2026 European Junior Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2026 EUROPEAN JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, July 7 – Sunday, July 12, 2026
• Munich, Germany
• LCM (50 meters)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2
  • Finals: Day 1

It is almost time for the 2nd finals session of the 2026 European Junior Championships, and if tonight is anything like night one, swimming fans are in for fast races tonight.

There were no records broken in prelims, but that doesn’t mean there is no chance for records this evening. There are a number of finals sessions as well as a few semifinals. There will be finals of the boys and girls 200 freestyle, girls and boys 50 backstroke, girls and boys 50 breaststroke, and boys 200 butterfly individually. The session will end with the mixed 4×100 freestyle relay.

We will also see the semifinals for the boys 200 IM and the girls 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly.

GIRLS 200 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 1:53.65, Summer McIntosh (2023)
• European Junior Record: 1:56.17, Nikolett Padar (HUN), 2023
• Championship Record: 1:57.51, Isabel Gose (2019)
• 2025 European Junior Champion: Bianca Nannucci (ITA), 1:58.41

Top 3 Finishers

Gold: Linda Roth (GER) — 1:57.79

Silver: Sofia Diakova (NA) — 1:58.32

Bronze: Bianca Nannucci (ITA) — 1:58.82

Germany’s Linda Roth won the girls 200 freestyle in a huge performance of 1:57.79, almost a second faster than last year’s winning time of 1:58.41 set back in 2025.

This swim was about two tenths off her lifetime best time of 1:57.52 from May of 2026 at the AP Race in London. She split 27.54/29.45/30.77/30.03, taking over the lead at the 100 mark after getting out in 2nd behind Lithuania’s Ieva Jurkunaite, who split 27.29 on the opening 50.

Sofia Diakova took 2nd, moving up from her 6th place position at the 50. She split 28.17/29.74/30.45/29.96 to stop the clock in 1:58.32, half-a-second ahead of Bianca Nannucci’s 1:58.82 in 2nd. This swim was a newl ifetime best for her, taking four tenths off the 1:58.73 she swam in June of 2024.

Bianca Nannucci took 3rd in 1:58.82, four tenths off the 1:58.41 she swam to win this meet last year. She split 28.08/29.77/30.58/30.39.

BOYS 200 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 1:42.97, David Popovici (2022)
• European Junior Record: 1:42.97, David Popovici (2022)
• Championship Record: 1:45.26, David Popovici (2021)
• 2025 European Junior Champion: Christian Giefing (AUT), 1:46.88

Top 3 Finishers

Gold: Ahmet Mete Boylu (TUR) — 1:45.68

Silver: Tajus Juska (LTU) — 1:45.83

Bronze: Bogdan Toropkin (NA) — 1:46.15

Ahmet Mete Boylu won the boys 200 freestyle in a massive personal best time of 1:45.68, coming in two tenths ahead of Lithuania’s Tajus Juska, and taking a second off his previous best of 1:46.53 from April of 2026.

Bolyu was out behind Juska through the first 100, splitting 24.56/26.57 to turn in 51.13, one tenth behind Juska’s 24.00/27.00 and 51.00 split.

Bolyu took over the lead on the 3rd 50, swimming 26.98/27.57 to Juska’s 27.78/27.05. Juska finished 2nd in 1:45.83. This was more than a second faster than his previous best of 1:47.03, which he swam at this meet last year.

Neutral Athlete Bogdan Toropkin finished 3rd in 1:46.15, seven tenths faster than the 1:46.85, he swam in April.

GIRLS 50 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 27.49, Minna Atherton (2016)
• European Junior Record: 27.51, Daria Vaskina (2019)
• Championship Record: 27.74, Mary-Ambre Moluh (2022)
• 2025 European Junior Champion: Blythe Kinsman (GER), 27.79

Top 3 Finishers

Gold: Daria Mariuca Silisteanu (ROU) — 27.94

Silver: Irene Ciercoles Galve (ESP) — 27.97

Bronze: Jeanne Lechevalier (FRA) — 28.07

The girls 50 backstroke saw Romania’s Daria Mariuca Silisteanu earn the overall win with her swim of 27.94 bringing her in three hundredths ahead of the rest of the field.

Silisteanu’s swim was a three tenth drop from her previous best of 28.26, which she swam at this meet last year.

Irene Ciercoles Galve, from Spain, finished 2nd in 27.97, as the only other swimmer under 28 seconds in the final. She added a tenth from her best of 27.86, which she set at the Mare Nostrum Tour in Monaco.

Jeanne Lechevalier finished 3rd in 28.07, two tenths off her best of 27.85, which she swam at the French Junior Championships.

BOYS 50 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 24.00, Kliment Kolesnikov (2018)
• European Junior Record: 24.00, Kliment Kolesnikov (2018)
• Championship Record: 24.52, Kliment Kolesnikov (2018)
• 2025 European Junior Champion: Georgii Iakovlev (AIN), 25.04

Top 3 Finishers

Gold: Grigorii Chernogaev (NA) — 24.84

Silver: Artsiom Yarmak (BLR) — 24.92

Bronze: Matvei Asheko (NA) — 25.08

Neutral Athlete Grigorii Chernogaev took the top spot and gold medal in the boys 50 backstroke at 24.84. This was a four tenth drop from the 25.28 he swam in Saint Petersburg in April.

Chernogaev finished a tenth ahead of the silver medalist Artsiom Yarmak, from Belarus, who stopped the clock in 24.92, seven hundredths faster than his previous bet of 24.99 from February.

The neutral athlete delegation picked up another medal in the event, courtesy of Matvei Asheko’s 25.08 in bronze medal position. He took a tenth off the 25.20 he swam in June.

GIRLS 100 BUTTERFLY – SEMIFINAL

• World Junior Record: 56.43, Claire Curzan (2021)
• European Junior Record: 56.46
• Championship Record: 56.95, Lana Pudar (BIH), 2023
• 2025 European Junior Champion: Martine Damborg (DEN), 58.30

Top 8 Qualifiers

1. Serafima Fokina (NA) — 58.85
2. Varvara Khvesiuk (NA) — 58.92
3. Caterina Santambrogio (ITA) — 59.00
4. Yara Fay Riefstahl (GER) — 59.10
5. Barbara Lesniewska (POL) — 59.44
6. Ana Nizharadze (GEO) — 59.51
7. Boroka Kertesz (HUN) — 59.63
8. Ferroudja Bettioui (FRA) — 1:00.08

Seven of the top eight swimmers in the girls 100 butterfly swam under 1:00 in the event. The Neutral Athlete delegation qualified the top two athletes with Serafima Fokina and Varvara Khvesiuk both swimming under 59 seconds.

Fokina stopped the clock in 58.85, three tenths off her best of 58.55 from April of 2025. He split 27.64/31.21 to pick up the top time in the event.

Khvesiuk qualified 2nd in 58.92, splitting 27.41/31.51 to drop six tenths from her previous best of 59.47, which she swam in April.

Caterina Sanambrogio qualified 3rd in 59.00, Yara Fay Riefstahl was 4th in 59.10, Barbara Lesniewska took 5th in 59.44, Ana Nizharadze swam 59.41 for 6th, Boroka Kertesz was 59.63 for 7th. Only Kertesz set a new best time, dropping from the 59.93 she swam in March of 2026.

Ferroudja Bettioui rounded out the ‘A’ final qualifiers, finishing 8th with a massive personal best of 1:00.08, a second faster than her previous best of 1:01.09.

BOYS 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – SEMIFINAL

• World Junior Record: 1:56.53, Yumeki Kojima (2026)
• European Junior Record: 1:56.99, Hubert Kos (2021)
• Championship Record: 1:59.04, Mikhail Shcherbakov (2025)
• 2025 European Junior Champion: Mikhail Shcherbakov (AIN), 1:59.04

Top 8 Qualifiers

1. Mikhail Shcherbakov (NA) — 1:57.07 **Championship Record
2. Emre Onus (TUR) — 1:59.92
3. Christian Giefing (AUT) — 2:00.70
4. Simon Laviolette (BEL) — 2:00.73
5. Daniel Ransom (GBR) — 2:01.18
6. Matei-Cristian State (ROU) — 2:02.46
7. Jose Enrique Rodriguez Ramirez (ESP) — 2:02.53
8. Ilia Iamshanov (NA) — 2:02.55

GIRLS 50 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 29.30, Benedetta Pilato (2021)
• European Junior Record: 29.30, Benedetta Pilato (2021)
• Championship Record: 29.75, Benedetta Pilato (2021)
• 2025 European Junior Champion: 31.16, Smilte Plytnykaite (LTU)

Top Three Finishers

Gold: Sofia Anufrieva (NA) — 30.88

Silver: Valeryia Shylko (BLR) — 31.38

Bronze: Gabrielle Beavers (GBR) — 31.54

BOYS 50 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 26.95, Jan Malte Graefe (GER), 2025
• European Junior Record: 26.95, Jan Malte Graefe (GER), 2025
• Championship Record: 27.18, Jan Foltyn (CZE)/Max Morgan (GBR), 2026
• 2025 European Junior Champion: 27.24, Nusrat Allahverdi (TUR)

GIRLS 50 FREESTYLE – SEMIFINAL

• World Junior Record: 24.17, Claire Curzan (2021)
• European Junior Record: 24.56, Sara Curtis (ITA), 2024
• Championship Record: 24.67, Sara Curtis (ITA), 2024
• 2025 European Junior Champion: Martine Damborg (DEN), 25.00

BOYS 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 1:53.79, Kristof Milak (2017)
• European Junior Record: 1:52.71, Kristof Milak (2018)
• Championship Record: 1:53.79, Kristof Milak (2017)
• 2025 European Junior Champion: 1:57.42, David Antal (HUN)

MIXED 4×100 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 3:25.92, United States (2019)
• European Junior Record: 3:27.35, Russia (2020)
• Championship Record: 3:27.69, Spain (2025)
• 2025 European Junior Champion: Spain, 3:27.69