Leon Marchand may have left the French Elite Championships with just one qualified event to his name, but the world record holder is on course to arrive at the European Aquatics Championships Paris 2026 with a considerably busier schedule.
Marchand won the 400m individual medley on day one of the French Championships in Saint-Etienne in 4:04.56, the fifth-fastest performance in history, before a sharp pain in his right adductor forced him out of his 200m breaststroke heat two days later. He completed that race in 9th but withdrew from the rest of the meet as a precaution, with scans pointing to a minor strain.
That result left him with only the 400 IM secured for Paris. The French federation has since confirmed Marchand will be free to add further events, so long as he already hit the qualifying standard in them at an approved meet within the past year.
On that basis, Marchand could have his pick of up to six individual events, having also cleared the qualifying mark this season in the 400m freestyle and the 200m breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and individual medley. A second breaststroke swim seems unlikely given the injury, while the 200m butterfly, his standout event this season, looks the likely addition alongside a probable medley double. This will be Marchand’s first European Championships, having skipped the 2022 edition in Rome for his collegiate season in the United States.
Marchand’s expanded schedule forms part of a 27-strong French roster for the championships on home soil. Also included is Maxime Grousset, who retains his place via medical exemption after a foot fracture forced his own withdrawal from the French Championships; fully fit, the world champion would be among the favourites in the sprint butterfly events.
Mary-Ambre Moluh leads the women’s side after breaking French records in the 50m and 100m backstroke, the latter now the fastest time in Europe this season. Three-time European champion Beryl Gastaldello is also set to lineup in the French capital next month following a strong showing from the 31-year-old.
Italy have gone even further, naming a 48-strong squad, which is the second-largest they have ever sent to a European Championships, behind only the 56-strong team for the home Rome 2022 edition.
100m backstroke world record holder Thomas Ceccon, runner-up over that distance at the 2025 World Championships, headlines the squad alongside 50m breaststroke world champion Simone Cerasuolo and European record holder Simona Quadarella, last year’s world silver medallist.
Like Marchand, Ceccon missed his national championships through injury but still qualified on times from the Sette Colli meeting in Rome. Sara Curtis and Benedetta Pilato also make the cut for what will be one of the country’s most hopeful squads in recent memory.
Greece have named 22 swimmers, led by a formidable pair of backstrokers. Apostolos Christou returns after 200m backstroke silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics as a three-time European champion defending two individual titles, while 21-year-old Apostolos Siskos already owns the fastest 200m backstroke time in the world this year and will target a first European gold after taking silver in Belgrade two years ago.
The Netherlands, who did not send a team to the last edition in Belgrade due to a congested 2024 calendar, are back with a 25-strong squad. World record holder Marrit Steenbergen leads the way with four events after a superb trials meet that included a Dutch record in the 100m backstroke and a 51.82 in the 100m freestyle, while Olympic medallist Caspar Corbeau also headlines the selection.
More than 120 swimmers across the four nations will contest the European Aquatics Championships Paris 2026 at the Olympic Aquatics Centre, with the pool programme running from 10-16 August.
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Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
