Home athletes relishing Lublin 2025 problem as Ponti and Wiffen set targets on eve of competitors – European Aquatics Swimming Short Course Championships

Excitement over the European Aquatics Short Course Swimming Championships in Lublin was palpable at at present’s opening press convention – and most notably from Polish athletes making ready for the house occasion that may run from December 2 to 7.

Home swimmers Katarzyna Wasick, Adela Piskorska and Krzysztof Chmielewski described their delight at participating, sitting alongside Switzerland’s a number of world file breaker Noe Ponti, double world 100m freestyle champion Marrit Steenbergen of The Netherlands, Belgium’s European 100m butterfly champion Roos Vanotterdijk and Ireland’s Paris 2024 800m freestyle champion Daniel Wiffen.

The athletes’ contributions at Lublin’s Arche Hotel have been preceded by welcoming speeches together with one from European Aquatics President Antonio Silva.

Asked what it meant to be competing at a house Championships,  Wasick, 33, who has taken world 50m freestyle bronze and silver medals inside in final three years, responded:

“It means the whole lot. When these Championships have been final In Poland in 2011 I used to be one of many swimmers competing in Szczecin. So to have the ability to come again right here in Lublin and compete once more means the whole lot.

“It means through the years I survived! But additionally that I received higher, to have the ability to be amongst such superb athletes.

“I want to thank our home federation, the city authorities in Lublin and everyone involved in this event for making it happen.”

The appreciation from Wasick’s 22-year-old team-mate Adela Piskorska, the European 100m backstroke champion, was no much less intense.

“It’s a really special event for me because Aqua Lublin is my training home,” Piskorska, who received gold, silver and bronze at this summer time’s European Aquatics U23 Championships, commented.

“I live here, study here and train here. It’s maybe a weird feeling to have a European Championship in my training pool – but I am also really excited about it! I want to have fun and swim fast.”

Asked if it was, as has been instructed, a quick pool, she responded: “Yes!”

There have been related vibes for Poland’s 21-year-old Krzysztof Chmielewski, now US-based, who earned world 200m butterfly silvers in 2023 and 2025, and who took bronze in final December’s World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest.

“It feels amazing to be swimming against the best in the world in the pool I trained in for years when I was little,” he stated. “I am really looking forward to this week.”

Wasick mirrored upon the break she took from swimming after competing on the Rio 2016 Olympics:

“In 2016 I retired from aggressive swimming for 2 years. And afterwards I got here again. I made a decision to have yet one more probability within the sport. My purpose on the time was to make my fourth Olympics. But since then I’ve been progressing!

“So I hope I could make one or two Olympics extra, however the journey has been simply unimaginable. And the enjoyment from being within the sport has introduced me right here.

“I’m very completely satisfied that I used to be capable of come again to have the ability to compete in my nation. That’s a win for me.

“I remember in 2011 winning the bronze medal with the girls in the relay, and being on the team with our Swimming Federation President, Otylia Jędrzejczak. It’s really special that now I can be here and she can kind of guide me from the other side.”

Wiffen, who received the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle titles on the final version of those Championships at Otopeni in 2023, setting a world file within the 800m, is making a aggressive return right here. He needed to depart halfway by means of this summer time’s World Championships, the place he was defending 800m and 1500m champion, with a purpose to have his appendix out.

“I’m very excited to be in Poland – it’s the first time for me,” Wiffen stated. “Otopeni 2023 was clearly superb for me. Being capable of break the 800m world file on the final day set the pathway for me for successful on the Olympics the next yr.

“This is a new season for me. I love the European Short Course because it gets the season off to a fast start. I’m not gong to say I’m going to go out and have the same feats as last time, three golds and a world record, but I’m hoping for at least one gold here and I’ll see if I can build on it.”

Asked about his psychological strategy to those Championships given the disruption to his yr, the 24-year-old responded: “I’d truly say my angle is similar to the way in which it was after I got here into the Championships in Otopeni as a result of I used to be coming off a World Champs having come fourth twice.

“This time I’ve had my appendix taken out which ruined my World Championships in the summer. But I think I am bringing the same motivation to Lublin as I brought to Otopeni after coming fourth twice.”

Ponti, 24, is defending the 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly titles he received at Otopeni 2023. By the top of final yr he had set 5 brief course world information and earned three golds on the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest.

This summer time he took world lengthy course silver within the 50m and 100m  butterfly, ending on each events behind France’s Maxime Grousset, who can also be competing in Lublin.

It’s going to be an extended week of racing and it’s going to be thrilling,” Ponti stated. “It’s at all times good to race brief course, it’s enjoyable, there are quite a lot of guys going for the medals.

“So it’s going to be a tough week but it’s going to be a good one. I don’t know what you expect of me but for sure I’m going to try to put on a good show for everyone.”

Ponti commented earlier this yr that he most popular lengthy course to brief course because it was the Olympic distance. But he emphasised his affinity for brief course at present.

“Short course is really easy for me because of my underwaters, but long and short course have the same importance for me.”

Steenbergen, whose first senior worldwide medals have been received on the European Short Course Championships at Netanya in 2015, commented: “It’s been a while since I’ve done the European Short Course. I want to see what I can do at these Championships. I’m curious to see what I do here and how I can build on that toward the next long course season.”

Vanotterdijk, 20, has had a whirlwind 2025, taking three golds and two silvers on the EA U23 Championships in Samorin after which stepping as much as win 100m butterfly silver and 50m butterfly bronze att the Singapore World Championships.

Since then she has set a succession of snational brief course information within the World Cup sequence:

“I really enjoy doing short course, it’s so much fun,” she stated. “It’s maybe not my strong point compared to the 50m pool but being able to do more events helps me. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Earlier, President Silva – sitting alongside Jędrzejczak – stated he felt “completely relaxed” in regards to the success of the Championships.

“I know I can really rely upon Otylia and her team,” he stated. “We have worked together on other events and I know this is going to be an amazing Championship. I want to express our gratitude to everyone whose help and support has enabled this event to take place.”

Also current for welcoming speeches have been Beata Stepaniuk-Kuzmierzak, from the Mayor of Lublin\\\’s Office for Culture, Sport and Participation, and Katarzyna Smyk, Director of the European Commission Representation in Poland.

Turning to Smyk, Silva added: “It is very good to see Katarzyna here. We have a lot of co-operation with the European Commission on a lot of projects, and I think it is important to show that such co-operation can be very fruitful in bringing people together.”

Jędrzejczak commented: “Thank you to European Aquatics for giving us the prospect o organise these Championships 14 years after the final one right here, at which I competed.

“I heard from our team that the pool is very fast. As a committee we have done everything to make this competition as beautiful as it can be for the athletes taking part.”

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics