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European Swimming Championships - August 10-16, 2026 - Paris, France — Olympic Aquatics Centre - LCM (50 Meters) - Meet Information - Meet Central - SwimSwam Preview Index BY THE NUMBERS – WOMEN’S 200 IM - World Record: 2:05.70 – Summer McIntosh, Canada (2025) - European Record: 2:06.12 – Katinka Hosszu, Hungary (215) - Championship Record: 2:07.30 – Katinka Hosszu, Russia (2016) - 2025 World Champion: Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:06.69 - 2024 European Champion: Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR), 2:09.75 A British Affair The fastest four women in Europe so far this season are all from Great Britain, but only two are entered in this event. Abbie Wood and Amalie Smith are the only European women to break 2:10 this season, and they will carry the flag for Great Britain in this event. Wood set a new lifetime best of 2:08.17 at the Aquatics GB Championships in April, slicing over half a second off her previous best of 2:08.85, but was three seconds slower at the Commonwealth Games as she finished 8th. It would be a shock if she was to miss the final, but the last time she really delivered in a final was five years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, where she placed 4th in 2:09.15. She added over a second last season to place 6th at the World Championships in 2:09.92, but is on a run of four major finals after finishing 6th at the 2024 World Championships, 5th at the 2024 Olympic Games, 6th at the 2025 World Championships and 8th at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Wood has the highest ceiling this year of any of the four British swimmers here, but she tends to swim her best with limited competition. If she makes it through the heats though, she will be a title threat. Amalie Smith is more suited to the 400 IM, but broke the European Junior record with a 2:09.61 at the Commonwealth Games that makes her the second-fastest swimmer coming in. She sliced seven tenths of a second off her previous best of 2:10.32, and was one of the few British swimmers to look in good form at the Commonwealth Games. Smith is still not 16 years old, but won European Junior gold last season in both the 200 IM and 400 IM, and defended her title in the latter this season as she took on a reduced program. She has a strong back half to the race that will prove useful, and, despite her age, already seems to know exactly how she wants to swim the race. She won bronze in Glasgow last month, and looks to have a good chance at another medal here. Of the four swimmers in this field with a lifetime best under 2:10, Smith is the only one coming in with momentum. On paper, Wood should beat her. In the pool, Smith has gotten used to winning at junior level and may be the favorite right now. Medal Threats Ellen Walshe set an Irish record of 2:10.49 at the World Championships last summer, going on to place 8th in the final, and has lowered the Irish record in short course already this season with a 2:04.38 in October. She won silver at the European Short Course Championships behind Marrit Steenbergen in a time of 2:04.72, and has a season best of 2:10.97 in long course. Walshe has proved herself a consistent performer in recent years, making the semi-final at the 2023 World Championships and 2024 Olympic Games before qualifying for her first final in Singapore last summer. She is a couple of tenths faster this season than the 2:11.19 in-season best she clocked last year, and has improved one of her weaker legs, backstroke, to the point where she is now the Irish record holder in the 200 backstroke. A 2:11.40 at the Sette Colli in June was a strong tune-up swim, and she could be in line to back up her European short course medal with her first long course podium. Anastasia Gorbenko had a strong short course season, setting national records of 57.17 in the 100 IM and 2:04.93 in the 200 IM as well as new marks in the 100 back (56.73) and 100 breast (1:03.90), but hasn’t been able to match her best times in long course since she set them in 2024. Gorbenko is the defending champion, however, clocking 2:09.75 in Belgrade two years ago, and if she pares down her schedule somewhat after previously taking on backstroke and breaststroke in addition to the IM events, another medal could be in the offing. Her lifetime best of 2:08.55 is the second fastest in the field, but she has broken 2:10 on only five occasions since swimming at the Barcelona stop of the Mare Nostrum tour in 2024. She was nearly a second slower last season in 2:09.68, and has a season best of 2:12.03 this year. For a swimmer who is normally quick in-season that is a little concerning, but she is one of the few swimmers in this field who would have an expectation to break 2:10, and that may be enough for another podium appearance. Roos Vanotterdijk is one of three swimmers seeded under 2:10, but has been some way off her Belgian record of 2:09.73 so far this season. She clocked 2:12.12 at Dutch Trials, but did set a national record in short course with a 2:05.81 in October. Vanotterdijk didn’t swim this event at either the European U23 Championships nor the World Championships last summer, despite that 2:09.73 that would have seen her be competitive at both meets. She hasn’t raced too much in long course this season and has only swum the 200 IM twice, and this event does clash with the 100 back, but her shot at a medal is probably higher here than in that event. She may well scratch again though, and there are swimmers who look in better shape in the 200 IM this season. Junior Challengers Noelle Benkler was Amalie Smith’s closest challenger at the European Championships last season, finishing just 0.12 seconds behind her in the 200 IM in a time of 2:12.74. She dropped another two tenths at the World Junior Championships a month later as she placed 5th, which currently stands as her lifetime best. Her season best is a 2:13.14 from the heats of the German Championships in April, and she may not have the juice to make the top eight here. Another junior swimmer who could challenge the top eight is Poland’s Barbara Lesniewska, who clocked a lifetime best of 2:12.45 to win the European Junior title this year. She has dropped 4.49 seconds this season from the 2:17.03 she swam for 18th at the 2025 World Junior Championships, and at 16 years old could still be on a wicked improvement curve. She is also a little more well-rounded than Benkler, winning bronze in 100 fly in Munich last month in 58.78 and owning best times of 55.09 in the 100 free and 1:59.96 in the 200 free. Benkler’s 17-year-old teammate, Linda Roth, has added the 200 IM to her repertoire this year, having previously been almost exclusively freestyle focused. She is the fastest German this season with her 2:12.74 from the German Championships, but is yet to swim the event at an international meet, and did add a second in the 200 free at the European Junior Championships this year. Final Hopes Spain’s Alba Vazquez was the 400 IM World Junior record holder a few years ago, but has sliced a couple of seconds off her best in 200 IM this season to drop from 2:13.41 to 2:11.39, with her previous best being from the 2019 World Junior Championships. She has three 2:11-point swims this season, also clocking 2:11.64 and 2:11.75, and should be able to make the final if she repeats those performances. Italy’s Anita Gastladi is also 2:11 this season, with her season best of 2:11.06 coming from the Italian Championships in April. She was 2:13.39 at the Barcelona stop of the Mare Nostrum tour, but 2:11.50 and 2:12.19 earlier this season, and holds a lifetime best of 2:10.97 from last year’s Italian Championships. She could take advantage of a relatively weak field to put herself in the medal conversation and add to the World University Games gold she won three years ago. SwimSwam’s Picks | Place | Name | Nation | Season Best | Lifetime Best | | 1 | Amalie Smith | GBR | 2:09.61 | 2:09.61 | | 2 | Anastasia Gorbenko | ISR | 2:12.03 | 2:08.55 | | 3 | Ellen Walshe | IRL | 2:10.97 | 2:10.49 | | 4 | Abbie Wood | GBR | 2:08.17 | 2:08.17 | | 5 | Roos Vanotterdijk | BEL | 2:12.12 | 2:09.73 | | 6 | Anita Gastaldi | ITA | 2:11.06 | 2:10.97 | | 7 | Barbara Lesniewska | POL | 2:12.45 | 2:12.45 | | 8 | Alba Vazquez | ESP | 2:11.39 | 2:11.39 | Dark Horse – Lea Polonsky (ISR) Polonsky’s season best is just 2:15.28, but she made the semi-finals at the World Championships last summer and owns a lifetime best of 2:11.18. She had a fantastic final season in yards in 2024/2025, and her 1:51.51 in the small pool hasn’t fully transferred into long course. If she can put it together in Paris, she could potentially even challenge for a podium place again after winning silver two years ago.