WATCH: Bianca Nannucci Split 29.55 on Final 50 of 200 Free to Move From 4th to 1st

2025 European Junior Championships

• Tuesday, July 1 – Sunday, July
• 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
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• Entries (by event)
• Entries (by country)
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• Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Italian swimmer Bianca Nannucci had an electric final 50 to win the girl’s 200 freestyle at the European Junior Championships yesterday, splitting 29.55 to move from 4th to 1st.

GIRLS 200 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Junior Record: 1:53.65, Summer McIntosh (2023)
• European Junior Record: 1:56.17, Nikolett Padar (HUN), 2023
• European Record: 1:52.98, Federica Pellegrini (2009)
• Championship Record: 1:57.51, Isabel Gose (2019)
• 2024 European Junior Champion: Minna Abraham (HUN), 1:57.52

GOLD – Bianca Nannucci (ITA), 1:58.41
SILVER – Maria Daza Garcia (ESP), 1:58.97
BRONZE – Sofia Diakova (AIN), 1:59.09

Nannucci stopped the clock in 1:58.41, more than half-a-second ahead of the rest of the field, but she didn’t lead for any part of the race until the final 50.

She actually started the race in 8th place after the first 100 meters, almost a second-and-a-half behind first place, splitting 58.63 with 28.62/30.01 50 splits. Sylvia Statkevicius was in 1st at this point, flipping in 57.29.

At this point, Nannucci began working her way through the seven swimmers ahead of her. Her 3rd 50 split was the fastest in the heat at 30.23 by exactly four tenths of a second. This moved her from 8th place into 4th, passing Barbara Lesniewska from Poland, Ieva Jurkunaite from Lithuania, Maria Daza Garcia from Spain, and Statkevicius.

Her final 50 was the real showstopper. Not only did she move from 4th into 1st, but she made up almost a full second on the leaders, blasting past the remaining three swimmers ahead of her. Nannucci split 29.55 coming home, her 2nd fastest 50 split of the race and the only swimmer in the heat under 30 seconds on the last 50.

Paul Griffin posted the full race video on X. Nannucci is four lanes from the top in the purple suit.

European Junior Championships – 200 free

Bianca Nannucci – 1:58.41 pic.twitter.com/0Lu5h83Vm5

— Paul Griffin (@PGriffinFC) July 2, 2025

This race strategy worked out in her favor, and is how she seems to race all of her 200s. She was the top seed out of the semifinals, swimming 1:59.14 with a very similar pacing. She spilt 28.39/30.20/30.54/30.01, starting off a little faster and coming home a little slower than her finals race.

Her swim was just off her personal best that she went in June at the Sette Colli Trophy of 1:58.35 to win the bronze medal. There she split 28.31/30.01/30.29/29.74 to become the 8th fastest Italian in history and the fastest this season.

Italy All-Time 200 Freestyle Rankings

1. Federica Pellegrini- 1:52.98 (2009)
2. Alice Mizzau- 1:57.37 (2015)
3. Sofia Morini- 1:57.81 (2024)
4. Chiara Masini Luccetti- 1:57.86 (2015)
5. Stefania Pirozzi- 1:58.18 (2014)
6. Giulia D’Innocenzo- 1:58.23 (2023)
7. Fabiola Spagnolo Renata- 1:58.31 (2008)
8. Bianca Nannucci– 1:58.35 (2025)

Nannucci only moved to Italy after the summer of 2023, after she grew up in North Carolina due to her dad’s job. When she first moved she trained with Stefano Morini, the former coach of Italian distance swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri, but she switched training bases and currently swims for Rari Nantes Florentia where she is coached by Lorenzo Palagi, one of the junior national team coaches this summer.

She will be coming back to the United States in the fall of 2026, having committed to swim at Virginia Tech.

In her post-race interview posted on X by European Aquatics, Nannucci touched on her back half speed and how she is confident in her race strategy

“For me it’s sometimes difficult to not want to start with the others…but I’ve learned with time and doing a million of these 200s exactly what I need to do, so I am pretty confident with my race. I felt amazing, the last 50 is always my favorite because I really feel my speed coming up.”

🇮🇹 Bianca Nannucci stuck to her game plan and bagged a well deserved gold in the 200 Free. #EuropeanAquatics #Swimming pic.twitter.com/XnThNEqOkX

— European Aquatics (@EuroAquatics) July 2, 2025

Nannucci was also a member of Italy’s European Junior Record 4×200 freestyle relay team, splitting 1:59.65 in the 2nd position.

She has one event remaining this week, the 400 freestyle, which will swim on Sunday.