Marchand Claims Second European Title in 400m Freestyle
Léon Marchand secured his second gold medal at the European swimming championships, defeating Hungary’s Oliver Papai by 1.32 seconds in the 400m freestyle final.
French swimming star Léon Marchand has secured his second gold medal at the European swimming championships, winning the 400m freestyle final in Saint-Denis on Sunday. Clocking a time of 3 minutes 43.14 seconds, Marchand finished 1.32 seconds ahead of Hungary’s Oliver Papai, with Germany’s Lukas Martens taking the bronze medal.
The victory marks a significant result for the four-time Olympic champion, who noted that he rarely competes in the 400m freestyle distance. Marchand had already claimed gold in the 200m butterfly earlier in the championships and was the fourth-fastest qualifier in the heats for this event. The 24-year-old is racing a reduced schedule at the Europeans as he continues to recover from a thigh injury sustained during the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he won four gold medals and one bronze.
In other events on Sunday, Hungary’s Hubert Kos won the men’s 200m individual medley title in 1 minute 54.24 seconds. This victory secured Kos’s third gold of the championships and his third European title in the event, following wins in 2022 and 2024. He finished two-tenths of a second ahead of Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez, while Russia’s Mikhail Shcherbakov, competing under a neutral flag, took bronze.
Italy’s Simona Quadarella won the women’s 400m freestyle in 4 minutes 01.74 seconds, defeating Germany’s Isabel Gose and Maya Werner. Quadarella surged ahead in the final 100 metres to secure the win, adding to her previous titles in the 800m and 1,500m events at these championships. The 27-year-old previously achieved a freestyle treble at the 2018 European Championships in Rome.
Other notable results included Britain’s Keanna Macinnes winning the women’s 200m butterfly in 2 minutes 05.90 seconds, and Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte claiming gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke with a time of 29.93 seconds. Defending champion Apostolos Christou of Greece retained his 100m backstroke gold, while Ukraine’s Nikita Sheremet won his first title in the men’s 50m freestyle on the final day of competition.
