Italian teen Sara Curtis breaks 50m backstroke world record at European Championships

PARIS – Italian teenager Sara Curtis earned praise after breaking the women’s 50m backstroke world record at the European Aquatics Championships with a blistering swim in Paris on Aug 12.

The 19-year-old clocked 26.63 seconds to top the semi-finals, bettering the previous mark set by Australia’s Kaylee McKeown three years ago by 0.23sec.

Russian Alina Gaifutdinova, 21, was second overall, 0.28sec behind Curtis, with France’s Mary-Ambre Moluh, 20, third in 27.25. The final took place after press time.

Curtis told European Aquatics: “I can tell that I am superwoman right now. It’s unbelievable and I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight.”

Frenchwoman Analia Pigree, 25, who finished sixth overall in the semi-finals, 0.71sec behind Curtis, said: “She just put on a masterclass in front of some of the best backstrokers on the planet, so that’s pretty impressive.”

Curtis, who took bronze in the women’s 100m freestyle on Aug 11, adds the 50m world record to the short-course European mark she set in the event in Poland in 2025.

A year after giving birth to her first child, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom was crowned European champion in the 50m butterfly for the sixth time.

The three-time Olympic champion, who has held the world record in the event since 2014, won the final with a time of 25.05sec in Paris. She secured her 18th European title and now boasts a total of 99 international medals since making her debut at the age of 14 at the European championships in Rome.

“It’s wonderful to be back at this level; I never would have thought it possible a few months ago,” said 14-time world champion Sjostrom.

“I’m glad I took the chance, and I’m glad my body is still holding up. I don’t take any of this for granted, so I’m thrilled.”

In the final, the 32-year-old finished ahead of Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk in 25.12sec and fellow Swede Sara Junevik (25.51).

Popovici retains title

Romanian star David Popovici secured his third consecutive European 100m freestyle title with a championship record of 46.56sec, the third-fastest time ever and just 16-hundredths off Pan Zhanle’s world record.

Russian Egor Kornev, who won the 50m butterfly gold on Aug 11, had to settle for silver, with Hungary’s Kristof Milak third.

All three medallists touched the wall in under 47 seconds – only Pan and Popovici are now above Kornev in the all-time list.

“It was a very good race – I had very capable competitors, so I want to congratulate them,” Popovici said.

“It was really tight, and I’m really excited to see how interesting these rivalries could become in the future.”

The 21-year-old took Olympic bronze in the 100m free in Paris in 2024 and won gold in the 200m.

Germany’s 19-year-old rising star Johannes Liebmann romped to a continental record of 7:37.59 to win the men’s 800m freestyle by more than 3.5.

His compatriot Sven Schwarz took silver, with Hungarian Zalan Sarkany completing the podium.

Reigning Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen of Ireland was left trailing in fourth place.

Hungary’s Hubert Kos won the European men’s 200m backstroke gold to add to his Olympic and world titles in the event. The 23-year-old from Budapest, who achieved a new European record over the distance in the semi-finals on Aug 11, clocked 1min 53.08sec to take gold.

Kos won the Olympic title in Paris and the world title in 2023 and 2025, but had never won the continental trophy.

Britain’s Angharad Evans claimed her first European title in the women’s 100m breaststroke with a championship record time of 1:4.87sec, continuing her good form after she won two golds at the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Ireland’s Ellen Walshe won her first major long-course title with victory in the 400m medley, beating Briton Amalie Smith into second by 0.70sec.

Marrit Steenbergen secured her second gold of the week and eighth European title in total in the women’s 4x100m free relay.

The world champion started the anchor leg with her Netherlands team sitting in third place, but clocked a 51.34sec split, 0.32 quicker than her individual world record, to comfortably overhaul Italy.

Elsewhere on Aug 12, Australian Lani Pallister edged out Canada’s Summer McIntosh to win the women’s 200m freestyle title at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California.

McIntosh, 19, made her move in the closing stages, but Pallister responded to touch the wall first in 1:53.67, 0.19 ahead of the Canadian. New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather was third.

“Racing this week at Pan Pac is the first taste of racing at the Olympics in two years’ time,” Pallister said poolside at the meet. “I don’t often race the 200 individually, so going 1:53 is wicked here.”

The 24-year-old won Olympic gold as part of Australia’s 4x200m freestyle relay team at the Paris Games in 2024.

She also claimed the 800m silver at the 2025 world championships in Singapore, finishing behind American Katie Ledecky and ahead of McIntosh. AFP, REUTERS