The 2026 European Championships are upon us, and with them, a host of captivating storylines that promise to make for an enthralling spectacle. As the swimming world converges on Paris, France, the Olympic Aquatics Centre, the stage is set for a tournament that will not only showcase the continent's finest but also provide a platform for emerging talents to make their mark. Among the myriad of races and events, several stand out as particularly intriguing, each with its own unique narrative and potential for surprise.
Leon Marchand's Uncertain Territory
One of the most intriguing storylines involves Leon Marchand, the reigning Olympic champion and world-record holder in the 200-meter individual medley (IM). However, an adductor injury has forced him to withdraw from the 200 and 400 IM events, as well as the initial entry list for the 200 breaststroke. This is a significant development, as Marchand's strength lies in the breaststroke leg, and his absence from these events could have a ripple effect on the overall dynamics of the meet. Will he still take on relay swims? France's current lack of a 100-meter freestyler outside of Maxime Grousset means that Marchand may be needed on the fly leg for the medley relay. The 4x200 free relay is a given, but with spots open on the men's 4x100 free, men's 4x100 medley, mixed 4x200 free, and mixed 4x100 free, Marchand could be tempted to take them on. This will be his first European Championships since 2021, and performing in front of a home crowd in Paris adds another layer of intrigue. Hopefully, his withdrawal from the IM events was precautionary, but for the first time since his breakout in 2022, there is some uncertainty around Marchand.
Hubert Kos: The Front-Runner for Swimmer of the Meet?
On the other end of the uncertainty scale is Hubert Kos, Marchand's teammate. Kos is entered in six events, and while he will surely scratch at least one, a potential triple on day 6 is on the cards. He has only won two individual European titles before, both in the 200 IM. However, his desire to claim the title in the 200 back, an event he has become synonymous with at the global level, is more pressing. He didn't swim the event two years ago but made the final and finished 8th in Rome in 2022. Since then, he has won two world titles and the 2024 Olympic gold, and comes in as the second-fastest man in the world this year. Greece's Apostolos Siskos, who won European silver two years ago, is his main competitor after blasting a national record of 1:54.12 earlier this year. But Kos is still the favorite after a 1:53.19 last summer. He could add titles in the 200 IM and 100 back as well, and has entries in the 50 back (24.50), 100 fly (50.55), and 200 fly (1:56.01). While he could be a finalist in all six events, the potential relay swims for Hungary add another layer of complexity to his schedule. The 200 fly is probably on the chopping block, but we will have to wait and see.
Grousset, Ponti, and Milak: The Battle for 100 Fly Supremacy
Three of the best 100 fly swimmers in history will collide in Paris: Maxime Grousset, World Champion in 2023 and 2025; Noe Ponti, 2025 World silver medalist; and Kristof Milak, 2024 Olympic champion. These three, along with three others, are the five fastest men in history in the event. However, only one can top the podium next week. Grousset has questions regarding his form at this meet, having only just returned from a foot injury that kept him out of the French Elite Championships in June. His season best is just 50.95, the slowest of this trio, but he did win gold at the European Short Course Championships in December in a new French record of 48.10. His long course best of 49.62 makes him the #2 performer in history, but with the effect of his phenomenal kick tempered by that foot injury, it is tough to predict how he will perform. Ponti won silver in a new lifetime best of 49.83 in Singapore last summer, but his season best of 50.59 is his slowest since 2023. Milak, however, is the swimmer with the most international success. He won world silver in 2017, Olympic silver in 2021, and Olympic gold in 2024, and is the only one of these three to have broken 50 seconds multiple times. His lifetime best is 49.68, making him the #3 performer in history, and he leads the season rankings with a 50.22. Who will come out on top? Milak has ditched the 200 fly to focus on the sprint events, but Grousset looked imperious last summer, and Ponti is on the hunt for his first long course title. It should be a thrilling battle.
A Titanic Battle Brewing in Men's 100 Back
This could well be the race of the meet. Seven of the eight finalists and eight of the 16 semi-finalists at the world championships last summer were European, and the talent base looks to have only increased this year. Hubert Kos may not swim due to a very short turnaround between the final of this event and the final of the 200 IM, but Thomas Ceccon, Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, Apostolos Christou, Ollie Morgan, and Kliment Kolesnikov have all been 52.12 or faster. Ksawery Masiuk, Pavel Samusenko, Hugo Gonzalez, and Mewen Tomac are also sub-53 seconds. Before we even get onto the younger talent, Miroslav Knedla, Kaii Winkler, Jon Shortt, Ivan Martinez Sota, Georgii Iakovlev, and Georgii Smirnov are all entered in 53-low. There will be no opportunity to rest through all three rounds, and if there is one event where we see a big name unexpectedly fall before the final, this looks to be it.
A First-Ever Final Defeat for Ramsay-Peaty?
Adam Ramsay-Peaty has won 16 medals at the European Championships, all gold, having competed in only 17 events. This is a mind-boggling statistic. Ramsay-Peaty has won the quadruple-quadruple: the 50 breast, 100 breast, men's 4x100 medley relay, and mixed 4x100 medley relay, at four Championships in a row between 2014 and 2021. The only race which he has failed to medal in was the 200 breaststroke in 2014, when he missed the semi-finals. This year, he looks more vulnerable. Ramsay-Peaty won bronze in both the 50 breast and 100 breast at the Commonwealth Games, and his last individual title came in the 50 breast at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. His season best times of 26.64 in the 50 and 58.97 in the 100 rank him 4th and 3rd, respectively, so far this season, and he added time in Glasgow last month. It seems almost certain that his unbeaten run in the 50 breast and 100 breast will come to an end in Paris. Great Britain are the longest of long shots to win either the men's 4x100 medley or mixed 4x100 medley relays too. At some point next week, a long course European final featuring Ramsay-Peaty will end with someone else winning gold. That has never happened before.
Egor Kornev: Seeks the Sprint Crowns
With the retirement of Ben Proud last summer, Europe needed a new swimmer to step up and take over the mantle of the fastest man in the pool. Egor Kornev has done that with aplomb, already surpassing Proud's lifetime best of 21.11 with a 21.06 at the Russian Championships. Kornev also clocked a 46.96 in the 100 free, making him just the eighth man to break 47 seconds. He leads the field by half a second this season in the 50, and was the fastest finisher at the World Championships last year who will be in attendance in Paris. However, his path in the 100 free is blocked by the formidable form of David Popovici. The Russian swimmer has already exceeded expectations for this season. With the 50 fly also holding gold-medal potential after he set a new Russian record of 22.59 in Kazan two months ago, Kornev could win some serious hardware next week.
Lukas Martens Takes on 200 Free
Lukas Martens has been one of the top 400 freestylers in the world over the last four years, and has made world and Olympic finals in the 800 free and 1500 free. However, this year, he is scrapping the two longer events and dialling in on an event in which he is yet to truly make his mark. He is the fastest European man in the 200 free not named David Popovici over the last decade, thanks to the 1:44.14 he clocked in the leadup to the Paris Olympics two years ago. He was more than a second slower in the final there, clocking 1:45.46 for 5th, and did not swim the event in Singapore last summer despite owning a season best of 1:44.25 which would have won bronze. He did lead off the heats team in the 4x200 free relay in a time of 1:45.65 though, as Germany placed 9th. This season, he has been 1:45.67, his slowest in-season time since 2023. With a far more limited schedule than in previous years, where he has often taken on the 200 back as well, he has made a statement. David Popovici looks to have the title sewn up, but Martens could be a clear second place among a strong chasing pack.
