2025 EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- December 2-7, 2025
- Lublin, Poland
- SCM (25 meters)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Live Recaps:
MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – Final
- WR: 44.84 – Kyle Chalmers, AUS (2021)
- WJR: 45.64 – David Popovici, ROU (2022)
- ER: 44.94 – Amaury Leveaux, FRA (2008)
- EJR: 45.64 – David Popovici, ROU (2022)
- CR: 44.94 – Amaury Leveaux, FRA (2008)
Top 8 Finishers
- Maxime Grousset (FRA) – 45.17
- Jere Hribar (CRO) – 45.64
- Matthew Richards (GBR) – 45.82
- Tomas Lukminas (LTU) – 45.87
- Carlos D’Ambrosio (ITA) – 46.08
- Adam Jaszo (HUN) – 46.27
- Luca Hoek Le Guenedal (ESP) – 46.42
- Sergio De Celis Montalban (ESP) – 46.43
Two of Great Britain’s biggest stars broke a record each tonight, with Matt Richards taking bronze in the 100 free in 45.82, and Ollie Morgan moving through into the men’s 50 back final in 7th place after going 23.07.
Richards was on his fourth 100 free swim of the meet, having gone through a swim-off with Nandor Nemeth for the last spot in the final. He delivered when it mattered tonight, slicing 0.03 seconds from his previous best of 45.85 and winning bronze by just five hundredths of a second.
Richards progressed through the rounds, going 46.26/46.23/46.16/45.82 in his 100 free swims here. He was out far quicker in the final tonight than in those previous swims, flipping in 21.81, which was also faster than he hit halfway in his former record. He was not able to keep his second 50 under 24 seconds, but had enough of a buffer to set a new best.
Split Comparison
| Split | 2022 Swim England Winter Championships | 2025 European Short Course Championships |
| 50 | 21.98 | 21.81 |
| 100 | 45.85 (23.87) | 45.82 (24.01) |
He provided some outside smoke in tonight’s final, with the gold and silver medals coming from Maxime Grousset in lane 4 and Jere Hribar in lane 5. Richards was in second place up until the closing meters but was overhauled by Hribar as they came into the finish.
Richards also held off a fast-charging Tomas Lukminas, who matched his Lithuanian record from the heats to place 4th in 45.87.
This marks a redemption of sorts for Richards, after he missed the 200 free semi-finals after winning that event two years ago. He initially placed 3rd in the heats, but was only the third-fastest GB swimmer, falling foul of the ‘2 per nation’ rule for semi-finals and finals.
He ranks as the 7th-fastest swimmer in the world this year.
2025-2026 SCM Men 100 FREE
Kornev
44.99
| 2 | Maxime GROUSSET | FRA | 45.17 | 12/06 |
| 3 | Josh LIENDO | CAN | 45.30 | 10/24 |
| 4 | Jack Alexy | USA | 45.32 | 10/11 |
| 5 | Chris Guiliano | USA | 45.50 | 10/11 |
| 6 | Jere HRIBAR | CRO | 45.64 | 12/06 |
| 7 | Carlos D'AMBROSIO | ITA | 45.68 | 04/01 |
| 8 | Matt Richards | GBR | 45.82 | 12/06 |
| 9 | Tomas LUKMINAS | LTU | 45.87 | 12/05 |
| 10 | Luca HOEK LE GUENEDAL | ESP | 46.04 | 12/05 |
This is Richards’ first individual international medal since taking silver at the Olympics in the 200 free last summer. He missed the final in that event in Singapore this summer and placed 8th in the 100 free in 47.74, three tenths off his British record of 47.45.
The session tonight was a good one for the Richards family – Matt’s wife Emily Richards made it through to the final of the 200 fly in 3rd, and will be hoping to bring home a medal tomorrow night as well.
MEN’s 50 BACKSTROKE – Semifinal
- WR: 22.11 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2022)
- WJR: 22.47 – Miron Lifintsev, RUS (2024)
- ER: 22.11 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2022)
- EJR: 22.47 – Miron Lifintsev, RUS (2024)
- CR: 22.47 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2021)
Top 8 Qualifiers
- Ralf Tribuntsov (EST) – 22.63
- Francesco Lazzari (ITA) – 22.79
- Miroslav Knedla (CZE) – 22.87
- Lorenzo Mora (ITA) – 22.93
- Mewen Tomac (FRA) – 22.98
- Robert Pedersen (DEN) – 23.01
- Oliver Morgan (GBR) – 23.07
- Lucien Vergnes (FRA) – 23.08
Ollie Morgan made it two records at this meet, taking down Chris Walker-Hebborn’s 50 back mark of 23.09. The Birmingham swimmer was 23.07 tonight, slicing just over a tenth from the time he posted this morning to qualify 4th out of the heats.
He fell slightly to 7th tonight, but qualifies for his second final of the meet after taking bronze in the 100 back last night. That was his first individual international medal, and outlines the improvements he has made since competing at his first international short course meet at this event two years ago.
Morgan was 51.57 there in Otopeni, missing the semi-final after finishing as the fourth-fastest Brit. He was then 50.91 in Budapest at the World Short Course Championships last year, again failing to progress to the semi-finals.
He was over a second faster in all three rounds in Lublin, swimming 49.55/49.62/49.68. All three of those were significantly under his previous best of 50.53, and also under Luke Greenbank‘s former British Record of 50.14.
He undercut his best in the 50 back twice today, coming within a tenth of Walker-Hebborn’s British record this morning in 23.19 before dipping under it tonight. He has taken 0.24 seconds off over the course of the day, going from 23.31 to 23.07.
This meet has been a bit of a short-course breakout for the Birmingham star. He has been stronger in long course over the previous couple of years, but has clearly been putting in work in the shorter pool under the tutelage of Gary Humpage, who was recently the ‘Performance Coach of the the Year’ runner-up at the Swim England National Awards.
In addition to the 50 back final Morgan will have the 4×50 medley relay tomorrow, where a likely team will be Morgan/Filip Nowacki/Matt Richards/Duncan Scott. Richards recently reset the Welsh record in the 50 fly, going 22.70, and they will be hoping to defend their silver medal from this meet two years ago.
