After golden nights for Italy and then France at the European Aquatics Championships Paris 2026 it was Spain’s turn to shine in the final session as Irene Ciercoles and Luca Hoek earned their first titles.

Elsewhere in a frantic closing burst of action at the Munich 1972 Olympic pool the neutral athletes confirmed their status as overall trophy winners as they added five more titles to their collection, with their women’s 4x100m medley equalling the Championship record of 4:01.83 and Kseniia Misharina setting a Championship record of 4:05.54 in the women’s 400m freestyle.

Evangelos Ntoumas was a jubilant winner of the men’s 100m breaststroke, securing Greece’s first gold, and 16-year-old Barbara Liesniewska doubled Poland’s gold total after winning the opening women’s 200m individual medley final.

Jan Foltyn doubled Czechia’s – and his own – gold total as he secured the men’s 50m butterfly title to go with his earlier 50m freestyle victory.

Andreanne Bourseul, who had set a Championship record of 26.03 in reaching the women’s 50m butterfly, followed through to win France’s third gold, and Italy rounded the competition off with victory in the men’s 4x100m medley.

Neutral athletes topped the medals table with 15 golds in a total of 36. Italy and Great Britain earned five golds each in a totals of 14, with the Italians taking second place due to a superior number of silvers.

Hungary and France finished with three golds; Spain, Poland, Czechia and Turkiye each earned two golds in a competition where 17 nations reached the medal podium.

Ciercoles found the way to win against a women’s 100m backstroke field stacked with talent, earning a first individual European junior title after her women’s 4x100m freestyle and mixed 4x100m freestyle relay.

The 16-year-old Andorran swimmer, who had already won 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle silver here, was never headed, turning in 29.25 with a 0.01 lead from neutral athlete Varvara Filippova and doing just enough to maintain her lead as she touched in 1:00.06.

Silver went to Silisteanu in 1:00.11, with Lechevalier earning bronze in 1:00.35.

Just over quarter of an hour later Spain had its second gold as Luka Hoek retained his men’s 100m freestyle title against a field that included the Lithuanian from whom he took the title last year, Tajus Juska.

Marginally headed at the halfway point by neutral athlete Egor Proshin, Hoek accelerated to win in 48.18, with a margin of 0.31.

Juska, who won 200m freestyle silver here but failed to defend his 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly titles, was third throughout and took bronze in 48.67.

Reflecting on Spain’s double success, Hoek told European Aquatics: “I think every time we compete we try to push the level.

“I am very happy about our achievements. When I saw Irene’s result it was amazing, and of course it encouraged me in my race.

“The next thing for me is Paris 2026 and I will be there to do my best. Of course this gold will give me confidence.”

Ntoumas moved from fourth at the turn to earn victory over a richly talented men’s 100m backstroke field which included 200m champion Max Morgan of Great Britain and Turkiye’s 200m breaststroke champion Doruk Yogurtcuoglu.

The Greek looked momentarily confounded at the finish before recognising a victory which he celebrated will sitting astride a lane marker.

“I thought I had won because I didn’t see anyone either side of me, so I was pretty confident I had won. But when I first looked up at the screen I thought I had come second – even though there was no way I could have done that. But a few seconds later I realised I had won.”

Morgan turned ahead of Hoffmann, bronze medallist in the 50m backstroke, and the air became deafening as the German fans willed the home swimmer on.

Hoffman was able to pass Morgan but he remained in second place as Ntoumas, powered through to win in 59.91.

Hoffmann took silver in 1:00.29 and Morgan bronze in 1:00.41.

Lesniewska, who turned 16 two days before these Championships started, dominated the opening race of the evening to match the achievement of her team-mate Mikolaj Litoborski, who won the men’s 1500m title.

She lived up to her status as fastest qualifier as she established a first leg lead and extended it with a backstroke split of 32.65, maintaining momentum to finish in 2:12.45.

Silver went to neutral athlete Viktoriia Tarannikova in 2:14.10, with her team-mate Anna Rzaeva taking bronze in 2:14.44.

Bourseul clocked a winning time of 26.19 in the women’s 50m butterfly ahead of Spain’s Carlota Rodriguez Alcaide on 26.40, with bronze going to Dutch swimmer Jinth Engelse in 26.49.

“These are my first European Juniors and I feel very proud to have become champion,” she said.

Having also earned silver in the men’s 50m breaststroke, where his heats Championship record of 27.18 was equalled by Britain’s eventual winner Max Morgan, Foltyn has proved himself to be the monarch of the short sprints this week.

Foltyn touched home in 23.59, with Britain’s defending champion Dean Fearn second in 23.63 and bronze going to Hungary’s 200m butterfly champion David Antal in 23.65.

“I feel very good to get a second gold – I am so happy. I think the freestyle was for me the most challenging. Today was a good win but I think I can swim faster.

“I was a little bit sad about not winning the 50m breaststroke title but Max Morgan is a very good swimmer and this is sport. But now I have two golds and a silver and it’s the best for me.”

Italy took over the 4x100m medley lead from the neutral athletes in the penultimate leg and Cristian Tassan-Caser maintained their advantage in the freestyle to finish in 3:35.59, with the NA clocking 3:36.01 and Great Britain taking bronze in 3:36.39.

Neutral athlete Mikhail Shcherbakov, who retained his 200m IM title earlier in the week as well as anchoring world junior record performances in two relays, began their run of final night successes as he added a second individual gold in the men’s 100m backstroke.

He finished in 53.99, holding off a late surge from France’s 200m backstroke champion Nathan Muratory, who finished 0.01 behind, with bronze also going to France as Chrissander Cerda clocked 54.52.

Sofia Anufrieva was next up, winning the women’s 100m breaststroke in 1:08.10 from Switzerland’s Kay-Lyn Lohr on 1:08.88 and Spain’s Lucia Gregoria Martinez Moreno on 1:09.11.

Misharina was a runaway winner in the women’s 400m freestyle, with team-mate and defending champion Sofia Diakova second in 4:06.86.

Germany’s Linda Roth, 200m freestyle winner on the opening day, raised the decibel levels as she took bronze in 4:08.20 ahead of Hungary’s Vivien Jackl, who clocked 4:08.28.

Gregorii Vikovishchev retained his men’s 400m freestyle title in 3:44.58, with Hungary’s Oliver Papai taking silver in 3:47.88 and Austria’s Christian Giefing earning bronze in 3:47.92.

Silver and bronze in the women’s 4x100m medley went to Italy on 4:02.75 and Spain on 4:05.91.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics