2026 EUROPEAN JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, July 7 – Sunday, July 12, 2026
- Munich, Germany
- LCM (50 meters)
- Psych Sheet
- Live Results
- Recaps
For the second straight night, a Russian relay established a new World Junior Record at the European Junior Championships in Munich.
Officially competing under the Neutral Athletes banner, the Russian quartet of Egor Proshin (47.94), Mikhail Shcherbakov (48.37), Kseniia Sorokina (53.75) and Kira Manokhina (53.90) combined for a time of 3:23.96 in the mixed 4×100 freestyle relay, winning gold in decisive fashion and lowering the three-year-old World Junior Record.
The previous WJR stood at 3:24.29, set by the Australians at the 2023 World Junior Championships.
Split Comparison
| Australia, 2023 | Russia (NA), 2026 |
| Flynn Southam – 48.58 | Egor Proshin – 47.94 |
| Edward Sommerville – 48.54 | Mikhail Shcherbakov – 48.37 |
| Olivia Wunsch – 53.62 | Kseniia Sorokina – 53.75 |
| Milla Jansen – 53.55 | Kira Manokhina – 53.90 |
| 3:24.29 | 3:23.96 |
The key difference-maker for the Russian team on Wednesday was the lead-off leg from Proshin, as his blazing-fast 47.94 put them more than six-tenths under the WJR pace set by Flynn Southam in 2023.
Shcherbakov’s 48.37 split pushed them further under record pace, out-splitting Edward Sommerville by nearly two-tenths, and then the female legs gave up less than half a second (0.48) to Australia’s back half to take down the record by over three-tenths.
The Russian team also knocked nearly four seconds off the previous European Junior Championship Record of 3:27.69, set by Spain last year. The top four teams in the final were all under the previous record, with Great Britain (3:26.50) winning silver, Italy (3:26.97) snagging bronze and the Spaniards (3:27.51) taking 4th.
One night earlier, the Russian boys’ squad shattered the World Junior Record in the 4×100 free relay twice, ultimately clocking 3:12.75 in the final behind a 47.58 split from Proshin and a 47.60 anchor leg from Shcherbakov.
Proshin, who turned 18 yesterday, knocked three-quarters of a second off his previous 100 free best time of 48.69, set this past April. His 47.94 relay lead-off leg moves him up to #6 all-time among 18 and under Europeans.
