Four gold medals on day two of the European Aquatics U23 Swimming Championships propelled Poland to the top of the medals table with one day of competition remaining.

Ksawery Masiuk secured his team’s first victory at the outdoor pool in the x-bionic sphere, coming home in the men’s 50m backstroke. He was joined on the gold standard by team-mates Adela Piskorska in the women’s 100m backstroke, Krzysztof Chmielewski, who successfully defended his men’s 200m butterfly title, and Justina Kozan in the women’s 400m individual medley.

That took Poland’s medal total to five golds, two silvers and two bronzes, giving them a clear lead over Germany, who doubled their gold-medal total to four thanks to victories by Maya Werner – the previous day’s women’s 800m freestyle winner – in the women’s 400m freestyle and Cedric Bessing in the men’s 400m individual medley.

Greece moved up to third in the table after Georgia Damosioti won the women’s 200m butterfly, holding off 19-year-old Lana Pudar, Bosnia and Hercegovina’s 2024 European silver medallist and world bronze medallist.

The session reached an early dramatic high point as Portugal’s 20-year-old Diogo Ribeiro, beaten to gold the previous day in the event where he is world champion, the 200m butterfly, inflicted the same experience upon Vladyslav Bukhov in the men’s 50m freestyle, forcing the 22-year-old Ukrainian into second place, with Romania’s Olympic 200m freestyle champion David Popovici taking bronze.

Ribeiro, who won in a national record of 21.67, had only finished fifth in qualifying, and told European Aquatics that he had been hampered when the gold chain he wears around his neck had got wedged on his chin as he had readied himself on the blocks.

“In the prelims my necklace go stuck in my neck so I didn’t go with my whole power,” he said. “But in the final I showed my best and I am really, really happy with this. Because in the 50m free it is an event that I really don’t like so much, but I did my best time.

“I have the Worlds in a month so it is a really good result for me. I want to get more good times this season.”

Popovici, who clocked 21.86 in bronze-medal position, commented: “The 50m is like a useful tool to me, and it became clear to me that I needed to have as good a 50 as possible in order to have a good 100 and 200m. I need it for what I really enjoy doing.”

Asked if he enjoyed the 50m, he responded: “Not really. Who knows, maybe in the future I will be a 50 guy. But for now I am not a 50 guy. I think Diogo really deserved the gold medal. I think I am happier for him taking the gold than I would have been for me in this event. He’s a really nice guy and a really good friend.”

Speaking after he had come home in 24.82, 0.06 ahead of France’s Lysander Osman, Masiuk said: “Personally I can’t swim in an outdoor pool, but somehow I am the champion. Swimming in an outdoor pool when you are a backstroker is very difficult. You go from lane to lane.

“You can’t find the line on the roof. You are like blind when you are a backstroker in an outdoor pool – you have only the sky!”

Piskorska came through strongly at the finish to win in 1:00.01 and deny Roos Vanotterdijk a third gold following her victories the previous day in the 50m backstroke and the 100m butterfly.

The 20-year-old Belgian was second in 1:00.27, taking a second silver on the day having clocked 24.86 in the opening women’s 50m freestyle behind Milou van Wijk of The Netherlands, who clocked 24.23.

“I concentrated on the second 50,” Piskorska said. “In the morning it was very hard, but this was a very good race. It’s my best time of the season, and in an outdoor pool, so I am very happy with that.”

Chmielewski, who won in 1:54.91, commented: “It was very important for me to defend my title today. It was a good measure for me ahead of the World Championships. I was watching Justina win just now – it’s a very good day for Poland.”

Kozan, who clocked 4:41.57 to hold off the challenge of Italy’s Giada Alzetta, who took silver in 4:44.31m, added: “We are going so  well today and I feel like tomorrow we are going to do even better so I am very excited for that.”

After coming home ahead of Bosnia and Hercegovina’s 19-year-old world bronze medallist Lana Pudar in a personal best of 2:09.21, Damasioti looked faint with effort in the aftermath.

Asked if it had been a physical or emotional thing, she responded: “I think it was both. The physical is not over yet! I am exhausted – but it’s OK. I knew what my opponents could do and I had control and had some effort left at the end so I knew what I was doing.”

Estonia’s 18-year-old Eneli Jefimova, winner of yesterday’s women’s 50m breaststroke, secured a second title on her EA U23 debut by winning her signature event of the women’s 100m breaststroke, in which she earned European senior gold and world bronze last year.

“I’m really happy to get another gold medal. The 100m – I love it very well, but sometimes I have a hate-love relationship with it. Sometimes if I don’t do the right strokes in the first 50 then I am dying in the last 50. But today it went well!”

Also earning a second gold was Austria’s Luka Mladenovic, who followed up his 50m breaststroke win on day 1 by earning victory from lane eight in the men’s 200m breaststroke.

Bulgaria’s 19-year-old Petar Mitsin, who took silver behind Popovici in the opening day’s men’s 200m freestyle, retained his men’s 400m freestyle title in 3:46.66.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics