2026 European Swimming Championships: Martinenghi Wins Second Gold; Italy Totals 15 Medals
The sky over Paris is getting bluer and bluer. On the sixth and penultimate day of the European Swimming Championships, Italy continues to deliver great results, adding four more medals to what is now an extraordinary haul. The total now stands at 15 podium finishes (5 gold, 4 silver, and 6 bronze), a result that places Italy second in the medal count behind Great Britain (6 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze). Once again leading the Italian swimming team are Nicolò Martinenghi, who won gold in the 50-meter breaststroke following his victory in the 100-meter event, Simone Cerasuolo, who took silver in the same event; Anita Gastaldi, who finished second in the 200-meter individual medley; and Sara Curtis, who won bronze in the 50-meter freestyle and set a new Italian record.
The day was further highlighted by five qualifiers for the finals on the final day and other standout performances. Alberto Razzetti finished fourth in the 200-meter butterfly by just one-tenth of a second but set a new Italian record. Luca De Tullio took fifth place in the 1,500-meter freestyle, a race in which Germany’s Johannes Liebmann set a world record and snatched the European record from Gregorio Paltrinieri. Finally, the mixed 4×200 freestyle relay team finished eighth.
Paris continues to bring good luck to Nicolò Martinenghi. Four days after his triumph in the 100-meter breaststroke, the Olympic champion from Varese also won the 50-meter event, once again confirming his extraordinary ability to rise to the occasion in the finals that matter most. Martinenghi finished in 26.57 seconds, edging out Simone Cerasuolo—who took silver in 26.62—by just five hundredths of a second. The 27-year-old from CC Aniene, coached by Matteo Giunta at the national training center in Verona, thus reaffirms his status as one of the standout performers on the Italian team. For Cerasuolo, there remains a touch of disappointment. After swimming 26.20 in the heats and 26.23 in the semifinals, the 23-year-old from Fiamme Oro and Imolanuoto was unable to repeat his performance in the final and finished tied for second place with the Dutch swimmer Koen De Groot.
The biggest surprise came in the 200-meter individual medley. Anita Gastaldi won a splendid silver medal and, at the end of the race, could hardly believe the feat she had just accomplished. Then, with a shout toward the stands—where her teammates were waiting for her—she let all her joy pour out. The 23-year-old from Piedmont clocked a new personal best of 2’10″07, improving her previous time of 2’10″97 by nearly a second. Ahead of her was only Ireland’s Elle Walshe, who took gold in 2’09″81, while the bronze went to Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk in 2’10″10. For Gastaldi, this result confirms her steady progress over the past few months and brings her within just 67 hundredths of Sara Franceschi’s Italian record. She earned her spot on the podium through a courageous race and, above all, the confidence that she can now compete at the highest continental level.
Sara Curtis isn’t slowing down either. The 19-year-old from Savigliano claimed bronze in the 50 freestyle and once again set a new Italian record, bringing it to 23.99. This is her fifth personal podium finish at these European Championships, following her world-record-setting gold in the 50-meter backstroke, silver in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, and bronze medals in the mixed 4×100-meter freestyle relay and the 100-meter freestyle. The 50-meter final was a world-class event. Poland’s Maria Wasick won in 23.84 seconds, ahead of Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom in 23.86 seconds. Curtis finished in 23.99 seconds, becoming the third swimmer to break the 24-second barrier.
