) tall racer powered home for gold in 20.70, with the Frenchman finished in 20.81, sharing second place with Ukraine’s Nikita Sheremet, for whom it was a world junior record.
Walshe, silver medallist in the women’s 200m medley, went one better in the 200m butterfly with a late surge that saw her touch in 2:03.24 ahead of Denmark’s Helena Rosendahl Bach, who repeated the silver she earned in this event two years ago as she clocked 2;03.55, with Italy’s Anita Gastaldi earning bronze in 2:04:07.
The Dutch team finished in 1:42.83 in the women’s 4x50m medley, with Sweden taking silver in 1:43.79 and Italy bronze in 1:44.33.
Italy’s winning men’s 4x50m medley time in the last event was 1:30.49, with France second in 1:30.99 and Spain third in 1:31.84.
Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics
