Lithuania’s Tajus Juska and Filip Nowacki of Britain earned two golds each in a momentous day four evening session at the European Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships.

Juska, 16, who won men’s 100m freestyle gold and 50m freestyle bronze at last year’s Championships in his native Vilnius, showed his versatility and strength as he secured the men’s 100 butterfly and men’s 50m freestyle titles in the space of half an hour – replicating the double-quick double gold achieved by Denmark’s Martine Damborg the night before.

Nowacki’s triumphs were a little more spaced out. First he secured victory in the men’s 200m breaststroke over the Turkish swimmer who narrowly beat him to gold last year, Doruk Yogurtcuoglu, lowering the Championship and European Junior record of 2:09.11 he had set in the semi-finals to 2:08.32.

He then played his part in the concluding victory earned by Great Britain as they made a successful defence of their mixed 4x100m medley title, lowering the Championship record and European junior record to 3:47.07.

Juska had only qualified equal-sixth fastest for the 100m butterfly final but he was third at the turn and no one could resist his power at the finish as he touched in 52.54, 0.10 ahead of Great Britain’s early leader Dean Fearn, with bronze going to Spain’s Isak Fernandez Rodrigo in 52.72.

His victory in the men’s 50m freestyle was earned in a time of 22.14 in a frantic finish that saw him touch just 0.03 ahead of Ukraine’s Nikita Sheremet, with bronze going to Spain’s 2024 silver medallist Luca Hoek le Guenedal in 22.28.

Asked which of his victories he prized most, Juska told European Aquatics: “I think for me more amazing is the 50 free gold medal because I had just won the 100 butterfly and I felt very tired just after the race. But I focused on the 50 and I gave it my all and look at the result – a gold medal!

On the question of whether he regarded himself as a freestyler or a butterfly swimmer he responded: “I think for now I can do both, in training and practice the focus is mostly on my freestyle but I can do the butterfly also.

“Before the 100 butterfly I was a bit scared  because I was not feeling very good but I really focused on the race and I was really excited to win it.”

Reflecting upon his 200m breaststroke performance, Nowacki, a 17-year-old pupil at Millfield School, commented:

“I definitely had the Championship record on my horizon as I had been training really well, but I didn’t think I was going to swim that quick so I kind of surprised myself to be honest.

“Doruk is a great competitor, he out-touched me to win this title last year and he’s a great talent. We’ve been competing against each other since last year. He swims a good time, I swim a little bit quicker, he swims a little bit quicker.

“Before my semi-final when I heard he had broken the Championship record in his race it made my heart go a little bit.”

He then joined a team of fellow individual medallists – 100m butterfly silver medallist Fearn, women’s 50m backstroke champion Blythe Kinsman and joint women’s 50m freestyle silver medallist Theodora Taylor – to secure the last gold of the session in a race where silver went to Italy in 3:50.30 and bronze to Poland on 3:50.32.

In the men’s 200m backstroke final Ireland’s defending champion John Shortt led for much of the race but had to settle for bronze in 1:58.45 as Italy’s Daniele del Signore, last year’s 100m backstroke champion, replicated his 2024 finish in this event in a time of 1:57.94, with victory going to Hungarian newcomer Zsombor Racz in 1:57.89.

After a glorious performance in his first major international competition Racz said: “Honestly I didn’t think I could win. I was hoping to maybe get top three. But to win it – it’s such an amazing place to be.

“I am so happy and I am so grateful to all the people who have been supporting me – to my mum and my dad and all the people from my swimming club.”

The women’s 200m backstroke saw the two Spanish swimmers who have dominated this competition finish in first and second place, with gold going to defending champion Estella Tonrath in 2:10.02 and silver to Nahia Garrido in 2:12.47.

“I am very happy to retain my title,” Tonrath said. “I wanted to do a faster time but I am happy to achieve my target. It was enough.

“Now we are going to Singapore and let’s see how it goes at my first World Championships!”

Romania’s 2024 silver medallist Aissia-Claudia Prisecariu won bronze in 2:13.10.

The Romanian’s team mate Robert-Andrei Badea, who had lost his 200m individual medley title the night before, retained his 400m medley title in dominant fashion, leading from start to finish to clock 4:18.22.

Spain’s Cristobal Vargas took silver in 4:19.26 ahead of Turkey’s Onur Oksuz, who clocked 4:19.92.

Germany’s Lena Ludwig successfully defended her women’s 200m breaststroke title in 2:27.48, with silver going to Poland’s newcomer Paulina Baran in 2:27.78 and Switzerland’s Kay-Lyn Lohr earning bronze in 2:27.95.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics