2023 European Short Course Swimming Championships
- December 5-10, 2023
- Otopeni Olympic Swimming Complex, Bucharest, Romania
- Short Course Meters (25 meters)
- Prelims 2:30am (ET), Finals 11am (ET)
- Entries Book
- Live Results (Omega)
- Live Results (Microplus Timing)
Entries for this week’s 2023 European Short Course championships have been released, with many stars from the Fukuoka World Championships this past summer highlighting the field.
Maxime Grousset has entered six individual events for the French team (50/100/200 free, 50/100 fly, 100 IM), and he is coming off multiple impressive performances at the French Championships in October. At those championships, he lowered the French record in the 100 fly (SCM) to 49.24.
2022 World Short Course Champion Beryl Gastaldello is entered in five events (50/100 free, 50 fly, 100 back, 100 IM) at these championships. She is the top seed in four of those five, with the 50 free being her only non-top seeded event. She recently broke the French record in the 100 SCM back in October, where she posted a time of 56.18 to break the previous mark of 56.40.
The Italians and British are also sending highly stacked contingents, with Italy being highlighted by the likes of Thomas Ceccon, Nicolo Martinenghi, Benedetta Pilato, Lorenzo Mora, and Alberto Razzetti. Razzetti is coming off a very strong performance at the recent Italian Long Course Championships, where he posted new Italian records in the 200 (1:56.21) and 400 (4:09.29) long course IMs. You can read more about his record breaking swims here.
Mora enters the meet as the top seed in all three backstroke events, and has medaled at the World Short Course championships in all three distances before. He has the chance to complete the backstroke trifecta in Otopeni this week.
The British team is sending Matt Richards, James Guy, Duncan Scott, Jacob Whittle, Ben Proud, Freya Anderson, Freya Colbert, Anna Hopkin, and Abbie Wood among others.
Whittle has already shown great form this month, punching a new lifetime best in the 100 LCM freestyle (48.03) this week in Rotterdam. The 100 freestyle is his sole individual entry in Otopeni.
Richards, who is the reigning world champion in the long course 200 free, is slated to focus on his three main events (50/100/200 free).
Scott is only entered in the three IM races, opting to skip out on his signature 200 freestyle. While freestyle will still be a major focus due to the promising British 4×100 and 4×200 free relays heading into Paris, it may indicate that the IM races could be his target for individual Paris qualification.
The Netherlands roster is highlighted by breaststroke stars Tes Schouten, Arno Kamminga, and Caspar Corbeau. Corbeau just put up a 2:07.99 200 LCM breast PB a few days ago, so he looks to be in great form heading into Otopeni.
European record holder Daniel Wiffen will also be present in Romania, focusing on the 400/800/1500 freestyles. His twin brother, Nathan, will also make the trip with Daniel and swim the same three events.
David Popovici will be competing in his home nation this week, but he’ll only compete in the 100 and 200 freestyles. While he has seen greater success in the long course pool, he did win the silver medal in the 200 free (1:40.79) at the 2022 Short Course Worlds. Popovici is the defending European short course champion in the event, as he won the 2021 edition in 1:42.12. He is the top seeded entrant this week, but Tom Dean trails him by just seven hundredths.
Here’s a look at how the medal table looked at the last edition of these championships:
2021 European Short Course Championships Medal Table, Top 5:
- Russia (11 Gold, 5 Silver, 8 Bronze, 24 Total)
- Netherlands (8 Gold, 5 Silver, 5 Bronze, 18 Total)
- Italy (7 Gold, 18 Silver, 10 Bronze, 35 Total)
- Sweden (4 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze, 6 Total)
- Hungary (3 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze, 6 Total)
Top Seeds By Event:
Women:
- Women 50 Free – Anna Hopkin (GBR) – 23.68
- Women 100 Free – Beryl Gastadello (FRA) – 51.67
- Women 200 Free – Barbora Seemanova (CZE) – 1:52.66
- Women 400 Free – Barbora Seemanova (CZE) – 4:00.15
- Women 800 Free – Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (FRA) – 8:00.14
- Women 1500 Free – Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (FRA) – 15:33.42
- Women 50 Fly – Beryl Gastadello (FRA) – 24.85
- Women 100 Fly – Louise Hansson (SWE) – 54.87
- Women 200 Fly – Helena Bach (DEN) – 2:04.41
- Women 50 Back – Julie Jensen (DEN) – 25.85
- Women 100 Back – Beryl Gastadello (FRA) – 56.18
- Women 200 Back – Margherita Panziera (ITA) – 2:02.18
- Women 50 Breast – Imogen Clark (GBR) – 29.30
- Women 100 Breast – Eneli Jefimova (EST) – 1:03.79
- Women 200 Breast – Tes Schouten (NED) – 2:18.19
- NOTE: Lisa Nystrand (SWE) is listed as the top seed in 2:15.70, but that looks to be an error.
- Women 100 IM – Beryl Gastadello (FRA) – 57.49
- Women 200 IM – Charlotte Bonnet (FRA) – 2:06.70
Men:
- Men 50 Free – Ben Proud (GBR) – 20.76
- Men 100 Free – Maxime Grousset (FRA) – 45.41
- Men 200 Free – David Popovici (ROU) – 1:40.79
- Men 400 Free – Danas Rapsys (LTU) – 3:36.26
- Men 800 Free – Henrik Christiansen (NOR) – 7:31.48
- Men 1500 Free – Damien Joly (FRA) – 14:19.62
- Men 50 Fly – Szebasztian Szabo (HUN) – 21.90
- Men 100 Fly – Noe Ponti (SUI) – 48.81
- Men 200 Fly – Noe Ponti (SUI) – 1:49.42
- Men 50 Back – Lorenzo Mora (ITA) – 22.65
- Men 100 Back – Lorenzo Mora (ITA) – 49.04
- Men 200 Back – Lorenzo Mora (ITA) – 1:48.45
- Men 50 Breast – Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) – 25.42
- Men 100 Breast – Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) – 56.01
- Men 200 Breast – Erik Persson (SWE) – 2:03.19
- Men 100 IM – Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 50.97
- Men 200 IM – Alberto Razzetti (ITA) – 1:51.73
- Men 400 IM – Alberto Razzetti (ITA) – 4:00.45
Notable Entries:
- Maxime Grousset (FRA) – 50/100/200 free, 50/100 fly, 100 IM
- Beryl Gastaldello (FRA) – 50/100 free, 50 fly, 100 back, 100 IM
- Charlotte Bonnet (FRA) – 100 free, 100/200 IM
- Florent Manaudou (FRA) – 50 free
- Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (FRA) – 400/800/1500 free
- Pauline Mahieu (FRA) – 100/200 back
- Mary-Ambre Moluh (FRA) – 100 back
- Analie Pigree (FRA) – 50/100/200 back
- Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (FRA) – 100/200 back
- Mewen Tomac (FRA) – 50/100/200 back
- Freya Anderson (GBR) – 100/200/400 free
- Lewis Burras (GBR) – 50/100 free
- Imogen Clark (GBR) – 50/100 breast
- Freya Colbert (GBR) – 100/200/400 free, 200 back, 400 IM
- Lauren Cox (GBR) – 50/100 back
- Kathleen Dawson (GBR) – 50/100/200 back
- Tom Dean (GBR) – 100/200/400 free, 200/400 IM
- Luke Greenbank (GBR) – 100/200 back
- James Guy (GBR) – 100 fly, 200 free
- Kara Hanlon (GBR) – 50/100/200 breast
- Medi Harris (GBR) – 50/100/200 back, 200 free
- Anna Hopkin (GBR) – 50/100 free
- Emily Large (GBR) – 100/200 fly
- Oliver Morgan (GBR) – 50/100/200 back
- Jacob Peters (GBR) – 50/100 fly
- Ben Proud (GBR) – 50 fly, 50 free
- Matthew Richards (GBR) – 50/100/200 free
- Duncan Scott (GBR) – 100/200/400 IM
- Katie Shanahan (GBR) – 100/200/400 IM, 200 back
- Jacob Whittle (GBR) – 100 free
- Abbie Wood (GBR) – 200/400 IM, 200 breast, 400 free
- Felix Auboeck (AUT) – 200/400/800 free
- Luna Pudar (BIH) – 100/200 fly
- Petar Mitsin (BUL) – 400/800 free, 200 fly
- Eneli Jefimova (EST) – 50/100/200 breast
- Apostolos Christou (GRE) – 50/100 back
- Szebasztian Szabo (HUN) – 50/100 fly, 50 free
- Daniel Wiffen (IRL) – 400/800/1500 free
- Ellen Walshe (IRL) – 50/100 fly, 100/200/400 IM
- Lisa Angiolini (ITA) – 100/200 breast
- Martina Carraro (ITA) – 50/100/200 breast
- Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 50/100 fly, 100/200 IM, 100 back
- Simone Cerasuolo (ITA) – 50/100 breast
- Matteo Ciampi (ITA) – 200/400/800 free
- Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) – 50/100/200 breast
- Alessandro Miressi (ITA) – 50/100 free
- Lorenzo Mora (ITA) – 50/100/200 back
- Jasmine Nocentini (ITA) – 50/100 breast, 50 free, 100 IM
- Margherita Panziera (ITA) – 50/100/200 back
- Benedetta Pilato (ITA) – 50/100 breast
- Simona Quadarella (ITA) – 400/800/1500 free
- Alberto Razzetti (ITA) – 200/400 IM, 200 fly
- Matteo Rivolta (ITA) – 50/100 fly, 50 back
- Lorenzo Zazzeri (ITA) – 50/100 free
- Danas Rapsys (LTU) – 200/400 free, 200 IM
- Caspar Corbeau (NED) – 50/100/200 breast
- Arno Kamminga (NED) – 100/200 breast
- Tes Schouten (NED) – 100/200 breast
- Kira Touissant (NED) – 50/100 free, 50/100/200 back
- Diogo Ribeiro (POR) – 50/100 fly, 100 free
- David Popovici (ROU) – 100/200 free
- Noe Ponti (SUI) – 50/100/200 fly, 100/200/400 IM
- Louise Hansson (SWE) – 50/100 fly, 50 back, 100 IM
- Sophie Hansson (SWE) – 50/100/200 breast
- Emre Sakci (TUR) – 50/100 free, 50/100 breast, 100 IM
- Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR) – 800/1500 free
Is this event being live streamed in the UK
The British Swimming website says it will be screened live through LEN TV
Let’s go Lana! 🇧🇦🇧🇦
Predictions for europeans:
WOMEN
50 free 🥇hopkin 🇬🇧🥈gastaldello 🥉Julie kepp Jensen/ Coleman/nocentini
100 free 🥇gastaldello 🇫🇷🥈hopkin 🥉Coleman/Anderson/seemanova/bro
200 free 🥇 seemanova🇨🇿 🥈padar 🥉Katja fain/dumont/anderson
400 free 🥇seemanova 🇨🇿🥈kirpichnikova 🥉colbert/Katja fain/ quadarella
800 free 🥇kirpichnikova🇫🇷 🥈 quadarella 🥉merve tuncel/ajna kesely
1500 free 🥇 kirpichnikova🇫🇷 🥈 quadarella 🥉 tuncel/ajna kesely
50 back 🥇hansson🇸🇪 🥈Julie kepp jenssen 🥉cox/rossvall/ pigree
100 back 🥇mahieu 🇫🇷🥈rossvall 🥉toussaint/gastaldello/cox
200 back 🥇mahieu 🇫🇷🥈panzhiera 🥉shanahan/molnar
50 breast 🥇pilato🇮🇹🥈clark🥉hansson/ nocentini
100 breast 🥇 schouten🇳🇱 🥈hansson🥉pilato/italian/jefimova
200 breast 🥇 schouten🇳🇱 🥈bloomsterberg🥉carraro/hansson
50 fly🥇gastaldello🇫🇷🥈junevik🥉hansson
100 fly 🥇hansson🇸🇪🥈kohler🥉pudar/ntonaki/seemanova
200 fly 🥇pudar🇧🇦🥈rosendal bach🥉stephens/inglesa
100 im 🥇 gastaldello 🇫🇷🥈hansson🥉nocentini/coconcelli
200 im 🥇wood🇬🇧🥈bonnet🥉 coconcelli/ walshe/ shanahan
400 im 🥇shanahan/colbert🇬🇧🥈jakabos🥉walshe
MEN
50… Read more »
Not Italian bias at all
I’m really looking forward to this.
Interesting that Scott’s only doing the IM’s and not the freestyle’s, suggests he’s probs focusing on the 2IM going into Paris which is smart since the Dean-Richards duo in the 2Free will be very difficult to disrupt.
Yeah, anyway Scott have more chance to medal in 200 IM. 200 free is very crowded, especially if Popovici is back to form.
The IM also, is incredibly crowded. He will have to swim freestyle at GB Trials, to qualify for relays.
Frankly ridiculous that entry lists are only released 2 days before the championships start.
Looking forward to it. Mens free very competitive. Then we have Qld and CHN championships