2025 LEN U23 European Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2025 LEN U23 European Championships

• Thursday, June 26 – Saturday, June 28
• X-bionic® sphere Pool, Šamorín, Slovakia
• LCM (50m)
• Start Times – Local: Prelims – 9:30 am / Finals – 6:00 pm
• Start Times – EST: Prelims – 3:30 am / Finals – 12:00 pm
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Livestream (Pay-To-Watch)
• Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2
  • Finals: Day 1

The second night of finals at the 2025 LEN U23 European Championships in Samorin, Slovakia, promises to be an exciting one, with 12 individual finals on the schedule.

Tonight’s docket includes the 50 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 200 butterfly, and 400 IM for both men and women, along with the women’s 100 breaststroke, men’s 50 backstroke, women’s 100 backstroke, and men’s 200 breaststroke.

Follow along below for real-time updates.

Women’s 50 Freestyle — Final

• World Record: 23.61, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) — 2023
• European Record: 23.61, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) — 2023

Podium:

1. Milou van Wijk (NED) – 24.23
2. Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL) – 24.86
3. Darcy Revitt (GBR) — 25.06

The Netherlands’ Milou van Wijk was simply too quick to catch in the women’s 50 free final, dominating the race from start to finish. She got off to a perfect start and led from the very first stroke, touching the wall with a final time of 24.23—an impressive 0.63 ahead of the next closest competitor, a huge margin in the one-lap dash. The 20-year-old also clipped her previous lifetime best of 24.29, set just two weeks ago.

Silver went to Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk, who finished in 24.86. Having won the 100 fly and 50 back yesterday, this was her first time venturing into sub-25 territory, improving on her previous best of 25.02 from February. Roos, 20, holds five individual long-course national records: 100 free, 50 back, 100 back, 100 fly, and 200 IM.

Team Great Britain’s Darcy Revitt nabbed 3rd with a time of 25.08, securing her spot on the podium. She swims for Washington State University in the United States and dipped under her previous career best of 25.19 with a 25.06 effort in the prelims.

Men’s 50 Freestyle — Final

• World Record: 20.91, Cesar Cielo (BRA) — 2009
• European Record: 20.94, Fred Bousquet (FRA) — 2009

Podium:

1. Diogo Ribeiro (POR) – 21.67
2. Vladyslav Bukhov (UKR) – 21.74
3. David Popovici (ROU) – 21.86

In a bit of an upset, dual butterfly world champion 20-year-old Diogo Ribeiro of Portugal shocked the reigning 50 free world champion Vladyslav Bukhov in the men’s 50 free final. Ribeiro, who claimed silver in yesterday’s 100 fly, touched in 21.67—shattering his own national record of 21.87—to steal gold, while Bukhov settled for silver in 21.74.

Notably, 22-year-old Bukhov’s preliminary time of 21.52 would have easily won the event tonight if he had been able to replicate it, alongside his personal best of 21.38 in this event.

Two-time freestyle Olympic medalist, winning bronze in the 100 and gold in the 200 in Paris, David Popovici of Romania earned bronze tonight in 21.86, just three-hundredths off his Romanian national record of 21.83, set a few months ago at his country’s nationals.

20-year-old Popovici, the 2022 world champion in both the 100 and 200 free, will enter tomorrow’s 100 as the heavy favorite, where he could be aiming to notch the fourth sub-47 outing of his young career.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke — Final

• World Record: 1:04.13, Lilly King (USA) — 2017
• European Record: 1:04.36, Yulia Efimova (RUS) — 2017

Podium:

1. Eneli Jefimova (EST) – 1:06.30
2. Kotryna Teterevkova (LTU) – 1:07.50
3. Ellie McCartney (IRL) – 1:07.58

To no one’s surprise, rising breaststroke star Eneli Jefimova of Estonia was utterly dominant in the women’s 100 breast final. The 18-year-old touched the wall in 1:06.30, clearing the field by well over a full second to follow up her golden performance in yesterday’s 50 breast final.

Jefimova opened in 31.06 before closing in 35.24. She’s posted national records this season in all three breaststroke distances: 29.83 (50), 1:05.81 (100), and 2:25.59 (200). Her 50 breast time ranks her #1 in the world, and her 100 breast ranks 5th globally, with most international trials already completed.

Kotryna Teterevkova of Lithuania, who came painstakingly close to medaling at the 2024 World Championships in the 100 breast, earned silver tonight in 1:07.50. Ireland’s Ellie McCartney, 20, following in the footsteps of Olympic silver medalist Mona McSharry from Paris, claimed bronze with a time of 1:07.58.

23-year-old Teterevkova’s best time of 1:06.02 comes from the Doha Worlds, while McCartney has swum as fast as 1:06.97 back in April at the Irish Nationals.

Men’s 50 Backstroke — Final

• World Record: 23.55, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) — 2023
• European Record: 23.55, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) — 2023

Podium:

1. Ksawery Masiuk (POL) – 24.82
2. Lysander Osman (FRA) – 24.88
3. Adam Jaszo (HUN) – 25.02

France’s Lysander Osman nearly pulled off the upset of the meet so far, almost taking down Polish Texas commit Ksawery Masiuk in the men’s 50 back.

Masiuk logged the winning time of 24.82, with Osman, a Kentucky commit, snagging silver in 24.88. Osman followed up on a big-time drop to 24.75 at the French Nationals earlier this month.

Hungary’s Adam Jaszo touched the wall in 25.02 to secure bronze, about a tenth off his best time of 24.91 from last year.

Masiuk, 20, recently represented Poland at his first Olympic Games in Paris, placing 12th in the men’s 100 back (53.44) and 17th in the 200 back (1:58.01). He owns elite lifetime bests of 24.44 in the 50 back, 52.55 in the 100 back, and 1:56.48 in the 200 back.

Women’s 400 Freestyle — Final

• World Record: 3:54.18, Summer McIntosh (CAN) — 2025
• European Record: 3:59.15, Federica Pellegrini (ITA) — 2009

Podium:

1. Maya Werner (GER) – 4:07.89
2. Francisca Martins (POR) – 4:09.03
3. Minna Abraham (HUN) – 4:09.56

Breaking 4:10 didn’t guarantee a medal in the women’s 400 free final, with 4:09.56 taking bronze and Belgium’s Camille Henveaux just missing out in 4th with her 4:09.87.

Taking the win was Germany’s Maya Werner, who followed up her golden swim in yesterday’s 800 to double up on distance freestyle titles.

20-year-old Werner hit the touchpad in 4:07.89, clearing the field by over a second. Portugal’s Francisca Martins logged 4:09.03 for silver, while Minna Abraham, yesterday’s co-200 free gold medalist, nabbed the bronze.

Werner’s time was a far cry from her best of 4:06.04, set at the German Nationals last month, where she earned silver. However, after dropping over five seconds in yesterday’s 800, she still leaves the meet with multiple gold medals and a personal best. Her final event is the 200 back tomorrow; she is not entered in the 1500.

Martins’ best time is 4:08.68 from the 46th International Swim Meeting Ciutat De Barcelona last month, so she was within half a second of that mark. She turns 22 today, making her podium finish and medal a special way to celebrate.

Abrahams, 19, who swims for USC in the United States, was the lone podium swimmer to notch a personal best, cracking her previous 4:09.85 from Euro Juniors last summer.

Men’s 400 Freestyle — Final

• World Record: 3:39.96, Lukas Martens (GER) — 2025
• European Record: 3:39.96, Lukas Martens (GER) — 2025

Podium:

1. Petar Mitsin (BUL) – 3:46.66
2. Tyler Melbourne-Smith (GBR) – 3:48.69
3. Saso Boskan (SLO) – 3:49.26

Just like breaking 4:10 in the women’s 400 free didn’t guarantee a medal, breaking 3:50 didn’t in the men’s 400 either. As expected, Petar Mitsin of Bulgaria walked away with gold in 3:46.66, with Great Britain’s Tyler Melbourne-Smith taking silver in 3:48.69, and Slovenia’s Saso Boskan collecting bronze in 3:49.26.

Mitsin, the world junior record holder and Bulgarian national record holder with a 3:44.31 from the 2023 Euro Junior Championships, won silver and set a personal best in yesterday’s 200 free.

Melbourne-Smith narrowly missed his career best of 3:48.46, while Boskan broke 3:50 for the first time.

Germany’s Arne Schubert took it out the hardest, leading the race through the first 150 with splits of 25.63, 53.64, and 1:22.69. However, Mitsin took over at the 200 mark and never looked back. Schubert faded steadily, dropping to third at the 200 and eventually finishing 7th in 3:52.34.

Women’s 100 Backstroke — Final

• World Record: 57.13, Regan Smith (USA) — 2024
• European Record: 58.08, Kathleen Dawson (GBR) — 2021

Podium:

1. Adela Piskorska (POL) – 1:00.01
2. Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL) – 1:00.27
3. Bertille Cousson (FRA) – 1:00.90

Breaking 1:01 guaranteed a medal in the women’s 100 back, and Polish swimmer Adela Piskorska came incredibly close to breaking the one-minute barrier with her 1:00.01 for 1st.

Piskorska, who helped Poland win the mixed 4×100 medley relay less than 24 hours earlier, opened in 29.42 and closed in 30.59, posting near textbook splits. The 23-year-old still has her 59.76 best from 2023 to chase.

Roos Vanotterdijk made it double silver on the night and four individual medals so far this week with her 1:00.27 for second place. She’s been faster in her career, holding the Belgian national record at 58.97 from February. Vanotterdijk led Piskorska at the 50m mark with a 28.96 split but couldn’t hold on, closing the final 50 in 31.31.

Bertille Cousson, 22, rounded out the podium with a first-ever sub-1:01 swim, splitting 29.28 and 31.62 on her way to a 1:00.90 clocking.

Men’s 200 Breaststroke — Final

• World Record: 2:05.48, Qin Haiyang (CHN) — 2023
• European Record: 2:05.85, Leon Marchand (FRA) — 2024

Podium:

1. Luka Mladenovic (AUT) – 2:10.08
2. Eoin Corby (IRL) – 2:10.50
3. Maksym Ovchinnikov (UKR) – 2:10.77

Michigan commit Luka Mladenovic followed up his 50 breaststroke victory last night—where he scorched a 26.72 Austrian national record—with another gold in the 200 breast, clocking 2:10.08 to top a tightly packed field.

Ukraine’s Maksym Ovchinnikov led the race through the halfway point, hitting the wall 1st at both the 100 (1:02.13) and 150 turns, but faded over the final stretch. Ireland’s Eoin Corby, similar to Mladenovic, was out of medal position until the final 75. Both closed hard, with Mladenovic ultimately out-splitting the field down the stretch to take gold, Corby sneaking into second in 2:10.50, and Ovchinnikov settling for bronze in 2:10.77.

Corby, 23, matched his career best from 2021, while Ovchinnikov came close to his personal mark of 2:10.53 from February.

As for Mladenovic, his time clears the World Aquatics ‘A’ cut of 2:10.32, securing a spot at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore. He had already qualified in the 50 breast and now has a shot at sweeping the breaststroke events, with the 100 still to come. His lifetime best in the 100 stands at 59.94, just off the 59.75 standard.

The 20-year-old Austrian has been a force in the stroke since his breakout at the 2022 World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru, where he won the 100 breast, earned silver in the 200, and bronze in the 50. His swim tonight marked a sizeable drop from his previous 200 best of 2:11.79.

Women’s 200 Butterfly — Final

• World Record: 2:01.81, Liu Zige (CHN) — 2009
• European Record: 2:04.27, Katinka Hosszu (HUN) — 2009

Podium:

1. Georgia Damasioti (GRE) – 2:09.21
2. Lana Pudar (BIH) – 2:10.85
3. Laura Lahtinen (FIN) – 2:12.05

Another upset unfolded in the women’s 200 butterfly, as Greece’s Georgia Damasioti surged past Virginia commit and multiple-time World Junior champion Lana Pudar to claim gold in a new Greek national record of 2:09.21. Pudar, who owns a lifetime best of 2:06.26, had to settle for silver in 2:10.85, with Finland’s Laura Lahtinen rounding out the podium in 2:12.05.

Pudar took the race out quickly, leading at both the 50 (28.86) and 100 (1:01.55) marks, just ahead of Damasioti, who turned in 28.91 and 1:01.65, respectively. The tide began turning on the third 50, where Damasioti out-split Pudar 33.25 to 34.19, seizing the lead by nearly a full second at 150 turn. She closed in 34.31 to Pudar’s 35.11, pulling further ahead and sealing the win by 1.64 seconds.

Damasioti, 21, crushed her previous best of 2:09.55 from the Paris Olympics, where she finished 15th in the semifinals. Pudar, who placed 12th there in 2:08.74, couldn’t match her typical back-half pace. Lahtinen, 22, touched more than two seconds off her 2019 World Championships best of 2:10.39, but has focused primarily on the shorter 100 fly in recent years.

Men’s 200 Butterfly — Final

• World Record: 1:50.34, Kristof Milak (HUN) — 2022
• European Record: 1:50.34, Kristof Milak (HUN) — 2022

Podium:

1. Krzysztof Chmielewski (POL) – 1:54.91
2. Andrea Camozzi (ITA) – 1:56.04
3. Apostolos Siskos (GRE) – 1:57.23

In what was one of the most easily predicted gold medals before the meet began, 21-year-old Krzysztof Chmielewski, world champ silver medalist in 2023 and 4th-place finisher at the Paris Olympics, claimed the men’s 200 fly title with a commanding 1:54.91—winning by over a second. Chemielewski currents swims for the University of Southern California over in the United States, where he is guided by coach Lea Maurer.

Italy’s 19-year-old Andrea Camozzi smashed his personal best, clocking 1:56.04 to improve on his previous 1:57.21 set in April 2024.

Rising 200 backstroke star Apostolos Siskos, 20, currently ranked 2nd in the world after his blazing 1:54.66 last month and winner of that event yesterday, took bronze in the 200 fly with a 1:57.23—about eight tenths off his lifetime best of 1:56.42.

Krzysztof’s twin brother, Michał, was well off his best time of 1:54.64 from the Paris Games last summer, where he placed 9th. Tonight, he placed his hands on the wall 5th in 1:57.44.

Women’s 400 IM — Final

• World Record: 4:23.65, Summer McIntosh (CAN) — 2025
• European Record: 4:26.36, Katinka Hosszu (HUN) — 2016

Podium:

1. Justina Kozan (POL) – 4:41.57
2. Giada Alzetta (ITA) – 4:44.31
3. Eszter Szabo-Feltothy (HUN) – 4:47.23

After taking bronze in yesterday’s 200 free final, 2019 World Junior Champion Justina Kozan dominated the women’s 400 IM field in her first meet representing Poland, having previously swum for Team USA.

Kozan, who trains alongside the Chemielewski twins at USC, won the event by just under three seconds, touching in 4:41.57. She finished ahead of Italy’s Giada Alzetta (4:44.31) and Hungary’s Eszter Szabo-Feltothy (4:47.23).

Alzetta led at the 300-meter mark, but as usual, Kozan used her signature fast freestyle speed to pull away convincingly, closing with splits of 31.31 and 30.96 over the final 100.

Kozan’s best time is 4:40.57, set at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials prelims before finishing 8th in that final.

Alzetta marginally improved on her personal best of 4:44.68 from the European Junior Championships last July, where she ranked 4th.

Szabo-Feltothy’s best is 4:40.48 from the 2019 World Juniors, where she touched the wall 4th.

Men’s 400 IM — Final

• World Record: 4:02.50, Leon Marchand (FRA) — 2025
• European Record: 4:02.50, Leon Marchand (FRA) — 2025

Podium:

1. Cedric Buessing (GER) – 4:13.93
2. Charlie Hutchison (GBR) – 4:14.12
3. Dominik Torok (HUN) – 4:15.17

The men’s 400 IM was a tight race to close the penultimate night of competition.

Hungary’s Dominik Torok took an early lead through the first 100, setting a fast pace. But by halfway, Britain’s Charlie Hutchison edged ahead, taking the lead at the 150 and maintaining it at the 200.

Then, Italian Emanuele Potenza made a strong move during the breaststroke leg, rising from 5th to 1st by 250 and extending through the 300. Germany’s Cedric Buessing was quietly moving up too, climbing into 2nd by 300 after sitting 5th at the 100 turn and 3rd at the halfway mark.

In the freestyle leg, Bussing unleashed everything he had left, overtaking Potenza to take the lead. Hutchison, after dropping back during the breaststroke, pushed hard in the final stretch to finish just behind Bussing in 4:14.12, closing in 57.65 over the last 100 to Bussing’s 58.26. Torok held on for bronze (4:15.17), with Potenza settling for fourth (4:15.45).

Hutchison’s time is a new personal best, eclipsing his previous mark of 4:14.92. Bussing’s best remains 4:11.52 from the Paris Olympics prelims last summer, where he went on to nab 8th in the final. Torok’s lifetime best stands at 4:14.76 from last year’s European Championships, while Potenza shattered his old best of 4:17.34 from April’s Italian Championships.