2026 European Championships Previews: Battle Brewing in Women’s 100 Backstroke ...Middle East

By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam

2026 European Swimming Championships

Women’s 100 Backstroke: By the Numbers

The women’s backstroke events at the European Championships are one of the places where the absence of the Pan Pacific countries is felt most significantly, though there is still some major top end speed, particularly from Mary-Ambre Moluh and Marrit Steenbergen

The Favorites

There are three swimmers entered in the 100 back at the European Championships who have been under 59 seconds in the event. Mary-Ambre Moluh leads the field as the 4th fastest performer in European history.

Mary-Ambre Moluh (photo: Jack Spitser)

She swam 58.25 at the French Elite Championships in June, taking eight tenths off her previous best of 59.01, which she set at the beginning of June. She has dropped nearly a second this season, coming in with a best of 59.16 from June of 2025. This swim was a new French Record, taking five tenths off the 58.79 Emma Terebo set in 2024.

Moluh already took down the French Record in the 50 backstroke at the same meet, stopping the clock in 27.20 to take seven hundredths off Analia Pigree’s 2022 record of 27.27.

On paper, it looks like the only person who could challenge Moluh for the title is The Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen.

Steenbergen has been exceptional this season, setting a new world record in the 100 freestyle, and at the 2025 SC European Championships, she set a new European record in the SC 50 backstroke of 25.47.

At the Dutch Trials in July, she swam 58.33 to become the 5th fastest European in history in the event. She dropped seven tenths from the 58.96 she swam in June of 2025. She has a little less experience in the event than Moluh, having two sub-59 swims and her 3rd fastest time in the event is 59.78. By contrast, Moluh has been under 59.5 six times, but she has only been under 59 once.

Potential Medalists

Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk is the only other swimmer in the field who has been under 59 seconds in the event. She is coming in with a lifetime best of 58.97, which she swam in February of 2025 at the Flanders Swimming Cup.

Roos Vanotterdijk (photo: Jack Spitser)

She hasn’t been back under that mark since, swimming 59.37 at the World Championships in Singapore to finish 10th, but she is a safe bet to qualify for the final and a potential medalist if she can drop back into the 58 range, though it will likely take a 58 low or even a 57 in order to win. She has not swum the event at all this season.

France’s Pauline Maheiu has been a staple in the international backstroke events for a few years now, though she is historically stronger in the 200. She was the highest finishing European swimmer at the 2025 World Championships in the 100 back, stopping the clock in 59.48 to finish 6th in the final, a little more than a tenth ahead of Moluh’s 59.60 in 8th.

Her season best stands at 59.44 from the Giant Open in March, which is ranked in the top 20 in the world this year, but her lifetime best is 59.13 from last June.

Sub-1:00s

After Vanotterdijk and Maheiu, there are five swimmers who have been under 1:00. Maaike de Waard, from the Netherlands, leads the charge in 59.40, which she set in June at the Dutch Trials. This was her first best time in the event in four years, taking two tenths off the 59.62 she swam in April of 2022, and it marked her first time under 1:00 since the 2024 Olympic Games. This is a good sign for another potential best time next week.

Russia’s Alina Gaifutdinova has a lifetime and season best of 59.51 from the Russian Swimming Cup in April. This was a three tenth drop from the 59.87 she set at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore. She is continuously improving in the event, and it is fair to expect another drop to come in Paris.

Great Britain’s Lauren Cox was the highest finishing European swimmer at the 2026

Lauren Cox2026 COMMONWEALTH GAMES – GLASGOWCredit Mickael Malaper/Malaper Photography

Commonwealth Games in the 100 backstroke, and she is coming in as the 6th seed in 59.45, which she set in March of 2026. This was a tenth drop from the 59.59 she swam in Singapore. At the Commonwealth Games, she did not get under the 1:00 mark, with her fastest swim of the series coming in at 1:00.35.

France’s Beryl Gastaldello’s lifetime best is 59.18 from June of 2024, and her season best stands at 59.76 from June at the French Elite Championships.

The final sub-1:00 is Poland’s Adela Piskorska, who has a lifetime best of 59.76 from April of 2023. She has been under 1:00 four times in her career, once in 2023, twice in 2024, and then a fourth time last month when she swam 59.99. She will probably need a lifetime best to qualify for the final, but getting back under that 1:00 mark is a great sign for potential improvement.

Italian Sara Curtis is lurking in the middle of the field with a 1:00 seed time, but deserved a mention. She has a lifetime best in the event of 1:00.35 from April at the Italian Championships, but she could easily see a massive drop to move into the final and potentially into medal position.

She is the European record holder in the 50 backstroke with the 27.07 she swam at the Sette Colli Trophy, which made her the 5th-fastest performer in history in the event.

She also has shown skill in the 100 back, albeit in the SCY version of the event. At the NCAA Championships, she swam 49.47 in the 100 backstroke leading off Virginia’s 400 medley relay, which points to the idea that she could have more in the tank long course. This is especially true when taking the performances we have seen from other athletes training at UVA right now.

She might not race the event, though. She is entered in five events at the European Championships, and she has never raced the 100 back at a senior international meet.

The Verdict

There are a lot of ways the women’s 100 backstroke could go, and a number of athletes could win the gold medal and it wouldn’t be a massive shock.

France’s Mary-Ambre Moluh has been on fire, and with only three events on her schedule, this will likely be her primary focus which is why we have given her a slight edge for the gold medal.

Steenbergen could just as easily win the event and she has been electric this season, which makes it hard to bet against her.

After those two, the rest of the field is relatively close, though Vanotterdijk and Mahieu seem like safe finals picks. As the only other swimmer who has been under 59 seconds in the event, Vanotterdijk earned the nod for the bronze medal.

Dark Horse: Katie Shanahan, GBR – Shanahan is the 2nd fastest British 100 backstroker this year, and she finished just behind Cox in the event at the Commonwealth Games. She has never been under 1:00 in the event, but her lifetime best stands at 1:00.03 from April of 2025, and she has improved from her previous meet every time she has raced this year swimming 1:01.59 in March, 1:01.10 in April, 1:00.75 in June and 1:00.66 at the CGs (prelims). If she drops under 1:00, she could easily move into a finals position.

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