Justina Kozan Tops Women’s 400 IM Podium With New Polish 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 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3| Day 4 | Day 5

The host nation of Poland rose to the occasion on the final night of action at these 2025 European Short Course Championships.

After Kasia Wasick captured gold in the women’s 50m freestyle, Justina Kozan followed suit with a victory in the women’s 400m IM.

Kozan, a University of Southern California student-athlete, cranked out a winning result of 4:28.56 to top the podium.

That held a healthy advantage over Spain’s Alba Vazquez Ruiz who touched in 4:29.57 as the only other sub-4:30 swimmer. Spain’s Emma Carrasco Cadens rounded out the podium in 4:31.27.

As for Kozan, her effort this evening overtook the previous longstanding Polish national record of 4:31.89 Katarzyna Baranowska put on the books way back in 2007.

As such, Kozan becomes Poland’s first-ever female swimmer to delve under the 4:30 barrier in this grueling event.

She already owns the Polish standards in the LCM 200 IM (2:11.24) and SCM 200 free (1:54.26).

Kozan’s previous PB in this SCM 400 IM rested at the 4:37.97 notched at the Westmont stop of this year’s World Aquatics Swimming World Cup. That means in a matter of weeks, the Trojan hacked nearly 10 seconds off her previous PB en route to becoming the European Short Course Championships gold medalist.

WOMEN’S 400 IM – FINAL

• WR: 4:15.48 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2024)
• WJR: 4:15.48 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2024)
• ER: 4:18.94– Mireia Belmonte, ESP (2017)
• EJR: 4:31.06 – Record Mark
• CR: 4:19.46 – Mireia Belmonte, ESP (2015)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Justina Kozan (POL) – 4:28.56
2. Alba Vazquez Ruiz (ESP) – 4:29.57
3. Emma Carrasco Cadens (ESP) – 4:31.27
4. Noelle Benkler (GER) – 4:35.05
5. Clara Rybak-Andersen (DEN) – 4:36.28
6. Eszter Szabo-Feltothy (HUN) – 4:37.60
7. Ellen Walshe (IRL) – 4:38.51
8. Katja Fain (SLO) – 4:38.59