Leon Marchand, seeking further success at the European Aquatics Championships Paris 2026 after winning his first title in the previous night’s men’s 200m butterfly, qualified fourth fastest for what promises to be an epic 400m freestyle final in tonight’s closing swimming session.
In what is for him a relatively new event, the 24-year-old quadruple Paris 2024 champion finished second in his heat in 3:45.85 behind Belgium’s Lucas Henveaux on 3:45.78.
Germany’s Paris 2024 silver medallist in the 10km open water swimming, who won bronze here in that event, topped qualifying in 3:45.22 from Hungary’s Oliver Papai on 3:45.32.
Klemet’s team-mate Lukas Martens, world and Olympic champion as well as world record holder in this event, only made it through in eighth place after clocking 3:46.33.
Any hopes Germany’s 19-year-old Johannes Liebmann might have had of adding a third title to the ones he had already accumulated in the 800m and 1500m events – the latter in a staggering world record of 14:26.79 – came to naught as he finished eleventh in 3:47.58.
He finished two places below the team-mate whose European 800m freestyle record he broke earlier this year, Sven Schwarz, who clocked 3:46.68.
Such is the power of Germany’s distance swimming that if either had broken into the top eight they would not have progressed due to the rule limiting each nation to two qualifiers.
Italy’s Simona Quadarella qualified for tonight’s women’s 400m freestyle with ominous ease in search of a third distance triple at the European Aquatics Championships.
The 27-year-old Roman won the 400m, 800m and 1500m at the 2018 and 2020 editions but at her last Championships in her home city four years ago she took gold only in the 800m and 1500m, finishing second in the 400m.
Having already secured the 800m and 1500m titles here she is one victory away from an unprecedented achievement after qualifying fourth fastest in 4:08.07.
Fastest into the final was Germany’s 21-year-old Maya Werner in 4:05.40, followed on 4:06.37 by her team-mate Isabel Gose, who has two open water swimming golds from Paris 2026. Portugal’s Francisca Soares was third quickest in 4:08.01.
Another view of Leon Marchand in action at the Olympic Aquatic Centre.as he hits the water in the men’s 200m butterfly. Credit: Istvan Derencsenyi/underthewatermedia.com
Italy’s 19-year-old Sara Curtis looks odds-on to add to her medal collection tonight after helping her country qualify fastest in the women’s 4x100m medley heats in 3:57.11.
Curtis set successive world records in winning women’s 50m backstroke gold, and has also collected bronzes in the women’s 50m and 100m freestyle, as well as silver and bronze in the women’s 4x100m freestyle and mixed 4x100m freestyle respectively.
Germany were second fastest, just 0.01 behind, with Great Britain clocking 3:57.77.
Neutral Athletes B were fastest into tonight’s men’s 4x100m medley relay final on 3:30.81, from Great Britain on 3:31.19 and Italy on 3:31.62.
Para swimming, making its debut in these Championships, featured the reverse of the previous night’s finals, with women competing in 100m freestyle and men in 50m freestyle.
Dutch athlete Rogier Dorsman (S11) topped qualifying for the men’s 50m freestyle final ahead of Denmark’s Alexander Hillhouse (S14), winner of the previous night’s men’s 100m freestyle title, second and Marco Meneses of Portugal (S11) third.
The women’s list for tonight’s 100m freestyle final was headed by Turkiye’s Defne Kurt (S10), followed by Dutch athletes Liesette Bruinsma (S11) and the previous night’s gold medallist Irene van Drimmelen (S11)
Para swimmers operate within a classification system that categories their degree of impairment.
Classes S1 to S10 involve decreasing degrees of physical impairment. Classes S11 to S13 deal with vision impairment, with S11 being the most severe. The S14 class relates to intellectual impairment.
In integrated racing the first swimmer home is not always the winner, as all participants are assessed according to a points system relating to their particular category.
A second swim-off for a reserve place in the women’s 50m breaststroke final, required after Kotryna Teterevkova of Lithuania and NAB’s Ralina Giliazova had recorded 30.43 the previous evening, brought a resolution.
Giliazova became first reserve after clocking 30.41, with Teterevkova recording 30.58.
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Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics