2025 EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- December 2-7, 2025
- Lublin, Poland
- SCM (25 meters)
- Meet Central
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During the 2025 European Short Course Championships in Lublin, Poland, one result from the men’s 200 freestyle prelims stood out.
Jack McMillan, Duncan Scott and Matt Richards posted the three fastest times overall. Since all three represent the same country, Great Britain, Richards got bumped from the semifinals, because only two athletes per nation are allowed in individual-event semifinals and finals.
MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – HEATS
- WR: 1:38.61 – Luke Hobson, USA (2024)
- WJR: 1:40.65 – Matt Sates, RSA (2021)
- ER: 1:39.37 – Paul Biedermann, GER (2009)
- EJR: 1:40.79 – David Popovici, ROU (2022)
- CR: 1:39.81 – Paul Biedermann, GER (2009)
TOP 16 QUALIFIERS:
- Jack McMillan (GBR) – 1:41.41
- Duncan Scott (GBR) – 1:41.58
- Matt Richards (GBR) – 1:41.79*
- Sander Sorensen (NOR) 1:41.87
- Tomas Lukminas (LTU) – 1:41.89
- Kamil Sieradzki (POL) – 1:41.94
- Danas Rapsys (LTU) – 1:42.32
- Roman Fuchs (FRA) – 1:42.38
- Timo Sorgius (GER) – 1:42.39
- Lukas Martens (GER) – 1:42.40
- Carlos D’Ambrosio (ITA) – 1:42.52
- Lucas Henveaux (BEL) – 1:42.58
- Evan Bailey (IRL) – 1:42.68
- Robin Hanson (SWE) – 1:42.87
- Tajus Juska (LTU) – 1:43.02*
- Krzystztof Chmielewski (POL) – 1:43.20
- Kristupas Trepocka (LTU) – 1:43.24*
- Ludvig Bartolek (SWE) – 1:43.33
- Oliver Sogaard-Andersen (DEN) – 1:43.44
*Won’t advance to semis due to two-per-country-rule
That raises a question: how often do we see three swimmers from a single country among the top eight or top 16 in the heats, forcing one of them to miss out? Even more, how frequent is it for a nation to claim three of the top three spots?
The data in this analysis covers editions from 2000 onwards.
In fact, only once since then has an even more extreme scenario occurred: four swimmers from the same nation placing in the top four. That happened in the men’s 50 freestyle in 2008, when Amaury Leveaux, Fred Bousquet, Alain Bernard and Fabien Gilot from France recorded the fastest times, but Bernard and Gilot were blocked from advancing to the semifinals. It was a golden era for French sprint swimming, with those athletes among the world’s best in the 50, 100 and 4×100 freestyle events.
At the same competition, those four also filled four of the top five spots in the men’s 100 freestyle heats — yet again, two of them (Bernard and Bousquet) could not advance to the next round.
Looking across 50, 100 and 200 events, where 16 swimmers progress from heats to semifinals, there have been 77 occurrences in which four athletes from the same country ended up among the top 16. In the longer-distance events (400, 800, 1500), where only eight progress directly to the final, that has happened four times – most notably in the men’s 400 IM in 2006, when four Hungarian swimmers (Laszlo Cseh, David Verraszto, Tamas Kerekjarto and Peter Nagy) placed among the top six.
As for three swimmers of the same nationality finishing among the top 16 in 50, 100 or 200 events, that has occurred 310 times; in 400, 800 or 1500 m events, 53 times.
When it comes to three from one country ending up in the top three in the prelims, as McMillan, Scott and Richards did this week, that has happened 20 times since 2000, which works out to an average of exactly one instance per championship.
Interestingly, between 2007 and 2010, Dutch female sprinters achieved that feat four times in 50 and 100 freestyle, thanks to Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk, Marleen Veldhuis, Hinkelien Schreuder and Inge Dekker.
And at the most recent edition in 2023, there were two cases of three swimmers from the same country finishing in the top three during the heats: in the women’s 200 IM and 400 IM – both by British swimmers (Katie Shanahan, Abbie Wood and Leah Schlosshan in the 200; Freya Colbert, Wood and Shanahan in the 400).
I really like this setup – it actually handicaps the best countries because they have to go way faster to make semis. But also if someone is sick or off, a teammate who is swimming great can take their spot.
I’ve always liked it too. There are still some holes that surely someone could poke through, and you still aren’t appeasing the “just let the fastest swimmers swim” crowd, but I think it’s a decent compromise, especially in Europe where intercontinental travel is relatively cheap.
The only thing I can think of against it is that I would like it to be 3 per country, that way you can achieve a podium sweep on rare occasions. Other than that it’s great