Betlehem’s golden double headlines European success in Ibiza

European athletes put in one other commanding set of performances on the second leg of the 2026 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup in Ibiza, with Hungary’s David Betlehem rising because the standout performer. Backing up his standing as one of many circuit’s stand-out figures from the previous 12 months, the 22-year-old claimed a commanding double within the males’s 10km and 3km knockout dash, anchoring a weekend wherein European swimmers persistently completed in and across the podium locations throughout a busy two dats of racing.

The girls’s 10km set the tone for the meet because it opened procedings early on Friday morning, with Spain’s Angela Martinez Guillen delighting the house crowds by securing silver after a managed swim that noticed her take her possibilities. She remained firmly in competition all through and surged on the proper second to make sure a spot on the rostrum, simply 5 seconds behind Australia’s winner Moesha Johnson.

Hungary’s Viktoria Mihalyvari-Farkas added bronze the identical distance behind, persevering with her regular development on the worldwide stage with one other composed efficiency in a tightly packed lead group.

Just behind, Monaco’s Lisa Pou delivered a robust fourth-place end, narrowly lacking out on the medals, whereas Poland’s Klaudia Tarasiewicz confirmed her consistency with fifth. Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci adopted in sixth, and Germany’s Lea Boy, who’s already a confirmed performer on this atmosphere, took seventh.

Depth was additional underlined by Hungary’s Bettina Fabian in eighth and a trio of Spanish swimmers, Clara Martinez de Salinas Pena and Candela Sanchez Lora, guaranteeing vital residence illustration inside the highest ten.

In the boys’s 10km, Betlehem asserted management in a high-quality subject, timing his effort to perfection to safe victory in a carefully fought end that noticed 4 swimmers inside ten seconds of the gold. France’s Sacha Velly pushed him all the way in which to the contact, taking silver simply 4 seconds behind, whereas Italy’s Andrea Filadelli accomplished the rostrum in what was the most recent version of a current surge of spectacular performances within the open water.

Italy’s power in depth was significantly evident, with Marcello Guidi and Pasquale Giordano ending fourth and fifth respectively, each remaining in competition deep into the race. France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier, a long-time benchmark in open water swimming, took sixth, adopted by Italy’s Ivan Giovannoni in seventh. Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky, one other established title on the circuit, rounded out the European dominance of the top-eight.

Betlehem then doubled up in emphatic style within the males’s 3km knockout dash on the Saturday, adapting seamlessly to the comparatively new format, which consists of heats, semi-finals and a last throughout the space. After progressing confidently by way of the sooner rounds, he delivered a decisive last to safe his second gold of the weekend. Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri, one of many sport’s most embellished athletes, showcased his expertise to take silver slightly below two seconds behind, whereas Olivier added one other podium end with bronze.

The last remained closely European in composition, with France’s Logan Fontaine ending fourth and Filadelli as soon as once more that includes prominently in fifth. Matteo Diodato added additional Italian presence in sixth, whereas Germany’s Florian Wellbrock, a dominant drive in conventional distance occasions, reached the ultimate and positioned ninth, underlining the crossover attraction of the knockout format.

The girls’s knockout dash introduced one other European medal by way of Boy, who constructed on her 10km efficiency to take silver after pushing Johnson all the way in which and arising simply a few seconds brief.

Fabian continued her robust weekend by ending fourth, simply outdoors the rostrum locations, whereas France positioned two athletes within the last by way of Ines Delacroix in sixth and Caroline Laure Jouisse in seventh.

Spain’s Maria de Valdes ensured additional residence curiosity in eighth, with France’s Lou-Ann Gaudaire and Clemence Coccordano rounded out the European top-ten in ninth and tenth respectively. finishing the European finalists in ninth.

Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics