2026 European Championships Previews: Great Britain The Gold Standard In Men’s 4×200 Free ...Middle East

By Sam Blacker on SwimSwam

European Swimming Championships

BY THE NUMBERS – MEN’S 4X200 FREESTYLE RELAY

The form book from previous championships for the men’s 4×200 free relay looks almost entirely unhelpful this year. Most major nations skipped the 2024 edition prior to the Paris Olympic Games, and the 2022 edition came after a gruelling season featuring a World Championships, a Commonwealth Games, and a World Short Course Championships.

There has therefore been a fair amount of turnover, especially at the top. Lithuania will struggle immensely to defend their title, but there looks to be a fair amount of parity among the teams fighting for minor medals.

Les Champions?

There is one nation that looks likely, nay, destined, to claim the title in the men’s 4×200 free relay.

Gran Bretagne has certainly earned the first half of the name in the event over the last decade. They have topped the podium at half of the international meets held since the 2015 world championships, and in that time period have a 67% win rate in world or Olympic finals.

European Championships have been the (relative) weakness. Their only win in the last decade came at the 2018 edition in Glasgow, where they clocked a new Championship record of 7:05.32. They missed the podium in 2016 (6th), 2022 (6th), won silver in 2021, and did not enter in 2024.

So now the strength. Great Britain has won both Olympic titles this decade and world titles in 2023 and 2025. In all four they have broken 7:00, something which has been achieved only eight times ever, and only five times after the super-suit era.

This is a team which is faster, stronger, and deeper than the competition – and knows it. They have had a 1:43-point split on this relay in each of the last five years. They have had at least one swimmer be 1:44 from a flat start in every full season since 2019, a streak which has continued with James Guy splitting 1:44.03 at the Commonwealth Games. The least decorated swimmer from the likely finals team, Jack McMillan, has world and Olympic golds from the past two years and is the reigning European champion in the short course 400 free.

They have two full teams which would make the final. Gabe Shepherd (1:46.39), Evan Jones (1:46.50), and Tyler Melbourne-Smith (1:46.67) all broke into the 1:46s this April, and Tom Dean split 1:45.63 at the Commonwealth Games as well as posting a flat start 1:46.86.

The one caveat is that none of their top swimmers looked too hot at the Commonwealth Games. Duncan Scott doesn’t look in 1:44 form after a 1:45.58 split and missing the final individually, and Guy and Matt Richards were just 1:45.72 in the final to tie for silver.

They will probably have too much for the rest of the field regardless. No one else can field four swimmers who could all final individually, and this team has made winning a habit. Anywhere other than the top step of the podium would be a shock.

Les Challengers

Italy have been consistent world-level finalists recently, but have only one swimmer under 1:47 this season in national record-holder Carlos D’Ambrosio. He clocked 1:45.77 to win the Italian Championships, but Jacopo Barbour is next-fastest for them in a 1:47.27.

Marco De Tullio (1:47.54) and Alessandro Ragaini (1:47.61) are also in the mix for them, while Filippo Megli split 1:45.91 at the World Championships last year. D’Ambrosio split 1:44.37 on a club relay at the Italian Championships, so could move from leadoff to anchor.

It would be a surprise to see Italy miss the final, and with the field clustered together behind Great Britain it could be that their experience and know-how is key. D’Ambrosio gives them a gamechanger, and in this relay that can often be the difference.

Germany has been building up their depth in the 200 free in recent years, but did miss the final at the World Championships last summer. Lukas Maertens and Rafael Miroslaw have been the core two on this relay, generally swimming the first two legs as Germany aims to front-load this relay, but there are several other options now with Miroslaw not on the roster this summer.

They have four men who have broken into the 1:46s this season. Timo Sorgius (1:46.17) and Jarno Baschnitt (1:46.50) split 1:47s on this relay last year, while Oliver Klemet (1:46.79) and Kaii Winkler (1:46.65) could make their 4×200 free relay debut.

Their success doesn’t hinge on the form of Miroslaw now, but whether Lukas Maertens is back under 1:45 or not may be the difference between scrapping for a podium or sitting pretty ahead of the pack. He will need the other three to be in the 1:46-low range, but they have the capacility to do so and the depth to cover for any off-swims in prelims. Gold is a step too far unless there is an implosion from Great Britain, but Germany looks to bring in the most depth and form of anyone else.

Lithuania won gold two years ago in a national record of 7:08.04, behind a 1:44.90 anchor from Danas Rapsys, and look like they could blow that away this year. Rapsys is still on the team, although he did split 1:47.03 at the World Championships last year and has a habit of blowing hot and cold, but there has been progression from the rest of the team.

Tajus Juska set a huge lifetime best to win European Junior silver in 1:45.83 at the start of July, significantly faster than the 1:48.34 he split in Singapore last year, and Tomas Lukminas has already been right on his 1:47.34 PB.

Tomas Navikonis has a 1:46.90 lifetime best and a 1:47.59 to his name this season, and Kristupas Trepocka sliced half a second from his best to go 1:47.06 in April.

Their combined time so far this season is 7:07.85, already under that national record, and doesn’t even feature Rapsys. A time in the 7:04/05s seems eminently possible and this year that should be right in the podium hunt.

France has been a finalist at the last three major summer meets, but are already missing at least two of their finals quartet from the 2025 World Championships. Rafael Fente-Damers and Yann le Goff failed to make the team at the French Elite Championships, leaving Roman Fuchs (1:46.86) as the only guaranteed returner.

The fourth member was Leon Marchand, whose outlook was still uncertain after his hip adductor injury at those Championships. His 1:44.34 split was key to finishing ahead of Italy and Israel in the final, but with this event coming in the same finals session as the 400 IM final it looked like it could be one to make way on his schedule.

However, with the news that he had re-injured his adductor at the pre-meet training camp, the 400 IM is no longer a guarantee with breaststroke off the menu for him. He has stated his commitment to this relay, and after a 3:44.70 in the 400 free in December it will be interesting to see if he can break into the 1:43s from a flying start.

Junior swimmer Saveur Cristofini (1:46.86) tied with Fuchs for the win at the French Elite Championships, about a second ahead of Pierre Largeron (1:47.84) and Neo Dutraix (1:47.87). Making the final should be a minimum expectation, and with Marchand they could do some damage there.

Russia don’t look quite as strong as they have in recent years, with their top performer this season being 18-year-old Grigorii Vekovishchev (1:45.75) and no one else under 1:46. They do have depth in that range though, with Ivan Girev (1:46.12), Roman Akimov (1:46.45), Nikolai Kolesnikov (1:46.67), Mikhail Shcherbakov (1:46.71), and Aleksandr Shchegolev (1:47.95)

Vekovishchev has just that one swim under 1:46, and this team looks like a lot of depth pieces without the one star they probably need to seriously challenge the podium. Russia did look strong on the relays at the European Junior Championships last month, but their senior team may struggle a little more

Final Hopes

Hungary’s outlook is weakened by the news that Kristof Milak will not be swimming relays in Paris this summer. He was key when they won gold at the 2022 Championships with a 1:44.42 anchor, but with Hubert Kos (1:47.29), Oliver Papai (1:47.39), and Nandor Nemeth (1:47.39) they have a strong core.

Adding Milak to that trio gives you a podium contender, but instead the fourth member of the quartet will be either Kristof Razovszky (1:49.14) or Richard Marton (1:50.51). Still a finals contender, but without the X-factor they would need to medal.

Spain look to have their strongest team for years, with three swimmers 1:47.1 or better this season. Luca Hoek le Guenedal set a new Spanish record of 1:46.10 at the Spanish Championships in June, with Miguel Perez-Godoy posting a 1:47.04 in March and Cesar Castro notching a time of 1:47.12 in June alongside le Guenedal’s swim.

Their fourth swimmer is likely Carlos Garach Benito (1:48.55), but Spain has shown a tendency for their swimmers to swim above themselves in the 4×100 free relay over the last few years. Doing the same here should give them a finals appearance.

Israel are almost the opposite to Spain – a nation which has had recent success with multiple recent finals, but with no standout performances this season. Denis Loktev‘s 1:48.41 is their fastest swim so far,  and they have some way to go to match the 7:06s they posted at the World Championships last season.

Alexey Glivinsky and Daniel Krichevsky are both coming off reasonably successful NCAA season, although have been just 1:48.87 and 1:49.22 so far in long course this year. It may be a struggle to get back to the final, let alone replicate their fourth-place finish from two years ago.

SwimSwam’s Picks

Dark Horse – Greece

Greece won bronze at the 2024 European Championships in 7:09.73, and all four swimmers from that relay have been in solid form this year. Dimitrios Markos clocked a national record of 1:46.28 in Singapore last summer, and Andreas Vazaios set a new Greek recordin the 100 free earlier this year. Replicating their performance this year would require Konstantinos Englezakis to return to his 2024 form, but this squad could spring a surprise if all breaks right.

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