By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam
2026 European Swimming Championships
August 10-16, 2026 Paris, France — Olympic Aquatics Centre LCM (50 Meters) Meet Information Meet Central Entries SwimSwam Preview IndexBy The Numbers – Men’s 400 Freestyle
World Record: 3:39.96 – Lukas Märtens, Germany (2025) European Record: 3:39.96 – Lukas Märtens, Germany (2025) Championship Record: 3:42.40 – Lukas Märtens, Germany (2022) 2025 World Champion: Lukas Märtens, Germany – 3:42.35 2024 European Champion: Felix Auböck, Austria – 3:43.24The men’s 400 freestyle has seen plenty of turnover at the European Championship level. There has not been a back-to-back winner in the event at the championships since Russia’s Yury Prilukov won the 2006 and 2008 titles. Felix Auböck, the most recent champion, has retired from competitive swimming, so the streak will live on for another championship cycle.
There may not have been consistency at the continental level, but in the past three years, Lukas Märtens has firmly cemented himself as the man to beat in this race.
The World Record Holder
Lukas Märtens has done a lot in this event since he last stood atop the European Championship podium in 2022. He earned bronze in the event at the 2023 and 2024 World Championships. He announced himself again in the Olympic year with a 3:40.33 at the German National Championships, putting Paul Biedermann’s record on notice. Then, he earned the first Olympic medal of his career on the opening night of the 2024 Olympics, leading the 400 freestyle from start to finish and winning gold (3:41.78).
Last year, he continued to cement his legacy in the event by breaking Biedermann’s super-suited world record and becoming the first man to break 3:40 in the history of the event with a 3:39.96. He followed up with a gold at the 2025 World Championships, completing his set of gold medals at major long-course international meets.
It’s no surprise to see him leading the field into these European Championships. Märtens clocked a 3:41.76 season-best at German Nationals, while no other man has broken 3:43 this year. He is the clear favorite in the event and it would be a big upset if anyone else were to out-touch him. Further, he’s announced that he is focusing on the 200 and 400 freestyle next week. Märtens is known for taking this race out aggressively—he went out in 1:47.55 for his world record—and it will be interesting whether his focus on the shorter end of his freestyle range this week is reflected in a renewed push on the front half of his race.
More Of Germany’s Distance Crew Lines Up
Germany’s depth in men’s distance swimming has been a recurring theme in the 800 and 1500 freestyle previews for European Championships. For example, it’s a trio of German swimmers that own the three fastest season-bests in the 1500 freestyle.
The 400 freestyle is at the short end of this group’s range, but the team has still managed to put two swimmers into the final at the 2024 Olympics and 2025 World Championships, both of which were crowded fields. There are three German swimmers eyeing a finals berth along with Märtens but only two swimmers from a nation can advance into the final. So, even if Märtens, Oliver Klemet, Johannes Liebmann, and Sven Schwarz all make the top eight out of prelims, only the top two will get the chance to fight for a medal.
Klemet, who joined Märtens in the 2024 Olympic and 2025 Worlds final, is the second-fastest swimmer so far this season. He fired off a 3:43.14 at the Stockholm Open, which puts him less than a half-second from his lifetime best 3:42.81. Klemet and Liebmann have both been participating in the open water events this week in Paris, which could adversely affect them in the pool – we saw that happen in Paris two years ago when the open water events preceded pool swimming.
Klemet is a decorated open water swimmer but the 400 freestyle has been his most successful event in the pool. He finished seventh at the Paris Olympics and eighth at 2025 Worlds. He has an uphill battle to out-touch his German teammates in the 800 and 1500 freestyle prelims but on paper, he looks like the clear pick to join Märtens as Germany’s representatives in the final.
Liebmann has shown that he is the next fast rising German distance star. He burst onto the senior international stage with an 800 freestyle European record this spring. That speed has carried over to other events too as he’s swum lifetime bests in the 1500 freestyle and 400 freestyle. During that breakout meet at the Stockholm Open, he swam a 3:44.59 lifetime best in this event.
That leaves Schwarz with the slowest lifetime best among Germany’s entrants. He brings a 3:45.92 best to Paris, which he swam at the 2023 German Nationals. He swam his season-best at that same meet this year, clocking 3:46.52 in prelims. That leaves him with some group to make up on his compatriots, but if either Klemet or Liebmann falter after their open water exploits, that could be all Schwarz needs to grab a lane in the final.
The 3:44 Season-Best Crew
Märtens has a sizeable advantage on the field with his season-best 3:41.76. Klemet ranks second with a 3:43.14. Then, there’s a gap of nearly another second to the third-fastest man on the psych sheet this season, James Guy. The 30-year-old Brit has found another gear in this event recently after not focusing on it for seasons. He rocketed to a season-best 3:44.04 at British Championships, which was the third-fastest swim of his career and his fastest since 2016. He was 0.29 seconds off his lifetime best 3:43.75 which he swum at 2015 Worlds, where he won a silver medal.
It’s Guy and Gregorii Vekovishchev, who set a new Russian junior record of 3:44.58 as he won gold at the European Junior Championships last month, breaking up what would otherwise be another event where the Germans have the top three season-bests. But while Märtens and Klemet may have separated themselves, the next “tier” in the season-bests—those with 3:44s—are more closely bunched together.
Lucas Henveaux sits just two-hundredths behind Liebmann this season. He matched his 3:44.61 lifetime best and Belgian record from the 2024 World Championships at the Stockholm Open, where he went head-to-head with Liebmann. Henveaux took fifth at the 2024 World Championships, a breakout moment for him. He hasn’t gotten back to the final at a World Championship or Olympic level since, partly because his best swim of the year hasn’t come at those championships.
This is a crowded field but it’s less so than the chaos we’ve come to expect from this race at a global level meet. Henveaux’s season-best has him well positioned to make this final and hitting his best swim of the year in the final could propel him even further.
Leon Marchand is the final member of the 3:44 season-best crew and the third who established a lifetime best with his swim. Marchand has expressed interest in trying out events beyond his specialty IM and 200s of stroke. He gave fans a taste of what was possible in this event with a 3:44.70 at the 2025 U.S. Open Championships.
Marchand was always going to be the major dark horse of this race. But that’s only become more true in the weeks leading up to the European Championships. Marchand injured his hip adductor during the 200 breaststroke heats at the French Elite Championships in June and withdrew from the rest of the meet. After reinjuring that same adductor during the French team’s training camp, Marchand has officially withdrawn from the 200 and 400 IM.
Marchand now has two remaining individual events, including this one. It’s unclear what kind of shape Marchand will bring to Paris given his injuries. It seems like the final should still be within his reach, though we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see what a fully healthy Marchand can unleash in this race.
More Recent Finalists
Märtens and Klemet were the only two Europeans to make the Paris 400 freestyle Olympic final. One year later, more than half of the 2025 Worlds final was European. Victor Johansson, Marco de Tullio, and Petar Mitsin joined Märtens and Klemet in that Singapore final. Johansson was the best placed European after Märtens, finishing just off the podium in fourth.
Johansson swam a lifetime best 3:44.68 in Singapore, undercutting his own national record. He’s been chipping away at that record over the past several seasons and could bring it lower this week. He has a season-best 3:46.57, which he swam on the Mare Nostrum tour.
Bulgaria’s Mitsin stunned three years ago with a 3:44.13 at the 2023 European Junior Championships. It was a huge swim and it still stands as his lifetime best. Mitsin was finally able to break through to a final on the senior global stage last year, taking seventh in Singapore. His 3:48.69 season-best makes him one of the slower contenders coming into Paris but getting back down closer to his best could see him add another major international final to his resume.
Marco De Tullio has shown over the years that he should not be discounted; displaying an ability to navigate through crowded global prelims and make a final. He has a 3:44.14 lifetime best from the 2022 World Championships but has also been on the quieter side so far this season.
While Auböck won’t defend his 2024 title, the rest of the podium is returning to this year’s European Championships. Dimitrios Markos came within three-tenths of his lifetime best (3:47.44) at the Saint Denis Open with a 3:47.71. Markos took silver at these championships two years ago, while Antonio Djakovic earned bronze. Djakovic has historically been at his best at European Championships, where he’s eyeing a third-straight 400 freestyle podium appearance. He won silver in 2022 with a 3:43.93 that still stands as his lifetime best. It will take closer to that time to medal this year, bouncing back after 2024. Djakovic does not have the same extensive palmares that some of this field does, but he is certainly not someone to overlook.
More Names To Watch
This is still shaping up to be a crowded event even though it is not a global level championships. Russia’s Grigorii Vekovishchev just swam a 3:44.58 lifetime best at the European Junior Championships in Munich.
Daniel Wiffen, the reigning 800 freestyle Olympic champion, is also slated to appear. Several times over the past few seasons, Wiffen has entered this event but not actually raced, choosing to prioritize his specialties, the 800 and 1500 freestyle. We last saw him in a major final at the 2024 World Championships, where he finished seventh. However, Wiffen did race the 400 freestyle at the Commonwealth Games last month, swimming a season-best 3:47.01. He has a 3:44.35 lifetime best from the 2023 Stockholm Open that makes it hard to ignore him on the psych sheet.
Then, there are more swimmers looking for a lifetime best to put them through. Jack McMillian swam an intriguing 3:46.82 lifetime best at the GB Championships. That matches Zalan Sarkany’s lifetime best, though the Hungarian is bringing a 3:48.16 season-best to Paris from Hungarian Nationals. Alessandro Ragaini and Luca de Tullio have both been just off their lifetime bests already this season, with Ragaini swimming 3:46.96 to de Tullio’s 3:47.39 at Sette Colli.
SwimSwam Picks
Place Swimmer Nation Season-Best Lifetime Best 1 Lukas Märtens Germany 3:41.76 3:39.96 2 James Guy Great Britain 3:44.04 3:43.75 3 Oliver Klemet Germany 3:43.14 3:42.81 4 Victor Johansson Sweden 3:46.57 3:44.68 5 Lucas Henveaux Belgium 3:44.61 3:44.61 6 Gregorii Vekovishchev Russia 3:44.58 3:44.58 7 Antonio Djakovic Switzerland 3:55.30 3:43.93 8 Leon Marchand France 3:44.70 3:44.70Dark Horse: Two NCAA swimmers that could prove interesting challengers to this field are Tomas Koski and Krzysztof Chmielewski. Koski had a quieter NCAA season than his sophomore outing, but the Finnish record holder could surprise here. He only raced the 100/200 freestyle at the 2025 World Championships and his 3:47.45 lifetime best comes from a club meet last year. Meanwhile, Chmielewski’s lifetime best is just a tenth behind Koski’s, which he swam in prelims in Singapore. Chmielewski is a two-time World Championships silver medalist in the 200 butterfly; he’s found most of his international success in that event but was a bronze medalist in the 400 free at the 2022 World Junior Championships. Let’s see if he can break through on the senior stage.
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