2026 Mare Nostrum Tour — Canet
- Wednesday, May 27 — Thursday, May 28, 2026
- Canet-en-Roussillon, France
- Prelims at 9 am local (3 a.m. ET)/Finals 5:30 p.m. local (11:30 a.m. ET)
- LCM (50 Meters)
- Psych Sheets
- Meet Central
- Day 1 Recap
- Results
- Live Stream
Just three days after firing off a new Dutch national record of 52.13 in the women’s 100m freestyle event, 26-year-old Marrit Steenbergen took her lifetime best to entirely new territory en route to severely shaking up the all-time rankings.
Racing on day one of the second stop of the 2026 Mare Nostrum Tour in Canet, world champion Steenbergen unleashed a monster result of 51.86 to dip under the 52-second threshold for the first time in her illustrious career.
Steenbergen opened in 24.91, an uncharacteristically assertive front half, and closed in 26.95 to etch her name into the history books.
In doing so, the Dutch dynamo downed Olympic champion Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden’s overall Mare Nostrum and Canet stop records of 52.08 notched at the 2017 edition of the tour. Sjostrom’s world record remains at 51.71, also established in 2017, although Steenbergen was just 0.15 outside that benchmark.
Behind Steenbergen tonight was Olympic multi-medalist Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong, who put up a still-stellar outing of 52.36, just .34 off her best-ever 52.02, followed by Canadian Olympian Taylor Ruck, who touched in 54.15.
Steenbergen’s result comes on the heels of American Anna Moesch ripping a lifetime best and new U.S. national record of 51.94 while racing on the final day of the AP Race London International on Monday, May 25th.
At the time, that phenomenal swim ranked the American #2 on the all-time performers list; however, now Steenbergen upped the ante with this otherworldly performance as an incredible answer back.
| Steenbergen’s New Dutch NR – 51.86 | Sjostrom’s World Record – 51.71 | Steenbergen’s Old Dutch NR – 52.13 | Moesch’s American Record – 51.94 |
| 24.91 | 24.83 | 25.51 | 25.18 |
| 26.95 | 26.88 | 26.62 | 26.76 |
Top Ten Women’s LCM 100 Freestyle All-Time Performers:
- Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 51.71 (2017)
- Marrit Steenbergen (NED) – 51.86, 2026
- Anna Moesch (USA) – 51.94, 2026
- Emma McKeon (AUS) – 51.96 (2021)
- Siobhan Haughey (HKG) – 52.02 (2023)
- Cate Campbell – 52.03 (2018)
- Simone Manuel – 52.04 (2019)
- Britta Steffen – 52.07 (2009)
- Mollie O’Callaghan – 52.08 (2023)
- Bronte Campbell – 52.27 (2018)
This caliber of mastery has been bubbling beneath the surface for Steenbergen for quite some time now. She first broke through as a 15-year-old at the inaugural European Games, where she amassed an incredible 6 medals, including gold in the 100m freestyle, then in a time of 53.97.
The following year, she made her first Dutch Olympic team, representing her nation at the 2016 Games in Rio, where she placed 34th overall in the 200m IM.
The then-teen took some time off to tend to a shoulder injury while also focusing on school before she returned to competition in 2019.
At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, she helped the Dutch women’s 4x100m free relay place 4th overall. Then in Paris, she placed 7th in the women’s 100m free in a mark of 52.83.
Steenbergen is one of the most versatile swimmer on the planet and in full force with the LA 2028 Games on the horizon, ready to carry on the enormous Dutch women’s sprinting tradition that has treated us to the likes of Inge de Bruijn, Femke Heemskerk and Ranomi Kromowidjojo.
Steenbergen is already an 8-time Long Course World Championships medalist, 6-time Short Course World Championships medalist, 12-time Long Course European Championships medalist and 13-time Short Course European Championships medalist. The only accolade missing from her resume is an elusive Olympic medal.
“Author’s Note: While on a podcast with past SwimSwam staffer Mitch Bowmile in 2016, I remember calling out Steenbergen as a potential medalist in the women’s 100m free for the Rio Olympic Games. Apparently, I was at least 10 years too early!”
Who will get 100 free world record first—Moesch or Steenbergen?
Moesch back half the fastest?
MOC split 26.45 back half when swimming in the 4×100 free relay final first leg.
The LA 100 free final would probably comprise Steenbergen, Moesch, Sjostrom, Haughey, O’Callaghan, Harris, Douglass and Huske. Not to mention Jack and Erisman.
Sarah said she won’t swim 100 free in LA
I know she said the same thing before Paris but she smelt blood when MOC was less the great in 100, and also this time she will have 2 events: 50 free and fly
She did it because of the extra rest between the 50 and 100 compared to the World Champs schedule and she was keeping the 100 in mind during her training since Sweden had a relay. Not sure what will happen with the relay now when M. Coleman has retired so another reason to not work as much towards the 100 Free (or Fly).
Moesch is the only one on that list who will be under 24 by the time that race happens. Surely at least 1 younger swimmer will break out before then
Huske would be 25 in LA
didnt know la was increasing the limit to 3 athletes per nation
I didn’t even realise they snuck three Americans in there lol
Moesch, Douglass, Huske, Erisman is 4 I think
Yeah but Erisman and Jack weren’t in their like “official 8” that they chose, they were extra maybes. I didn’t realise their official 8 in the final was already impossible
Oh I see what they tried doing, gotcha
Thanks – that’s what I had in mind, with Jack snd Erisman being their compatriots’ alternative based on current form and past achievements.
you’re still missing that you put three American’s aside from Erisman but the limit is 2.
That’s not what I had in mind. That’s why I said ‘not to mention Jack and Erisman’. Apologies for the confusion.
Still 3 Americans in top 8
They need to increase the limit, at least with a time exception.
too many Americans – only 2 can swim it. I agree any 2 of these are possible in the team and likely in the final if they are selected
Wild Card- Sara Curtis
Lets see this summers Euros?
I remember in 2016 she was anointed as the next great 100 freestyler.
We were right.
The Enhanced Games Enhanced The Non Enhanced W100FR
The ratio between # of comments in this thread and the # of comments in the Moesch thread is the ratio between non-US and US readers on swamswam. Glad we were able to do this controlled experiment
I mean she went 52.1 last weekend and moesch completely skipped 52 which was pretty shocking and then yeah there will be a lot more US readers cuz its a US-based website..
there was also probably like 80 comments alone about what Moesch’s swim meant for U.S. relays
and I think someone compared the reaction to her drop to if a Chinese swimmer had that drop and that will always create a bit of discourse
I mean it’s the 2x defending world champion dropping four tenths vs a complete no-name internationally dropping over a second and a half
A large number of comments with Moesch revolved around the USA-AUS relay implications. That explains most of the discrepancy.
Would you call her one of the most versatile swimmers on the planet? (In the text). McIntosh and Marchand yes. Marrit though? She is awesome absolutely but the most versatile seems incorrect.
She almost broke the 200IM WR in SCM
Does almost breaking a 2IM world record automatically make you one of the most versatile swimmers on the planet?
ONE OF. Her 100 pbs across all 4 strokes are rock solid
she has the fastest 4 100s of stroke add-up
I think fastest in all four is torri huske or KD.
Huske has a very good backstroke and a breastroke
Well there’s a article on it and it’s steenbergen so..
People forget she’s 58 in fly and back, 1:07 in breast, and now 51 in free
I stand corrected. I forgot that.
That’s only because Douglass hasn’t put in a 100 back LCM swim since she was in high school seven years ago.
I agree and I do think Douglass is a bit more versatile with her range of distances (2 breast to 50 free) but there is definitely something to be said about steenbergens versatility
Women’s 100 free shaping up to be as good or better of a race than women’s 100 back in 2027 and 2028!