2025 EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- December 2-7, 2025
- Lublin, Poland
- SCM (25 meters)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Live Recaps:
It was a cat-and-mouse game in the women’s 50m backstroke today as Dutch maestro Marrit Steenbergen and Italian Sara Curtis traded Championship Record holder status throughout the final day of competition.
This morning, during the prelims of the women’s 4x50m medley relay, 25-year-old Olympian Steenbergen put up a new European Championship Record of 25.64 as lead-off on the Dutch medley relay.
However, 19-year-old University of Virginia swimmer Curtis lowered that feat down to 25.49 en route to capturing gold in the individual contest – setting both a new Championship and continental record in the event.
Flash forward to the final women’s 4x50m medley event of these entire championships and Steenbergen once again nailed a lifetime best of 25.47 to reclaim the 50m back European Record.
Steenbergen’s new Dutch record renders her the world’s 6th-best performer in history.
Top 11 Women’s SCM 50 Backstroke Performers All-Time
- Regan Smith (USA) – 25.23, 2024
- Maggie MacNeil (CAN) – 25.25, 2022
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 25.35.2025
- Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 25.37, 2024
- Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) – 25.42, 2025
- Marrit Steenbergen (NED) – 25.47, 2025
- Sara Curtis (ITA) – 25.49, 2025
- Katherine Berkhoff (USA) – 25.51, 2024
- Claire Curzan (USA) – 25.54, 2022
- (TIE)
- Maria Kameneva (RUS) – 25.60, 2023
- Kira Toussaint (NED) – 25.60, 2020
Steenbergen was among the stars of the championships, breaking European Records in five different events (100 free, 200 free, 50 back, 100 IM, and 200 IM) and winning five gold, a silver, and a bronze medal.
Great to see additional strong competitors–she is a force to be reckoned with.
Women 100 IM record is not safe
Did we know why she underperformed at Paris Olympics? Seeing how good she’s been this year and in 2023. I don’t know if she was sick or just a off meeting for her, she was supposed to be a medal contender in the 100 free, but she was far from her best (both in the 100 free and in relays)
She’s said that she thinks she put too much pressure on herself and crumbled under the weight of it. Since then, she took a big break and has been focused on more of a “here to have fun and be part of the team” mindset.
Ingrid borgstrom from NOR (norway?) is ahead in the list and it’s from europe (?) is she supposed to be Ingrid wilm from Canada?
So there is a swimmer from Norway named Ingrid Borgstrom, and she is a backstroker….but she’s not a 25 second backstroker so must be an errant time that wound up in the database. I’ll fix.
Hello, this is Ingrid. I dont appreciate this kind of behavior. I am actually really fast. For next time Tell them I’m Ingrid Borgstrøm. The Norwegian one. The fast one. The ‘too-fast-to-identify’ one.”
The glide into the wall on the finish was significant too – that’s not at all the quickest she can go
Double 100 free world champion is underrated
Ingrid Borgstrom??
Except for Van Roon, did the Netherlands have anyone who actually swam their specialty????
Giele on breaststroke is frying me
Ironically the morning brs leg was a bit quicker (29.65 vs 29.76) and Britta Koehorst (who swam that leg) isn’t primarily a breaststroker either. I guess it speaks to 50s in SCM being a sprinter’s playground (a la Manaudou in 50 back, Morozov in 50 brs, etc. haha)
Maaike de Waard swam fly, which she also does individually (was 4th in the individual 50)
I think Maaike is a back/fly swimmer so would say that’s one of her specialties 😉