2026 European Championships Previews: Steenbergen Dominates Women’s 100 Free Area

2026 European Aquatics Championships

By The Numbers: Women’s 100 Freestyle

Coming into 2026, two ladies had been underneath 52 seconds within the ladies’s 100 freestyle. With the largest meets of the 12 months nonetheless to come back, that quantity has greater than doubled with three ladies cracking that barrier over the past 4 months.

While the occasion is exploding worldwide, in Europe, Marrit Steenbergen stands alone.

The Favorite

Marrit Steenbergen is the reigning champion from the 2022 European Championships and the reigning world champion, and she or he has been distinctive this season.

In May, she set a private greatest time on the Mare Nostrum Tour in Monaco of 52.13, taking a tenth off her pre-season better of 52.26.

Just a couple of days later, she broke 52 seconds for the primary time, swimming 51.86 to set the 2nd quickest time in historical past on the Mare Nostrum cease. She went on to interrupt 52 seconds two extra occasions through the tour.

In June, she broke the world report within the occasion on the Sette Colli Trophy swimming 51.68 to take three hundredths off Sarah Sjostrom’s 2017 World Record time of 51.71.

She has been underneath 52 seconds 4 occasions this 12 months, greater than anybody else in historical past, and it could be a significant upset for anybody else to earn the title.

The Potential Medalists

After Steenbergen, there’s a chasm in European freestylers a couple of second large this season. Italy’s Sara Curtis is the subsequent ranked swimmer this season with the Italian Record 52.69 she swam on the Sette Colli Trophy, proper subsequent to Steenbergen’s world report swim.

Curtis is coming off a really sturdy season the place she broke the European Record within the 50 backstroke in June and had an distinctive freshman 12 months NCAA season which noticed her end third within the 100 freestyle on the NCAA Championships. Curtis is coaching on the University of Virginia, the house of Anna Moesch and Kate Douglass, who’re the opposite two swimmers to interrupt 52 seconds this season. While a seven tenth drop to turn into the sixth lady in historical past underneath 52 could be vital, Curtis may have extra within the tank to drop and will likely be difficult for the 2nd place place.

Behind Curtis are a couple of athletes within the 53 second vary who’re all potential contenders for medals. Russia’s Daria Klepikova is available in at 53.45, which she swam on the Russian Championships in June. Her lifetime greatest is 52.98 from the World Championships final summer time, and her 53.45 is three hundredths quicker than the 53.48 she had swum by this time final 12 months.

Milou van Wijk, additionally from the Netherlands, is available in at 53.63, which she swam on the Dutch European Trials to complete behind Steenbergen. She has a quicker lifetime greatest than Klepikova at 52.91, which she additionally swam on the World Championships.

Beryl Gastaldello has not swum very many meets this season, and is coming in with a season greatest time of 54.05, which she swam in January. Last summer time, nevertheless, she set a lifetime greatest within the occasion of 53.30 to complete sixth on the World Championships. It looks as if it is going to take a 52 to medal, however she may earn her method onto the rostrum. She additionally not too long ago picked up a silver medal on the 2025 European SC Championships, ending simply two tenths behind Steenbergen.

It feels odd to say the previous world report holder and reigning Olympic gold medalist this late within the article, however Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom deserves no less than an acknowledgement. It doesn’t appear particularly doubtless that she’s going to swim the occasion subsequent week, as she hasn’t raced it since getting back from giving delivery to her son 11 months in the past, focusing extra on the 50 free and 50 fly. If she does race the occasion, although, she is at all times a medal risk.

Other Contenders

Italy’s Emma Virginia Menicucci has a season better of 53.75, which is simply off the 53.44, which she set in March of final 12 months.

Behind her, Russia’s Alexandra Kuznetsova (53.80), Czechia’s Barbora Janickova (53.90), Belgium’s Florine Gaspard (53.91), France’s Marie Wattel (53.96), and Great Britain’s Evelyn Davis (53.99) are the ultimate athletes who’ve been underneath 53 seconds this season.

Wattel has the quickest lifetime better of that group, coming in at 53.12, which she swam on the Tokyo Olympics, however the 53.96 is the quickest she has been within the final two years.

Gaspard swam 53.71 on the World Championships in Singapore to qualify sixth to the semifinal. She went on to complete eleventh within the semifinal, stopping the clock in 53.87.

Czechia’s Barbora Seemanova is one other potential finalist/medalist with the suitable efficiency. She completed tenth within the occasion eventually 12 months’s World Championships at 53.72, however she has a lifetime better of 53.50 from June of 2024. She has not been underneath 54 seconds this season, coming in at 54.36, which she swam on the Canet cease of the Mare Nostrum.

The Predictions

Steenbergen is the apparent alternative for the highest spot because the world report holder and the one swimmer underneath 52 seconds this season.

Behind her, Italy’s Curtis appears to be a secure wager for the silver medal, particularly when contemplating the 100 freestyle performances we now have seen from her coaching companions over the past month.

There is a pack of athletes after Curtis who may take over the bronze medal. Klepikova and Van Wijk appear to have the sting, however it’s actually a toss up between the 2 over who will end greater. Klepikova was quicker than van Wijk via the primary two rounds of the occasion on the World Championships however van Wijk earned the sting within the precise occasion last.

Dark Horse: Nina Holt (GER) – Germany’s Holt has been underneath 54 earlier than, coming in with a lifetime better of 53.81 from April of 2025. She has solely been underneath 54 seconds thrice, and the swims had been lower than every week aside together with her lifetime greatest coming simply six days earlier than she swam 53.96 in prelims and 53.90 in finals on the German Championships. She has a couple of swims within the low 54 vary, however her season greatest is available in at 54.38 from April. She had a powerful efficiency on the SC European Championships, and if she will repeat that, she may earn her method into the ultimate.