2026 Bergen Swim Festival: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2026 Bergen Swim Festival

• Friday, April 17th – Sunday, April 19th
• Prelims at 9:00am local (3:00am ET)/Finals at 6pm local (Noon ET)
• Bergen, Norway
• Alexander Dale Oen (AdO) Arena, Bergen (50m Olympic pool)
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  • Day 1

Night two of the 2026 Bergen Swim Festival kicks off tonight from the Alexander Dale Oen Arena in Bergen, Norway.

For several American swimmers, the meet serves as mid-season preparation, whether that’s tuning up for the Pan Pacific Championships or getting some racing in ahead of Summer Nationals. Across Europe, it draws a mix of established internationals and rising names, and carries added selection weight for nations such as Germany, which will use results from a series of meets this month to determine their European Championships roster.

Tonight’s session features the women’s 100 freestyle, men’s 200 freestyle, women’s 800 freestyle, men’s 200 breaststroke, women’s 200 IM, men’s 100 backstroke, women’s 100 butterfly, men’s 400 IM, women’s 200 backstroke, men’s 1500 freestyle, women’s 50 breaststroke, and men’s 50 butterfly.

Stay tuned for live updates.

Women’s 100m Freestyle – Final

• World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2017
• European Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2017

GOLD – Marrit Steenbergen (Netherlands), 52.33
SILVER – Siobhan Haughey (Hong Kong), 52.40
BRONZE – Barbora Janickova (Czechia), 53.90

We knew this race would be a showdown between the two-time Olympic medalist and the two-time reigning world champion, and it delivered, producing the two fastest times in the world so far this season.

Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, a medalist at each of the last two Olympic Games, got out fast, leading the Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen 25.31 to 25.49 at the halfway mark.

Steenbergen stormed back over the final 50, closing in 26.84 to Haughey’s 27.09 to run her down over the last 10 meters and touch first, 52.33 to 52.40.

Czechia’s Barbora Janickova held a clear third place for the entire of the race; she split 26.00/27.90 en route to 53.90, the only other swimmer in the field under 55 seconds.

In terms of season bests, Haughey lowered her previous mark of 52.77 from February’s Dubai Open, Steenbergen crushed the 52.93 she swam at the Giant Open last month, and Janickova beat out her 54.90 from prelims.

Steenbergen’s swim ranks as the second-fastest of her career, just off her lifetime best of 52.26 from the 2024 World Championships.

Haughey’s PB and Asian Record is the 52.02 she swam at the 2023 World Cup stop in Berlin. That swim still ranks her as the #3 performer in event history.

Janickova just three tenths shy of her career-best 53.60 from the 2025 World Championships.

It’s Steenbergen’s second win of the meet after clocking a near season-best 27.75 to win yesterday’s 50m back. Haughey won the 200m free yesterday in 1:54.31, the third-fastest time worldwide in 2026.

Men’s 200m Freestyle – Final

• World Record: 1:42.00 – Paul Biedermann (GER), 2009
• European Record: 1:42.00 – Paul Biedermann (GER), 2009

GOLD – Lukas Maertens (Germany), 1:45.67
SILVER – Robin Hanson (Sweden), 1:46.41
BRONZE – Ludvig Bartolek (Sweden), 1:48.84

Germany’s Lukas Maertens led the men’s 200m free from start to finish, though he was pushed through the opening 100m.

Maertens split 24.67/26.96 (51.63)/27.21 (1:18.84)/26.83 to take the win in 1:45.67, finishing nearly a full second ahead of Sweden’s Robin Hanson (1:46.41) and his teammate Ludvig Bartolek (1:48.84). The trio were the only swimmers in the field to break 1:50.

Hanson and Bartolek both stayed in contention through the first half, with Hanson splitting 24.80/27.01 to turn in 51.81, while Bartolek was just behind after opening in 24.75 and splitting 27.26 on the second 50.

Bartolek began to fall back on the third 50, splitting 28.03, while Hanson held within striking distance of Maertens with a 27.55 split.

Over the final 50, Hanson closed in 27.05, while Bartolek faded with a 28.80.

Maertens’ time ranks him #10 in the world this season in his first meet swimming the race in nearly a year. It marks his second win of the meet after setting a German record of 1:55.85 en route to victory in the 200m back.

His lifetime best remains the 1:44.25 he posted at last May’s German National Championships.

Hanson’s swim marks a breakthrough, shaving nine-hundredths off his previous best of 1:46.50 from the 2021 European Championships.

Bartolek finished just under a second shy of his personal (and season) best of 1:47.91 from last week’s Stockholm Open.

Women’s 800m Freestyle – Final

• World Record: 8:04.12 – Katie Ledecky (USA), 2025
• European Record: 8:12.81 – Simona Quadarella (ITA), 2025

GOLD – Bea Hovda (Norway), 8:42.86
SILVER – Maelle Large (France), 9:01.21
BRONZE – Valentine Leclercq (France), 9:03.31

Norway’s Bea Hovda dominated the women’s 800m freestyle, winning by nearly 20 seconds with the only sub-9:00 performance of the day.

Hovda touched in 8:42.86 to take gold ahead of French teammates Maelle Large (9:01.21) and Valentine Leclercq (9:03.31).

Hovda obliterated her previous best of 8:49.26 from January’s Luxembourg Euro Meet, while Large sliced just over a second off her prior PB of 9:02.33 from the 2024 French Junior Championships.

In her first 800 free of 2026, Leclercq was about 24 seconds off her lifetime best of 8:39.89 from the 2023 European Junior Championships.

Men’s 200m Breaststroke – Final

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

GOLD – Matti Mattsson (Finland), 2:12.11
SILVER – Adam Chillingworth (Hong Kong), 2:12.14
BRONZE – Josh Matheny (United States), 2:13.46

Finland’s Matti Mattsson took control of the men’s 200m breast early, opening in 29.59 before splitting 33.18 on the second 50 to lead by nearly a full second at the halfway mark.

Team USA’s Josh Matheny and Hong Kong’s Adam Chillingworth were nearly even at the 100, turning in 1:03.60 and 1:03.69.

Mattsson extended his lead at the 150, turning in 1:36.79 on the back of a 34.02 split, with Chillingworth (34.23) and Matheny (34.82) splitting sub-35s to keep themselves in the race.

Chillingworth surged home in 34.22 while Mattsson tightened up, ultimately closing in 35.32, but was able to hold on for the win by three one-hundredths, 2:12.11 to 2:12.14.

Matheny closed in 35.04 for a final time of 2:13.49, a second and a half ahead of the rest of the field.

Matheny was about three seconds off his season best of 2:10.71 from last month’s Pro Swim Series stop in Westmont, while both Mattsson and Chillingworth bettered their season-best times from the Stockholm Open.

Matheny, a fixture for Team USA in this event internationally over the past three years, owns a lifetime best of 2:08.32 from the 2023 U.S. World Championship Trials.

Chillingworth’s best time remains the 2:11.16 he recorded at the 2024 Pro Swim Series in San Antonio.

Mattsson, the 2013 World Championships bronze medalist and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, owns a PB of 2:07.13 from the Tokyo Games.

Women’s 200m IM – Final

• World Record: 2:05.70 – Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2025
• European Record: 2:06.12 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2015

GOLD – Marrit Steenbergen (Netherlands), 2:11.60
SILVER – Hanna Bergman (Sweden), 2:14.61
BRONZE – Anastasia Urbaniak (France), 2:18.19

The women’s 200 IM was a clear-cut affair, with Marrit Steenbergen picking up her second victory within the hour.

She dominated from start to finish, splitting 28.13/34.27/38.72/30.48 en route to a winning time of 2:11.60, just over three seconds clear of Sweden’s Hannah Bergman (2:14.61), who herself finished more than three and a half seconds ahead of France’s Anastasia Urbaniak (2:18.19).

It marks Steenbergen’s first 200 IM of the season, with the swim placing her #20 in the world so far this year. Her personal best remains the 2:08.86 she swam at a local meet in April 2024.

Bergman’s swim was a new season best and less than a second off her lifetime best of 2:13.62 from the 2024 Danish Open.

Urbaniak knocked four seconds off her season best and finished about a second and a half shy of her lifetime best of 2:16.68 from the 2023 Championnats de France Élite.

Men’s 100m Backstroke – Final

• World Record: 51.60 – Thomas Ceccon (ITA), 2022
• European Record: 51.60 – Thomas Ceccon (ITA), 2022

GOLD – Luke Barr (United States), 54.69
SILVER – Oskar Erklev (Norway), 57.14
BRONZE – Ivan Kevic (Norway), 57.46

The men’s 100m back was a demolition act, with the United States’ Luke Barr, a rare backstroke/breaststroke combo swimmer, winning by two and a half seconds over the Norwegian duo of Oskar Erklev and Ivan Kevic.

Barr led from the very first stroke and never relinquished control, splitting 26.40 on the opening 50 before closing in 28.29 for a winning time of 54.69.

Erklev was fourth at the 50, turning in 27.98, but produced the second-fastest closing split in the field (29.16) to grab silver in 57.14.

Kevic was third at the turn in 27.66 but closed in 29.80 to edge out fellow Norwegian Johan Instebo, who had been second at the 50 in 27.62, for the final podium position.

Barr’s swim obliterated his previous best of 55.81 from the 2023 Ohio State Invitational.

Erklev narrowly missed his personal (and season) best of 56.69 from the Stockholm Open.

Kevic improved on his 57.78 best from this morning’s preliminary session.

Women’s 100m Butterfly – Final

• World Record: 54.60 – Gretchen Walsh (USA), 2025
• European Record: 55.48 – Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2016

GOLD – Louise Hansson (Sweden), 57.63
SILVER – Sara Junevik (Sweden), 59.02
BRONZE – Marthe Cecilie Willumsen (Norway), 1:00.39

For the first half of the women’s 100m fly, it looked as if a major upset was in play, as heavy favorite Louise Hansson was out in an uncharacteristically slow 28.12 through the opening 50m, with countrywoman Sara Junevik nearly a full second ahead after turning in 27.08.

Hansson, however, threw down a massive 29.51 on the final 50 to Junevik’s 31.94 to seal the win, touching in 57.63 as the only sub-58 performance of the race.

Junevik held on for silver in 59.02, while Norway’s Marthe Cecilie Willumsen (1:00.39) and Sandra Maria Balto (1:00.46) battled for bronze.

Both Norwegian swimmers turned in line with Hansson, splitting 27.97 and 27.95, but Willumsen was stronger on the back half, closing in 32.42 to Balto’s 32.49 to claim the final podium position.

Hansson was just off her 57.50 season best from the Stockholm Open, while her lifetime best remains the 56.22 she swam at the Tokyo 2020 (1) Olympic Games.

Junevik dipped under her 59.25 season best from last week; her lifetime best is the 58.04 she produced at the 2024 European Championships.

Willumsen recorded her personal (and season) best of 1:00.06 last weekend.

Men’s 400m IM – Final

• World Record: 4:02.50 – Leon Marchand (FRA), 2023
• European Record: 4:02.50 – Leon Marchand (FRA), 2023

GOLD – Michal Judickij (Czechia), 4:19.48
SILVER – Jakub Bursa (Czechia), 4:20.09
BRONZE – Thomas Jansen (Netherlands), 4:25.58

Czechia teammates Michal Judickij and Jakub Bursa had a hard-fought battle in the men’s 400m IM.

Bursa got out quickly through the fly, hitting the 100m turn in 58.42 to Judickij’s 1:00.26, before Judickij made his move on the backstroke to take a narrow lead at the 200, 2:06.71 to 2:06.86.

Judickij’s breaststroke proved slightly stronger than Bursa’s, extending his advantage to nearly a full second at the 300m mark, 3:18.57 to 3:19.40. Bursa closed the gap slightly on free, but it wasn’t enough, as Judickij held on to win in a sole sub-4:20 time of 4:19.48, with Bursa settling for silver in 4:20.09.

The Netherlands’ Thomas Jansen (4:25.58) was the only other swimmer under 4:30.

All three swimmers registered new season bests.

Judickij’s personal best is 4:18.06, set at the Velká cena Pardubic meet in April of last year, while Bursa’s lifetime best is 4:15.35, also from that same competition.

Jansen’s best time remains the 4:14.19 he swam at last year’s World Championships.

Women’s 200m Backstroke – Final

• World Record: 2:03.14 – Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2023
• European Record: 2:04.94 – Anastasia Fesikova (RUS), 2009

GOLD – Anna Peplowski (United States), 2:08.96
SILVER – Manon Domingeon (France), 2:14.02
BRONZE – Elise Oberg (Sweden), 2:14.53

American Anna Peplowski took control of the women’s 200m back from the jump, and ultimately won the race by just over five seconds ahead of France’s Manon Domingeon (2:14.02) and Sweden’s Elise Oberg (2:14.53).

Peplowski split 30.13/32.27/33.07/33.49 by 50s en route to gold.

Domingeon held a comfortable second place at the 50, opening in 31.21 to Oberg’s 31.98, but Oberg produced a strong middle 100 to take control. Oberg split 33.68/34.40 on the middle two 50s and moved ahead of Domingeon by 0.06 at the 150 mark.

Domingeon recorded splits of 34.05/34.86 in the middle 100 but had more left in reserve, sprinting home in 33.90 to Oberg’s 34.47 to snag silver.

Peplowski was a mere six one-hundredths off her personal best time of 2:08.90 from last month’s Westmont Pro Swim Series. That PB ranks her 12th in the current world standings.

Domingeon sliced over three seconds off her season best, while her PB remains the 2:12.61 she clocked at the 2024 Stockholm Open.

Oberg improved her previous career-best 2:15.65, set in prelims.

Men’s 1500m Freestyle – Final

• World Record: 14:30.67 – Robert Finke (USA), 2024
• European Record: 14:32.80 – Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA), 2022

GOLD – Henrik Christiansen (Norway), 15:21.85
SILVER – Victor Sandrup (Sweden), 15:31.31
BRONZE – Tobias Moen Olsen (Norway), 15:32.41

It was déjà vu in the men’s 1500 free, as the podium mirrored last night’s 800m free.

As expected, Norway’s Henrik Christiansen was the class of the field. He led from start to finish, ultimately winning by nearly ten seconds in 15:21.85.

Sweden’s Victor Sandrup and Norway’s Tobias Moen Olsen swam stroke-for-stroke for much of the race, but Sandrup had more left in the tank over the final 200m to edge away for silver in 15:31.31 to 15:32.41.

Christiansen’s swim was his first of the 1500m in the 2025–26 season, with his lifetime best remaining the 14:45.35 he posted at the 2019 World Championships.

Sandrup sliced two-tenths off his previous best of 15:31.55 from the Stockholm Open, while Olsen dropped over seven seconds from his prior mark of 15:39.71, set at the same meet.

Women’s 50m Breaststroke – Final

• World Record: 29.16 – Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2023
• European Record: 29.16 – Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2023

GOLD – Siobhan Haughey (Hong Kong), 30.78
SILVER – Olivia Klint Ipsa (Sweden), 31.17
BRONZE – Alma Thaysen (Denmark), 32.11

Siobhan Haughey doubled back after her runner-up swim in the 100 free to grab her second gold medal of the meet, this time in the 50m breast.

Haughey ripped a time of 30.78 as the only swimmer to dip under 31-seconds, with Sweden’s Olivia Klint Ipsa the only other swimmer to break 32 with a time of 31.17.

Denmark’s Alma Thaysen (32.11) topped a group of six 32-point swims to snag the bronze.

Haughey’s time tonight is just three tnethsh shy of her season-best 30.46 from the Stockholm Open, a time that ranks her 10th in the world rankings.

Klint Ipsa’s result undercut her season best of 31.27 from last week, and puts her closer to her best time of 30.84 from the 2025 edition of the Stockholm Open.

Thaysen’s 32.11 checks in as a season best was been as swift as 31.67 in her career,

Men’s 50m Butterfly – Final

• World Record: 22.27 – Andrii Govorov (UKR), 2018
• European Record: 22.27 – Andrii Govorov (UKR), 2018

GOLD – Van Mathias (United States), 22.99
SILVER – Dare Rose (United States), 23.16
BRONZE – Mikkel Lee (Singapore), 23.19

The United States’ Van Mathias continued his sensational meet with another personal best time in the men’s 50m fly.

Mathias charged to the win in 22.99, the only time under 23, with American teammate Dare Rose (23.16) second and Indiana training partner Mikkel Lee (23.19) of Singapore third.

Mathias’ former best time was the 23.06 he clocked at the Pro Swim Series in Austin in January. His time moves him from #12 to #6 in the 2025-26 world standings.

Rose cut one one-hundredth off his season best from the U.S. Open in December, while his personal best remains the 22.79 he swam in the semifinals at the 2023 World Championships.

Lee’s swim blew away his previous PB of 23.42 from the 2023 Singaporean Nationals.