Teenager Nowacki wins European 200m breaststroke gold as Curtis smashes world record in Paris
An 18-year-old from Jersey won the men's 200m breaststroke at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, touching the wall in 2 minutes 7.70 seconds — eight hundredths clear of Dutch swimmer Caspar Corbeau. BBC Sport
Filip Nowacki's gold follows a Commonwealth Games title he won in Glasgow the previous month, where he made history for Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands. To back that up with a European crown at 18 marks him out as one of the brightest young breaststroke talents in the continent.
The margin was tight. Corbeau, of the Netherlands, clocked 2:07.78 — 0.08 seconds behind, a gap barely wider than a fingertip at the wall. Austria's Luka Mladenovic took bronze in 2:08.91. A second Briton, Gregory Butler, finished fifth in 2:09.45. Ireland's Jack Kelly also competed in the final. (Reuters, BBC Sport)
For context, the European record in this event stands at 2:05.85, set by France's Léon Marchand, with the world record at 2:05.48. Nowacki's time is competitive at continental level but leaves room between him and the sport's outright benchmark. (SwimSwam)
Italy's Sara Curtis delivered the performance of the night in the women's 50m backstroke. The 19-year-old won gold in 26.56 seconds — a world record, lowering the mark of 26.79 set by Australia's Kaylee McKeown by 0.23 seconds. Curtis had already gone 26.63 in the semi-final; she found more in the final.
Britain's Lauren Cox claimed bronze in that race, finishing third in 27.15 behind France's Mary-Ambre Moluh, who took silver in 27.06.
Freya Colbert added another British bronze, this time in the women's 200m freestyle. She touched in 1:55.81, behind winner Barbora Seemanova of the Czech Republic, who set a championship record of 1:54.38, and Dutch silver medallist Marrit Steenbergen in 1:54.65.
Britain's Angharad Evans gave herself a strong platform for the 200m breaststroke final by winning her semi-final in 2:22.66. Ireland's Mona McSharry also advanced, qualifying in 2:23.37. (Independent.ie)
What makes this championship compelling is the youth running through it. Nowacki is 18. Curtis is 19. Both have now won major international titles before their twentieth birthdays. A junior record, as any coach will tell you, is a promise — not a career. But these two are already delivering on the biggest stages Europe can offer.
