Marrit Steenbergen Swims 1:50.33 200 Free To Break Sarah Sjostrom’s European Record

2025 EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• December 2-7, 2025
• Lublin, Poland
• SCM (25 meters)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

WOMEN’S 200m FREESTYLE – Final

• WR: 1:49.36 – Mollie O’Callaghan, AUS (2025)
• WJR: 1:51.62 – Claire Weinstein, USA (2024)
• ER: 1:50.43 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2017)
• EJR: 1:52.81 – Nikoletta Padar, HUN (2024)
• CR: 1:51.17 – Federica Pellegrini, ITA (2009)

Top 8

1. Marrit Steenbergen (NED) – 1:50.33
2. Minna Abraham (HUN) – 1:51.47
3. Freya Colbert (GBR) – 1:51.94
4. Freya Anderson (GBR) – 1:53.09
5. Nikolett Padar (HUN) – 1:53.27
6. Snaefridur Sol Jorunnardottir (ISL) – 1:54.26
7. Justina Kozan (POL) – 1:54.26
8. Maria Daza Garcia (ESP) – 1:55.81

The Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen broke Sarah Sjostrom‘s eight-year-old European Record in the women’s 200 freestyle on night three of the 2025 European Short Course Championships, clocking 1:50.33.

It was her second gold and European Record of the night, as she shattered Katinka Hosszu‘s mark in the 100 IM about 75 minutes earlier.

Steenbergen touched ahead of Hungary’s Minna Abraham (1:51.47) and Great Britain’s Freya Colbert (1:51.94), who scared their respective national records.

The 25-year-old led the race from start to finish, splitting 25.80, 28.21, 28.29, and 28.03 by 50s.

Entering the meet, Steenbergen’s PB was the 1:52.28 she swam to take bronze at the 2022 Short Course World Championships, while Femke Heemskerk held the previous Dutch record at 1:51.69 from 2014.

With her 1:50.33, Steenbergen became just the fifth woman to break the 1:51-second barrier and now ranks as the #3 performer all time behind world-record holder Mollie O’Callaghan, who owns the two fastest swims in history, and Siobhan Haughey.

Top 5 Performances In Women’s 200 Free History:

1. Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) — 1:49.36, 2025 World Cup
2. Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) — 1:49.77, 2025 World Cup
3. Siobhan Haughey (HKG) — 1:50.31, 2021 Short Course World Championships
4. Marrit Steenbergen (NED) — 1:50.33, 2025 European Short Course Championships
5. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) —  1:50.43, 2017 World Cup

Additionally, Steenbergen ranks #2 worldwide on the season, behind O’Callaghans World Record from October:

With her two wins tonight, Steenbergen now has eight career Short Course European Championships medals, including four golds Her first came ten years ago in 2015 when she was just 15 years old. There in Netanya, she helped the Dutch 4×50 medley relay win gold, took silver on the 4×50 free relay, and secured an individual bronze in the 100 IM. Her other three SC Euros medals came at the 2021 Kazan meet, where she won the 200 free and took bronze in the 100 free, and earlier this week in Lublin when she anchored the Netherlands’ mixed 4×50 medley relay to silver.

Steenbergen, who won a pair of relay medals at the 2015 LCM World Championships in Kazan, has seen a career resurgence over the last three years. After an incredible European Championship campaign (four gold and seven total medals) and four medals including an individual title at Short Course Worlds in 2022, the Dutchwoman picked up the bronze medal in the 100 free at the 2023 World Championships.

Despite having a relatively disappointing Olympics, Steenbergen had a strong start to 2024 in Doha. The Dutch native won gold in the 100 free at the World Championships in a time of 52.26, which ranked her 3rd for the year, and she went on to take 7th at the Olympics (52.83). She also opted not to race the 50 or 200 free in Paris, and missed a second swim in the 200 IM, placing 20th.

This past July at the 2024 World Championships, she defended her 100 free World title in a time of 52.55. She also helped the Netherlands to bronze in the 4×100 free relay, touched 14th in the 100 back (59.94), and 12th in the 50 free (24.61).

Steenbergen is set to race the 200 IM (3rd seed), 50 free (5th seed), and 100 free (5th seed) later in the meet.