2025 European Short Course Championships: Day One Prelims Live Recap

2025 EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• December 2-7, 2025
• Prelims at 10am local (4am ET)/Finals at 7pm local (1pm ET)
• Lublin, Poland
• SCM (25 meters)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Livestream

We’re about to see the day one prelims of the 2025 European Short Course Championships transpire from Lublin, Poland.

This morning will see the likes of German Isabel Gose, Italian Simona Quadarella and British Olympian Freya Colbert lock horns in the women’s 400m free.

The men’s 400m free field includes top guns to the tune of British Olympic champion Duncan Scott, meet record holder Danas Rapsys of Lithuania and German Olympic gold medalist Lukas Märtens.

We’ll also see the 50m fly heats, 100m breast heats and 200m back heats along with the prelims of the women’s and men’s 4x50m free relay.

That means French fly ace Beryl Gastaldello will be battling rising Dutch star Tessa Giele and the men’s 50m fly will feature world record holder Noe Ponti going against his French World Championships foe Maxime Grousset.

A domestic duel between Caspar Corbeau and Arno Kamminga is set to arise in the 100m breast for the men and British dynamo Angharad Evans will be seeking her first individual medal in the women’s race.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – HEATS

• WR: 3:50.25 – Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2024
• WJR: 3:50.25 – Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2024
• ER: 3:54.52 – Mireia Belmonte (ESP), 2013
• EJR: 3:58.91 – Isabel Gose (GER), 2019
• CR: 3:54.85 – Camille Muffat (FRA), 2012

Top 8:

1. Isabel Gose (GER) – 3:56.90
2. Simona Quadarella (ITA) – 4:00.25
3. Freya Colbert (GBR) – 4:01.78
4. Maya Werner (GER) – 4:02.04
5. Minna Abraham (HUN) – 4:02.85
6. Anna Chiara Mascolo (ITA) – 4:02.87
7. Nikolett Padar (HUN) – 4:03.39
8. Imani De Jong (NED) – 4:03.97

One had to dip under the 4:04 threshold in order to make tonight’s women’s 400m freestyle final, with Germany’s Isabel Gose easily setting herself apart from the pack.

The 23-year-old Paris bronze medalist established herself as the woman to beat, putting up a super-solid morning swim of 3:56.90.

That effort already overtook the 3:59.50 Italy’s Simona Quadarella logged for gold in this event at the 2023 edition of the European Short Course Championships. It also falls only .04 shy of Gose’s best-ever performance of 3:56.80, the national record she produced for 6th place at last year’s Short Course World Championships.

Fellow Olympic medalist Quadarella will flank Gose in the main event, hitting 4:00.25 as the 2nd seed. Great Britain’s Freya Colbert will be on the other side, courtesy of her AM effort of 4:01.78.

Colbert has been as fast as 3:58.46 in her career, a time she registered just this past October at the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup stop in Toronto.

Gose’s teammate Maya Werner is also in the hunt, reaching the 4th seed in 4:02.04, a new personal best by well over a second.

Of note, the 2023 silver medalist Anastasia Kirpichnikova of France was not among this morning’s field and the bronze medalist, Sarah Dumont of Belgium, missed the final. Dumont placed 12th in 4:05.18 in the heats.

MEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – HEATS

• WR: 3:32.25 – Yannick Agnel (FRA), 2012
• WJR: 3:37.92 – Matt Sates (RSA), 2021
• ER: 3:32.25 – Yannick Agnel (FRA), 2012
• EJR: 3:36.57 – Grigorii Vekovishchev (RUS), 2025
• CR: 3:33.20 – Danas Rapsys (LTU), 2019

Top 8:

1. Daniel Wiffen (IRL) – 3:37.04
2. Jack McMillan (GBR) – 3:37.57
3. Victor Johansson (SWE) – 3:37.73
4. Zalan Sarkany (HUN) – 3;38.07
5. Krzysztof Chmielewski (POL) – 3:38.27
6. Johannes Liebmann (GER) – 3:38.29
7. Lukas Märtens (GER) – 3:38.38
8. Duncan Scott (GBR) – 3:38.43

Several big names missed out on making the top 8 of the men’s 400m free, including the silver and bronze medalists from the 2023 European Short Course Championships – Danas Rapsys of Lithuania and Lucas Henveaux of Belgium.

Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen of Ireland leads the pack after a swift morning swim of 3:37.04, a time that would have garnered him the silver 2 years ago. Wiffen is the defending gold medalist in this event, having notched a national record of 3:35.47 in Romania.

British ace Jack McMillan, a member of GBR’s gold medal-winning 4x200m free relay in Paris, was just over half a second behind in 3:37.57. That’s a big-time personal best for the 25-year-old, heftily erasing his former PB of 3:41.86 from last year. He’s now the 4th-fastest British performer of all time.

Sweden’s Victor Johansson established a new national record en route to capturing the 3rd seed. His effort of 3:37.73 dropped his former standard down from the 3:39.35 notched in 2017.

Zalan Sarkany of Hungary is very much in the mix, as is Krzysztof Chmielewski of Poland.

The reigning Olympic champion in the long course edition of this 400 free, Lukas Märtens squeaked into the final in the 7th position and Duncan Scott of Great Britain eked out 8th place.

Ahead of them, however, is an up-and-comer in Germany’s Johannes Liebmann. The 18-year-old obliterated his former fastest-ever time of 3:46.03 from a year ago, turning in a speedy 3:38.29.

He made it to the final, while his teammate, Oliver Klemet, was well back in 23rd place.

WOMEN’S 50 FLY – HEATS

• WR: 23.72 – Gretchen Walsh (USA), 2025
• WJR: 24.55 – Claire Curzan (USA), 2021
• ER: 24.38 – Therese Alshammar (SWE), 2009
• EJR: 25.21 – Martine Damborg (DEN), 2024
• CR: 24.50 – Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2021

Top 16:

1. Louise Hansson (SWE) – 25.17
2. Martine Damborg (DEN) – 25.20 *European Junior Record & Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL) – 25.20
3. –
4. Silvia Di Pietro (ITA) – 25.23
5. Naza Klancar (SLO) – 25.29
6. Sara Curtis (ITA) – 25.39
7. Maaike de Waard (NED) – 25.40
8. Sara Köhler (GER) – 25.42
9. Beryl Gataldello (FRA) – 25.44
10. Anna Ntountounaki (GRE) – 25.54
11. Laura Lahtinen (FIN) – 25.55
12. Julie Kepp Jensen (DEN) – 25.66 & Eva Okaro (GBR) – 25.66
13. –
14. Tamara Potocka (SVK) – 25.68
15. Tessa Giele (NED) – 25.69 & Kornelia Fiedkiewicz (POL) – 25.69
16. –

The heats of the women’s 50m fly weren’t short on tenacity as we saw the European Junior record and three national records bite the dust this morning.

Sweden’s Louise Hansson scored the top spot with a feisty 25.17 to tie her career-swiftest performance from 3 years ago.

That gives her a slight advantage over 18-year-old Martine Damborg of Denmark and Roos Vanotterdijk of Belgium who touched simultaneously to share 2nd seed honors in 25.20.

As for Damborg, her result shaved .01 off her own EJR of 25.21 put on the books in 2024. Vanotterdijk’s outing overtook her previous PB and Belgian national record of 25.32 put up at the 2024 Danish Championships.

Slovenian Naza Klancar reaped the 5th seed in 25.29, dropping significant time from her former national benchmark of 25.54, while Tamara Potocka claimed the 14th seed in the same Slovak standard of 25.68 she established last year.

Additional finalists include Italians Silvia Di Pietro and Sara Curtis, Dutch racer Maaike de Waard and 2024 100m fly world champion Angelina Köhler of Germany.

MEN’S 50 FLY – HEATS

• WR: 21.32 – Noe Ponti (SUI), 2024
• WJR: 22.28 – Ilya Kharun (CAN), 2022
• ER: 21.32 – Noe Ponti (SUI), 2024
• EJR: 22.34 – Andrei Minakov (RUS), 2020
• CR: 21.75 – Szebasztian Szabo (HUN), 2021

Top 16:

1. Noe Ponti (SUI) – 21.86
2. Denis-Laurean Popescu (ROU) – 22.19
3. Szebasztian Szabo (HUN) – 22.25
4. Maxime Grousset (FRA) – 22.32
5. Simone Stefani (ITA) – 22.38
6. Daniel Zaitsev (EST) – 22.41
7. Simon Bucher (AUT) – 22.53
8. Michele Busa (ITA) – 22.55
9. Sean Niewold (NED) – 22.69 & Lukas Edl (AUT) – 22.69
10. –
11. Rasmus Nickelsen (DEN) – 22.74
12. Daniel Gracik (CZE) – 22.80
13. Meiker Rosengren (SWE) – 22.82
14. Maurice Grabowski (GER) – 22.83
15. Marcin Cieslak (POL)/Meiron Cheruti (ISR)/Nikola Miljenic (CRO)/Ondrej Slavik (CZE) – 22.84

The usual suspects floated to the top of the men’s 50m fly heap, led by world record holder Noe Ponti.

Olympic medalist Ponti of Switzerland crushed a morning time of 21.86 to represent the sole performance of the pack under the 22-second barrier. He earned gold at both the 2023 edition of this competition and last year’s Short Course World Championships.

Reigning long course world champion, 26-year-old Maxime Grousset of France settled for the 4th seed in 22.32 behind Denis-Laurean Popescu of Romania and former world record holder Szebasztian Szabo of Hungary. The former clocked 22.19 for a huge new national record by over half a second, while the latter earned the 3rd seed in 22.25.

Of note, Italy’s Francesco Lazzari placed 9th in 22.65; however, only two swimmers per nation are allowed to advance to the next round.

Additionally, we remarkably saw a 4-way tie among Marcin Cieslak of Poland, Meiron Cheruti of Israel, Nicola Miljenic of Croatia and Ondrej Slavik of the Czech Republic. We’ll see what happens in the swim-off to claim the last two slots for tonight’s semi-finals.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST – HEATS

• WR: 1:02.36 – Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2013 & Alia Atkinson (JAM), 2014/2016
• WJR: 1:02.36 – Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2013
• ER: 1:02.36 – Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2013
• EJR: 1:02.36 – Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2013
• CR: 1:02.92 – Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2013

Top 16:

1. Eneli Jefimova (EST) – 1:03.44
2. Anna Elendt (GER) – 1:04.22
3. Florine Gaspard (BEL) – 1:04.70
4. Dominika Sztandera (POL) – 1:04.74
5. Angharad Evans (GBR) – 1:04.75
6. Kotryna Teterevkova (LTU) – 1:04.98
7. Sophie Hansson (SWE) – 1:05.13
8. Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR) – 1:05.24
9. Irene Burato (ITA) – 1:05.54 & Ellie McCartney (IRL) – 1:05.54
10. –
11. Barbara Mazurkiewicz (POL) – 1:05.58
12. Henrietta Fanli (HUN) – 1:05.60
13. Clara Rybak-Andersen (DEN) – 1:05.81
14. Smilte Plytnykaite (LTU) – 1:05.85
15. Olivia Klint Ipsa (SWE) – 1:05.93
16. Veer Kivirinta (FIN) – 1:05.96

18-year-old Eneli Jefimova led a slew of national record holders who surged to the front of the women’s 100m breaststroke heats.

Jefimova scorched a time of 1:03.44 to fall just shy of her best-ever 1:03.21 from winning this event two years ago in Poland.

She’ll be chased by Germany’s Anna Elendt, whose morning effort of 1:04.22 was within striking distance of the 1:03.83 national standard she established just last month.

Belgium’s Florine Gaspard was also less than half a second off her lifetime best and national record en route to capturing the 3rd seed. She’s been as quick as 1:04.30 and put up 1:04.70 this morning.

Lurking as the 5th-seeded swimmer is Great Britain’s Angharad Evans, the 7th-place finisher in this event at last year’s Short Course World Championships. She owns a lifetime best of 1:03.45 so look for her to keep lowering her results as the next two rounds unfold.

MEN’S 100 BREAST – HEATS

• WR: 55.28 – Ilya Shymanovich (BLR), 2021
• WJR: 56.66 – Simone Cerasuolo (ITA), 2021
• ER: 55.28 – Ilya Shymanovich (BLR), 2021
• EJR: 56.66 – Simone Cerasuolo (ITA), 2021
• CR: 55.45 – Ilya Shymanovich (BLR), 2021

Top 16:

1. Caspar Corbeau (NED) – 55.54
2. Simone Cerasuolo (ITA) – 56.21
3. Carles Coll Marti (ESP) – 56.28
4. Luka Mladenovic (AUT) – 56.96
5. Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) – 57.08
6. Melvin Imoudu (GER) – 57.08
7. Koen de Groot (NED) – 57.23
8. Jan Kolusowski (POL) – 57.29
9. Lucas Matzerath (GER) – 57.48
10. Jeremie Delbois (FRA) – 57.50 & Filip Nowacki (GBR) – 57.50
11. –
12. Emre Sakci (TUR) – 57.54
13. Jonas Gaur (DEN) – 57.57
14. Eudaid Tarrats Vilaro (ESP) – 57.58
15. Valentin Bayer (AUT) – 57.75
16. Matej Zabojnik (CZE) -57.77

Newly minted world record holder in the 200m breaststroke, Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands, went scorched Earth in his heat of the 100m breast sprint this morning.

24-year-old Corbeau ripped a monster time of 55.54 to lead the field by well over half a second en route to establishing a new Dutch national record.

Corbeau had set the Dutch benchmark at 55.55 just last October during the World Cup, so the former Texas Longhorn managed to shave .01 off that result to check in with the new PB.

Splits for Corbeau here included 11.72/14.36/14.59/14.87 to become the man to beat.

Corbeau was the Olympic bronze medalist in the 200m breast last year in Paris. Before that, at the 2023 European Short Course Championships, he also reaped bronze in this 100m breast event.

Italy’s Simone Cerasuolo was next to the wall in 56.21, a new lifetime best by .07, while Spain’s Carels Coll Marti clocked a new national record of 56.28 to capture the 3rd seed.

Entering this competition, Marti’s former record stood at the 56.67 from the semi-finals of last year’s Short Course World Championships so he dropped significantly to hold an advantage over the likes of Nicolo Martinenghi.

Olympic champion Martinenghi of Italy notched 57.08, well off his PB of 55.63 from 2021, but still very much in the thick of things at this early stage.

Ludovico Blu Art Viberti and Gabriele Mancini of Italy were shut out of the semi-finals due to the 2-per-nation rule.

Also of note is the fact that two-time Olympic silver medalist Arno Kamminga was left out of the top 16 as teammate Koen de Groot finished ahead of him to pair with Corbeau in representing the Netherlands in the next round. Kamminga was the champion two years ago in this event.

WOMEN’S 200 BACK – HEATS

• WR: 1:57.33 – Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2025
• WJR: 1:59,96 – Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2024
• ER: 1:59.23 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2014
• EJR: 2:02.25 – Benchmark
• CR – 1:59.84 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2015

Top 16:

1. Katie Shanahan (GBR) – 2:04.85
2. Carmen Weiler Sastre (ESP) – 2:05.86
3. Lise Seidel (GER) – 2:05.94
4. Camila Rodrigues Rebelo (POR) – 2:06.93
5. Estella Llum Tonrath Nollgen (ESP) – 2:07.11
6. Pauaine Mahieu (FRA) – 2:07.12
7. Eszter Szabo Feltothy (HUN) – 2:07.25
8. Adela Piskorska (POL) – 2:07.53
9. Gabriela Georgieva (BUL) – 2:07.54
10. Gaia Rasmussen (SUI) – 2:07.80
11. Dora Molnar (HUN) – 2:07.91
12. Hanna Rosvall (SWE) – 2:07.97
13. Janja Segel (SLO) – 2:08.64
14. Aleksandra Knop (POL) – 2:10.11
15. Victoria Bierre (DEN) – 2:11.34
16. Aviva Hollinsky (AUT) – 2:11.60

We got a little bit of a breather in this women’s 200m backstroke as nothing too crazy transpired in the morning heats.

21-year-old Katie Shanahan of Great Britain was the sole competitor to dip under the 2:05 barrier, bringing a time of 2:04.85 into tonight’s semi-finals. Her career-quickest mark remains at the 2:03.22 she clocked for silver two years ago behind teammate Medi Harris.

Spanish swimmer Carmen Weiler Sastre nabbed the 2nd seed in 2:05.86 and Lise Seidel of Germany joined her in the 2:05-zone with a 3rd seed-worthy result of 2:05.94.

MEN’S 200 BACK – HEATS

• WR: 1:45.12 – Hubert Kos (HUN), 2025
• WJR: 1:48.02 – Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 2017
• ER: 1:45.12 – Hubert Kos (HUN), 2025
• EJR: 1:48.02 – Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 2017
• CR: 1:48.02 – Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 2017

Top 16:

1. Mewen Tomac (FRA) – 1:50.19
2. Luke Greenbank (GBR) – 1:50.39
3. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (FRA) – 1:50.41
4. Hugo Gonzalez (ESP) – 1:50.65 & John Shortt (IRL) – 1:50.65
5. –
6. Jan Cejka (CZE) – 1:51.06
7. Ivan Martinezz Sota (ESP) – 1:51.08
8. Apostolos Siskos (GRE) – 1:51.25
9. Lorenzo Mora (ITA) – 1:51.52
10. Jack Skerry (GBR) – 1:51.56
11. Aukan Goldin (ISR) – 1:52.04
12. Tudor-Andrei Iordache (ROU) – 1:53.00
13. Benedek Kovacs (HUN) – 1:53.18
14. Daren Kirilov (BUL) – 1:53.22
15. Christian Bacico (ITA) – 1:53.41
16. Flavio Bucca (SUI) – 1:53.72

The bronze medalist from 2023 in this men’s 200m backstroke, Mewen Tomac of France, nabbed the top slot with an AM outing of 1:50.19.

The silver medalist from 2023, Luke Greenbank of Great Britain, snagged the 2nd seed in 1:50.39 followed by Frenchman Yohann Ndoye-Brouard who touched in 1:50.41.

Hugo Gonzalez, Spain’s reigning short course world champion in this event, secured the 4th seed in 1:50.65, tying 18-year-old John Shortt of Ireland.

While Gonzalez has been as fast as 1:50.22 in his career, this morning’s effort checks in as the #2 time for him. As for Shortt, his time here shattered his previous PB and Irish national record of 1:51.60 from last year’s Short Course World Championships.

WOMEN’S 4×50 FREE RELAY – HEATS

• WR: 1:32.50 – Netherlands (NED), 2020
• ER: 1:32.50 – Netherlands (NED), 2020
• EJR: 1:41.14 – Russia (RUS), 2021
• CR: 1:33.25 – Netherlands (NED), 2009

Top 8:

1. NED – 1:35.42
2. GER – 1:35.69
3. ITA – 1:36.32
4. POL – 1:36.78
5. HUN – 1:36.90
6. SVK – 1:36.94
7. FRA – 1:37.21
8. SWE – 1:37.84

The Netherlands landed lane 4 for tonight’s final, with the combination of Milou van Wijk, Maaike de Waard, Britta Koehorst and Tessa Giele collectively clocking a time of 1:35.42.

Van Wijk opened in 24.03 while de Waard kept the speed going in a split of 23.78. Koehorst clocked 23.85 followed by Giele’s 23.76 anchor.

Germany was right behind with Italy, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia all clocking 1:36-range efforts.

The fastest split of the entire morning came at the hands of Silvia Di Pietro of Italy who hit 23.27.

MEN’S 4×50 FREE RELAY – HEATS

• WR: 1:21.80 – United States (USA), 2018
• ER: 1:20.77 – France (FRA), 2008 *Unratified
• EJR: 1:27.92 -Benchmark
• CR: 1:20.77 – France (FRA), 2008 * Unratified

1. CRO – 1:23.51
2. NED – 1:24.28
3. POL – 1:24.45
4. ESP – 1:24.65
5. ITA – 1:24.66
6. UKR – 1:24.71
7. EST – 1:25.03
8. SWE – 1:25.15

Surprisingly, it was the nation of Croatia that turned in the fastest time from the men’s edition of the 4x50m free relay.

Jere Hribar (21.00), Nicola Miljenic (20.93), Bozo Puhalovic (20.82) and Luka Cvetko (20.76) stopped teh clock at 1:23.51 to threaten the longstanding supersuited national record of 1:23.18 from 2009.

The Netherlands was next on the board in 1:24.28 with Poland closely behind in 1:24.45.

Of note, after bowing out of the 200 back, Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon led off for the Italian squad, registering a time of 21.53 to help them reach the 5th-seeded slot.