The 2026 European Junior Swimming Championships, held in Munich, Germany, showcased a thrilling day of races on Day Five. The semi-finals and finals featured a range of events, including the boys' 100m freestyle, girls' 100m freestyle, boys' 800m freestyle, girls' 200m butterfly, boys' 100m backstroke, girls' 100m breaststroke, and more. The competition was intense, with several swimmers breaking records and securing their spots in the finals.
One of the standout performances came from Italian swimmer Alessandra Mao, who won the women's 100m freestyle with a lifetime best of 54.28. Mao's achievement is particularly impressive, as she is only 15 years old. Her time also places her as the 7th-fastest Italian woman in history, surpassing the Italian Age Record held by Olympic icon Federica Pellegrini.
In the boys' 100m freestyle semi-finals, Neutral Athlete Egor Proshin led the way with a new lifetime best of 48.51. Proshin's performance is notable, as he has only been under the 49-second benchmark three times, including tonight. Spanish national record holder Luca Hoek, the 2025 European Junior Champion, finished second with a time of 48.76. Reigning World Junior Championships bronze medalist Tajus Juska of Lithuania also qualified for the final with a solid performance of 48.81.
The boys' 800m freestyle final saw Grigorii Vekovishchev from the Neutral Athletes claim gold with a time of 7:52.31. Vekovishchev's performance improved on his previous medal-winning time from last year. Maxim Gusev from the Neutral Athletes took the bronze, while Poland's Mikolaj Litoborski secured the silver.
In the girls' 200m butterfly final, Hungarian swimmer Vivien Jackl emerged victorious with a time of 2:09.42, setting a new lifetime best. Jackl's performance is notable, as she just earned her first elite international podium in this event. Neutral Athlete Serafima Fokina, the reigning European Junior Championships bronze medalist, finished second, while Boroka Kertesz from Hungary took the bronze.
The semi-finals of the boys' 100m backstroke featured France's Nathan Muratory, who clocked 54.60 in the morning session. However, he added some time to check in with a semi-final swim of 55.06, dropping down to the #2 seed. Neutral Athlete Mikhail Shcherbakov secured the top spot with a rapid result of 54.30.
The girls' 100m breaststroke semi-finals saw Ukraine's Iryna Miliutina and Yana Klikotska produce the sole times of the field under the 1:09 barrier. Miliutina posted 1:08.81 to secure the pole position, while Klikotska touched a fingernail behind in 1:08.89.
The competition continues with more exciting races and the anticipation of record-breaking performances.
