Steenbergen Produces 50 Freestyle Lifetime Best To Close Dutch Euros Qualifier

2026 DUTCH EUROPEAN SWIMMING TRIALS

• July 2nd – July 5th
• Tongelreep National Swimming Centre, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
• LCM (50m)
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The fourth and final day of action unfolded at the Dutch European Swimming Trials, with 26-year-old Marrit Steenbergen producing yet another impressive performance on her way to gold.

Racing in the final of the women’s 50m freestyle, the World Championships gold medalist fired off a time of 24.09 to beat the pack, hitting a new lifetime best in the process.

That held off teammates Milou van Wijk and ,Valerie van Roon who cleaned up the minor medals in respective efforts of 24.54 and 24.60.

Steenbergen’s PB entering this competition rested at the 24.27 she established just this past May at the Mare Nostrum stop in Monaco, so she managed to slice .18 off that former career-quickest for the victory tonight.

All three women cleared the Royal Dutch Swimming Federation selection standard of 24.86 needed to qualify for this summer’s World Championships.

Additionally, Steenbergen now represents the Netherlands’ #3 performer of all time in this splash n’ dash event.

Top 5 Dutch Women’s LCM 50 Freestyle Performers All-Time

1. Ranomi Kromowidjojo – 23.85, 2017
2. Marleen Veldhuis – 23.96, 2009
3. Marrit Steenbergen – 24.09, 2026
4. Inge de Bruijn – 24.13, 2000
5. Milou van Wijk – 24.23, 2025

She also ranks 6th in the world this season, tying newly minted Italian national record holder Sara Curtis.

The men’s side of the house also saw a qualifier for the European Championships, as 25-year-old Thomas Jansen got it done for gold in the 400m IM.

After missing Euros qualification in the 200m IM, Jansen exacted revenge in this longer race, hitting a mark of 4:16.02 to easily clear the QT of 4:17.48.

This was well off the swimmer’s lifetime best of 4:14.19 logged at the 2025 World Championships, where he finished 11th out of the heats, but enough to book his ticket to Paris.

Euros qualification misses on the day included Tessa Giele settling for a bronze medal finish in the women’s 100m fly in 58.63, outside the QT of 58.33.

It was versatile World Championships medalist Roos Vanotterdijk of Belgium who was the top performer, scorching a time of 56.63 to notch the 3rd-best time of her career.

Great Britain’s Betsy Wizard scored the silver behind Vanotterdijk in 58.35, as a new lifetime best.

Additional Notes

• Olympic medalist Tes Schouten posted a time of 31.09 as runner-up in the women’s 50m breast, as Florine Gaspard clinched gold in 30.60. Hylcke de Beer rounded out the podium in 31.45. Schouten missed the 30.75 QT, although she already made the grade in the 100m distance of the discipline.
• Another Olympic medalist, Caspar Corbeau, got on the board, reaping the top spot in the men’s 100m breast. He registered 59.87 as the sole swimmer of the field to clear the 1:00 barrier, although he missed the 59.75 QT. Corbeau has already been as quick as 59.37 this season from the Belgian Open, so that should be enough for him to be added to the Euros roster. Of note, Olympic medalist Arno Kamminga raced in the prelims but logged just 1:01.26 and dropped the final.