Germany’s Isabel Gose got the European Aquatics Short Course Swimming Championships Lublin 2025 off to a dazzling start as she won the women’s 400m freestyle in a European record of 3:54.33 on an evening when Great Britain’s Jack McMillan – 4x200m Olympic and world gold medallist – earned his first individual title in the men’s 400m freestyle.

At the other end of a tumultuous opening night at a packed Aqua Lublin venue the host team, to widespread jubilation, earned successive bronze and silver medals in the women’s and men’s 4x50m freestyle relay respectively, with The Netherlands claiming women’s gold and Italy earning victory in the concluding men’s race.

Elsewhere Noe Ponti reached tomorrow’s men’s 50m butterfly final in a Championship record of 21.51, Germany’s Johannes Liebmann set a men’s 400m freestyle world junior record and Martine Damborg of Denmark set a second successive European junior record in the women’s 50m butterfly.

Gose, 23, who had qualified more than three seconds clear of her nearest opposition in the heats, followed through to secure a first European short course title to add to the world short course 1500m gold she won last December.

The Paris 2024 1500m bronze medallist took control of the final at the halfway point and drew inexorably away to eclipse the 12-year-old mark of 3:54.52 set by Spain’s Mirela Belmonte Garcia before turning to embrace her perennial rival Simona Quadarella – the defending champion – in the next lane.

“I was not expecting this result today,” Gose told European Aquatics. “This morning was really fast, I was really shocked. But I’m so proud that I have been able to swim a European record. I think that’s just a result of hard work.”

The Italian clocked in 3:56.70 after moving past Great Britain’s 21-year-old early leader Freya Colbert, who took bronze in 3:56.71.

Germany’s Maya Werner, 20, who won the 400m/800m freestyle double at this summer’s EA U23 Championships in Samorin, was fourth in 4:01.36 ahead of Hungary’s European U23 gold and bronze medallist Minna Abraham, 19, who clocked 4:01.69.

Ireland’s Olympic 800m champion Daniel Wiffen, making his competitive comeback after having his appendix out in the summer, had said on the eve of competition that he was looking for “at least one gold” from the defence of his 400m, 800m and 1500m titles.

 He almost secured it first time out after taking over the lead at the halfway point from Germany’s world and Olympic champion and world record holder Lukas Martens.

But McMillan timed his challenge perfectly to move into the lead over the final lengths, taking gold in 3:36.33, with Martens finishing strong to take silver in 3:36.51.

“Coming into this I was in really good shape,” McMillan said. “But actually do it on the stage, on the day, is very special.”

Asked if this result was about him becoming an individual performer after all his relay success he responded: “Yeah, yeah, totally. Obviously it’s great to be part of a team, that’s kind of why I transitioned to represent Great Britain. But now I want to find my own way and surge into a top two spot for individuals, especially going into the worlds and Olympics.”

Reflecting on the fact that he had just beaten two Olympic champions, McMillan added: ““Yes, pretty good! It just gives me more confidence, the training I am doing is clearly working, so that’s good to know at the start of this block heading towards the 2028 Olympic Games. So I’ll be going to the Commonwealth Games next year.”

Wiffen earned bronze in 3:37.02 ahead of Martens’ 18-year-old team-mate Liebmann, who clocked a world junior record of 3:37.39.

Fourteen years after winning women’s 4x50m freestyle bronze the last time Poland hosted these Championships, 33-year-old Katarzyna Wasick earned another as she swam first leg for the home team, helping them to third place in 1:35.75, just 0.01 ahead of Germany.

The Netherlands, with double world 100m freestyle champion Marrit Steenbergen racing second, overhauled Italy to win women’s gold in 1:33.85, with the Italians clocking 1:34.30.

The home fans had even more cause for joy immediately afterwards as their men’s 4x50m freestyle team clocked 1:23.63 to take silver behind Italy, who recorded 1:22.90, with Croatia winning bronze on 1:23.79.

Ponti, looking for short course revenge over the French swimmer who beat him to world 50m and 100m butterfly gold in the summer, Maxime Grousset, laid down a huge marker as he reached tomorrow night’s final over the shorter distance in a Championship record of 21.51 – just 0.19 off his own world short course record.

Grousset was second in 21.95.

Damborg, who had set a European junior women’s 50m butterfly record of 25.20 in the morning’s heats, improved that to 21.06 as she moved into tomorrow’s final equal second fastest with Germany’s Angelina Kohler behind the 25.00 clocked by Beryl Gastaldello of France.

Caspar Corbeau of The Netherlands had produced the performance of the opening session in topping the men’s 100m breaststroke heats in 55.54, just 0.26 off the short course world record set by Ilya Shymanovich of Belarus in 2021. He won his semi-final in another eye-catching time of 55.77.

Estonia’s 18-year-old defending champion Eneli Jefimova was fastest qualifier for tomorrow’s women’s 100m breaststroke final in 1:03.28.

Ireland’s world junior champion John Shortt was fastest qualifier for the men’s 200m backstroke final in 1:48.84 from France’s Mewen Tomac on 1:49.11.

France’s Pauline Mahieu topped qualifying for tomorrow’s women’s 200m backstroke final in 2:03.67, with local girl Adela Piskorska, the European champion, going through seventh fastest in 2:05.85.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics