Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk, 21, will return to Paris two years after competing at the Olympics when she competes in the European Aquatics Championships.
Recently recovered from a shoulder injury, she is set to be busy in the French capital, where she is entered in the 50m and 100m free, butterfly and backstroke as well as the 200m individual medley.
After a highly successful junior career Vanotterdijk won a medal of every colour at the Belgrade 2024 European Championships before finishing tenth in the 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly at the Olympics.
Last year she won three golds and two silvers at the European Aquatics U23 Championships in Samorin before taking world silver and bronze in the 100m butterfly and 50m butterfly respectively. She added silvers in the 50m butterfly and 100m medley at the EA Short Course Championships in Lublin.
Last year your stunning performance at the EA U23 Championships set up further senior medals at the World Championships and EA Short Course Championships. How pivotal do you think 2025 has been to your career?
2025 was a very good year for me. I did a lot of competitions and that has really helped me to improve overall.
So I think that was the most important part. It’s just really nice to be able to do this and this gives me a lot of confidence going forward.
How hard was it to make the transition from junior to senior success, and was the most challenging part of it physical or mental?
The most difficult part was mentally. Physically your body just needs to evolve and gain some muscles, gain some strength, gain some power and that’s something you can train.
But mentally you have to have the right mindset and don’t expect too much at first. Just try and learn your lessons, see what others are doing, see what could help you improve. That was important for me, just try to relax and try to enjoy everything, try to enjoy the process.
Your programme for Paris 2026 certainly looks busy – what are your ambitions for the Championships – and beyond?
For Paris my ambitions are mostly having fun and seeing what I can do, seeing if what I’m doing in training is transferring into competition.
So I’m not really thinking in terms of times or places, I’m just trying to improve the general performance, trying to improve everything.
How useful a marker will this summer’s EA Championships be on the path to the 2028 LA Olympics?
This summer’s EA Championships will be a good step in the road to LA, but I’m trying not to look too much forward and enjoy the process.
I’m not really looking forward to LA already – of course it’s in the back of my mind but I’m not thinking about it every day. I just want to take it day by day and see what I can do to be the best version of myself.
I think that’s the most important part for me: not trying to live in the future but live in the moment and enjoy everything.
Will you be able to have friends/family watching you in Paris?
My mom and dad will be in Paris to watch, so that will be very nice! It’s not too far from home, so they can just take the train. For me, it will be really, really nice to have them in the stands!
Are there any particular places/sights you have enjoyed in Paris, and do you plan to see any in particular this summer?
I first visited Paris when I was very young, when I was 11. We did a city trip and I saw a lot of places. So I don’t have one specific spot I want to see this summer, but I will certainly stay for some extra days and go into the city to explore.I want to know the city better, as it’s been a while since I’ve seen it.
When I was there for the Olympics I just did the swimming part and went home straight after. So I will definitely take my time this year. I just haven’t made a list yet – that’s something I still need to do, but luckily I still have some time!
Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics
