By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
2026 European Aquatics Championships
Pool Swimming – August 10-16, 2026 Paris, France — Olympic Aquatics Centre LCM (50 Meters) Meet Information Meet Central SwimSwam Preview Index Live ResultsBY THE NUMBERS – WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE
World Record: 26.86, Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 2023 European Record: 27.07, Sara Curtis (ITA) – 2026 Championship Record: 27.19, Kathleen Dawson (GBR) – 2021 2025 World Champion: Katharine Berkoff (USA), 27.08 2024 European Champion: Danielle Hill (IRL), 27.73The women’s 50 backstroke has been largely dominated by the United States, Australia, and to an extent, Canada, China and Brazil, for the better part of the past decade. In fact, a European has not won the long course world title since 2011 and the short course world title since 2008.
However, the continental strength in the event, especially at the top end, has taken a big step forward over the past 12 months due to the evolution of Sara Curtis, while two other relative youngsters, Mary-Ambre Moluh and Alina Gaifutdinova, are also now among the world’s best.
CURTIS LEADS FIELD WITH SUB-27 IN SIGHT
Curtis, who will turn 20 a few days after the championships conclude, will swim the 50 back for the first time at a major international long course meet in Paris.
The 2022 World Junior Championship bronze medalist and 2024 European Junior champion in the event, Curtis opted not to race the 50 back at last summer’s World Championships in Singapore, but established herself as one of the best in the world by dominating the final en route to gold at the 2025 European Short Course Championships in December.
Curtis’ time of 25.49 broke the newly minted European Record set by Marrit Steenbergen (25.64) earlier that day in the 200 medley relay, though Steenbergen reclaimed the mark two hours later in the relay final in 25.47.
Those SC European Championships were just a stop along the way in the midst of Curtis’ freshman year at the University of Virginia where she thrived, winning the ACC title in the women’s 50 free and then following up with top-three finishes in the 50 and 100 free at NCAAs while playing a prominent role on four of the Cavaliers’ victorious relays.
Although she didn’t swim any backstroke individually at NCAAs, Curtis led off Virginia’s victorious 200 and 400 medley relays in respective times of 22.73 and 49.47, ranking her #1 in the nation in the 50 back and #3 in the 100 back.
Since then, Curtis has been on fire, breaking the Italian Record in the 50 back at the National Championships in April in 27.33, then lowering it twice at the Sette Colli Trophy in June.
She set a new national mark of 27.23 in the prelims—after a DQ for going past 15 meters off the start was overturned—and then unleashed a time of 27.07 in the final, breaking Kira Toussaint‘s European Record of 27.10 and becoming the fifth-fastest performer in history.
Given that Curtis is on incredible form, and her University of Virginia teammates lit it up at last week’s U.S. Nationals, she’s not only the clear favorite for gold, but could easily become the first European under the 27-second barrier.
THE FRENCH CONNECTION
France boasts a strong 1-2 punch in this event with 2025 World Championship finalist Analia Pigree and newly minted national record holder Mary-Ambre Moluh.
Mary-Ambre Moluh (photo: Jack Spitser)
Moluh put up a time of 27.20 at the French Elite Championships in late June, breaking Pigree’s three-year-old French Record of 27.22.
Pigree was the runner-up at that meet in a time of 27.31, while Beryl Gastaldello took 3rd in 27.62. That gives France three women ranked in the top eight among Europeans in the 50 back this year.
Pigree has been a consistent performer on the international stage in the 50 back, including winning the European LC title in 2022 and claiming silver behind Curtis at the 2025 SC European Championships last December. Pigree has also landed on the podium at the 2022 LC Worlds and 2023 SC Euros, and was a finalist at the 2023 LC Worlds, 2024 SC Worlds and 2025 LC Worlds.
Moluh, coming off her sophomore year at Cal, was 10th in the 50 back at the 2023 World Championships and 9th last summer in Singapore, and is riding some momentum after her 27.20 clocking just over a month ago.
Only two swimmers per country can advance past the prelims, and Moluh and Pigree will need to be at their best if they want to move through given the presence of Gastaldello, whose 27.62 clocking in June marked her first best time in the event in eight years.
OTHER PODIUM CONTENDERS
The third-fastest European this year in the women’s 50 back is Russia’s Alina Gaifutdinova, who was 6th at the 2025 World Championships and set a new best time of 27.23 at the Russian Swimming Cup in April.
The 21-year-old has also shown some consistency, clocking 27.43 in February and 27.33 in June, making her a strong contender for a podium spot in Paris.
Lauren Cox. Credit: Mickael Malaper/Malaper Photography
Great Britain’s Lauren Cox was also in the final at the 2025 World Championships, placing 5th, and she’s stood on the podium before, winning bronze in the event at the 2023 Worlds in Fukuoka.
Cox owns a lifetime best of 27.15, set last year, and has been a respectable 27.39 so far in 2026. The 24-year-old is coming off winning bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 27.56, and now owns an incredible 31 career swims under 28 seconds.
That consistency should make her a lock for the final and a threat for the podium.
Marrit Steenbergen has been one of the hottest swimmers in the world this year, breaking the world record in the 100 free and producing multiple 51-point swims, and she’s also set new best times in the 50 free (24.09), 50 back (27.40) and 100 back (58.33) in 2026.
The women’s 50 back directly coincides with the 200 free in all three rounds at the start of the championships, so it’s possible Steenbergen drops one in favor of the other. She won the SC Euro title in the 200 free this past December, and despite breaking the European Record in the 50 back on a relay lead-off leg, she did not race the event individually.
If she’s in the field, Steenbergen can medal, no doubt, but her presence is up in the air. However, it’s worth noting the 50 back was listed as one of her events when the Dutch roster was announced, and the 200 free was not, which gives us enough to put her down in this race for the time being.
LOOKING FOR A LANE (IN THE FINAL)
Whether or not Steenbergen decides to race the 50 back may depend on the other Dutch entrants, as the nation has two other women capable of cracking the top eight in Maaike de Waard and Tessa Giele.
Maaike De Waard (NED). Photo by Istvan Derencsenyi / European Aquatics
de Waard, 14th at last summer’s World Championships, is coming off winning bronze in the 50 back at the 2025 SC Euros behind Curtis and Pigree, and has also reached the podium in her last two appearances at LC Euros, claiming bronze in 2021 and 2022.
de Waard has been 27.74 so far this season and owns a lifetime best of 27.54 from 2022.
Giele has been slightly faster, setting a PB of 27.53 last year, and she’s been as fast as 27.62 in 2025-26. She’s more known for her sprint butterfly prowess, but did place 5th in the 50 back at the 2025 SC Euros.
Along with de Waard, other Europeans who were semi-finalists at the 2025 World Championships include Anastasia Gorbenko, Roos Vanotterdijk, Danielle Hill, Theodora Drakou and Fanny Teijonsalo, who all produced times ranging from 27.55 to 27.85 last year.
Hill is the defending European champion, albeit the 2024 edition had a relatively weak field. She’s coming off a 4th-place finish at the Commonwealth Games in 27.87.
Gorbenko has not raced the 50 back this season outside of one SCM swim in October, and appears to be focusing more on the 400 IM, which falls on the same day in Paris.
We also can’t overlook Romania’s Daria Mariuca Silisteanu, who won the European Junior title last month in a national record of 27.94.
SWIMSWAM’S PICKS
Place Swimmer Nation Season Best Lifetime Best 1 Sara Curtis ITA 27.07 27.07 2 Mary-Ambre Moluh FRA 27.20 27.20 3 Marrit Steenbergen NED 27.40 27.40 4 Alina Gaifutdinova RUS 27.23 27.23 5 Analia Pigree FRA 27.31 27.27 6 Lauren Cox GBR 27.39 27.15 7 Roos Vanotterdijk BEL 27.67 27.67 8 Maaike de Waard NED 27.74 27.54Dark Horse: Irene Ciercoles Galve (ESP) – Ciercoles Galve is just 16, and has had a massive breakthrough year. At the 2025 European Junior Championships, she wasn’t even one of Spain’s entrants in the 50 back, and her highest finish was 11th in the 100 back. In 2026, she’s produced the 11 fastest 50 back swims of her career, bringing her PB down from 28.77 to 27.86. After winning gold in the 100 back and silver in the 50 back at the Euro Juniors in July, can she follow up and sneak into the final in her senior international debut?
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