Nowacki secures European title as Curtis shatters world record in Paris
British teenager Filip Nowacki claims men’s 200m breaststroke gold while Italy’s Sara Curtis sets a new global benchmark in the women’s 50m backstroke.
Eighteen-year-old British swimmer Filip Nowacki has claimed the gold medal in the men’s 200m breaststroke at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris. Nowacki finished the final with a time of 2:07.70, securing victory with a late burst that edged out Dutch swimmer Caspar Corbeau, who finished in 2:07.78. Austrian swimmer Luka Mladenovic took the bronze medal with a time of 2:08.91, while fellow Briton Gregory Butler placed fifth in 2:09.45.
The victory adds to Nowacki’s recent international success. Last month, the teenager made history for Jersey by winning gold in the same event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Nowacki is also the reigning world junior champion in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke disciplines.
In the women’s 50m backstroke, Italian swimmer Sara Curtis set a new world record with a time of 26.56 seconds. Curtis improved upon the 26.63-second time she recorded in the semi-finals, breaking the previous record held by Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown by 0.23 seconds. French swimmer Mary-Ambre Moluh finished second in 27.06, while British swimmer Lauren Cox took bronze with a time of 27.15.
British swimmers also secured a bronze medal in the women’s 200m freestyle. Freya Colbert finished third with a time of 1:55.81. The event was won by Barbora Seemanova, who set a championship record of 1:54.38, with Dutch swimmer Marrit Steenbergen finishing second in 1:54.65.
The results at the Paris championships highlight the competitive depth across the European field, with multiple records and medals distributed among British, Italian, Dutch, and Austrian competitors.
