By Giusy Cisale on SwimSwam
2026 EUROPEAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
August 10-16, 2026 Paris, France – Olympic Aquatics Centre LCM (50 Meters) Meet Information Meet Central Entries Results Live Results SwimSwam Preview Index Live Stream Recaps: Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6The sixth night of swimming at the 2026 European Aquatics Championships featured the first individual victory here in Paris for Leon Marchand, a world record from Johannes Liebmann, and a second individual title for Nicolo Martinenghi.
Below are the main athlete reactions from Day 6, provided by European Aquatics, France 24, Reuters and the Italian Swimming Federation.
Leon Marchand — Gold, Men’s 200 Butterfly, 1:51.72
Leon Marchand won the men’s 200 butterfly in 1:51.72, adding another European title in front of his home crowd at the Olympic Aquatics Centre.
“It was an amazing moment,” Marchand told France 24. “There was an incredible atmosphere in the pool, and I will remember this for a long time.”
Marchand took control of the race and pulled away decisively over the closing stages.
“The last 50 was one of the best I’ve swum in a long time,” he said. “Although I probably could have started a little faster.”
Hungary’s Richard Marton finished second in 1:54.06, while Apostolos Siskos of Greece took bronze in 1:54.13. Italy’s Alberto Razzetti placed fourth in an Italian record of 1:54.23.
Johannes Liebmann — Gold, Men’s 1500 Freestyle, 14:26.79 World Record
Johannes Liebmann delivered the biggest performance of Day 6, winning the men’s 1500 freestyle in a world record of 14:26.79.
The 19-year-old German lowered the previous world record of 14:30.67, set by Bobby Finke at the 2024 Olympic Games, by 3.88 seconds. He also broke Gregorio Paltrinieri’s European record of 14:32.80.
“I’m simply speechless,” Liebmann said after the race. “The time is incredible, and I didn’t think it was possible for me.”
Liebmann established a clear lead early and continued to separate himself from the field throughout the race.
“The plan was to start fast, get away from the others and then swim my own race,” he said. “I knew I could go fast, and the plan was to take the lead immediately and maintain that pace. But then it really started to hurt.”
The crowd at the Olympic Aquatics Centre rose to its feet as Liebmann closed in on the record during the final stages of the race.
“In the last 200 meters, I saw the crowd standing, and that gave me some extra energy,” he said. “Hearing them during those final 200 meters was amazing.”
Zalan Sarkany of Hungary took silver in 14:39.45, while Germany’s Oliver Klemet earned bronze in 14:40.64.
Nicolo Martinenghi — Gold, Men’s 50 Breaststroke, 26.57
Nicolo Martinenghi completed the men’s breaststroke double by winning the 50 in 26.57.
After also claiming the 100 breaststroke title, Martinenghi repeated the double he achieved at the 2022 European Championships in Rome.
“It was a very strange race,” Martinenghi told the Italian Swimming Federation immediately after the final. “I knew the final would be different from the previous rounds.”
“I enjoy these challenges because they bring out the best in me. Until recently, repeating what I did in Rome would have seemed unthinkable.”
Italy placed two swimmers on the podium, as Simone Cerasuolo and the Netherlands’ Koen de Groot tied for silver in 26.62.
“Congratulations to Cerasuolo,” Martinenghi said. “He swam three incredible rounds. The future belongs to him.”
After receiving his gold medal, Martinenghi spoke about the freedom he feels when he is not considered the favorite.
“I like being the outsider,” he said. “There is a greater sense of freedom, and I’m able to perform better. I still love what I do, and I’m still having a lot of fun.”
Martinenghi also addressed his physical condition, revealing that he underwent a routine MRI before traveling to Paris.
“The images weren’t perfect, but clinically everything was fine,” he said. “I feel good. Since I’ve been here, I don’t remember having an injury. You have to be very good at mentally switching away from that aspect.”
Simone Cerasuolo — Silver, Men’s 50 Breaststroke, 26.62
Simone Cerasuolo shared the silver medal with Koen de Groot after both swimmers touched in 26.62.
Cerasuolo had set an Italian record of 26.20 in the preliminaries before posting 26.23 in the semifinals. He was unable to reproduce those times in the final and finished .05 behind Martinenghi.
“I was tighter than I was yesterday,” Cerasuolo told the Italian Swimming Federation. “Finals can be like that.”
The result gave Cerasuolo his second individual medal of the championships after his bronze in the 100 breaststroke, but he acknowledged his disappointment with the final performance.
“We will have to learn from what didn’t work, and I would say there were quite a few things,” he said. “Being four-tenths slower than I was in the qualifying rounds is a lot, but you learn from it and move forward.”
Sources: European Aquatics, France 24, Reuters and the Italian Swimming Federation. Quotes provided by the Italian Swimming Federation were translated from Italian.
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