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2026 European Swimming Championships - August 10-16, 2026 - Paris, France – Olympic Aquatics Centre - LCM (50 Meters) - Meet Information - Meet Central - Entries - Results - Live Results - SwimSwam Preview Index - Live Stream - Recaps: Women’s 50m Freestyle — Final - World Record: 23.55 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2026) - European Record: 23.61– Sarah Sjostrom Sweden (2023) - Championship Record: 23.74– Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2018) - 2025 World Champion: Meg Harris (AUS), 24.02 - 2024 European Champion: Petra Senanszky (HUN), 24.56 Final: - Kasia Wasick (Poland) — 23.84 - Sarah Sjostrom (Sweden) — 23.86 - Sara Curtis (Italy) — 23.99 - Milou Van Wijk (Netherlands) — 24.09 - Marrit Steenbergen (Netherlands) — 24.18 - Neza Klancar (Slovenia) — 24.56 - Arina Surkova (NAB) — 24.59 - Beryl Gastaldello (France) — 24.73 Sara Curtis became the 19th swimmer to break 24 seconds in the women’s 50 free tonight, clocking 23.99 to slice a tenth of a second off the Italian record she set at the Sette Colli Trophy at the end of June. The Italian 19-year-old, who trains at the University of Virginia, has dropped four tenths of a second from her 50 free this season, having come into the season with a best of 24.41. She initially lowered the record to 24.29 at the Italian Championships in April, then dropped two tenths at the Sette Colli in June with a 24.09. She was just off that in the semi-finals here in Paris with a 24.13, then dipped below 24 seconds in tonight’s final. She took bronze in an historic sub-24 second podium, the first to occur at a European Championships, and moves up to tie Shayne Jack for 18th all-time. She ranks 5th in the world so far this season. 2025-2026 LCM Women 50 Free Douglass WR 23.49 | 2 | Gretchen Walsh | USA | 23.55 | 06/28 | | 3 | Sarah Sjostrom | SWE | 23.83 | 08/14 | | 4 | Katarzyna WASICK | POL | 23.84 | 08/15 | | 5 | Sara CURTIS | ITA | 23.99 | 08/15 | Curtis now ranks 9th in European history. Women’s 50 Free, European All-Time Top Ten - Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2023 – 23.61 - Britta Steffen (GER), 2009 – 23.73 - Pernille Blume (DEN), 2018 – 23.75 - Kasia Wasick (POL), 2026 – 23.84 - Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED), 2017 – 23.85 - Therese Alshammar (SWE), 2009 – 23.88 - Marleen Veldhuis (NED), 2009/ Fran Halsall (GBR), 2014 – 23.96 - – - Sara Curtis (ITA), 2026 – 23.99 - Milou van Wijk (NED), 2026 – 24.07 The Italian swimmer has already reset the 50 back world record at this meet, hacking two tenths off Kaylee McKeown‘s former record of 26.86 in the semi-finals with a 26.63, then lowering it further with a 26.56 as she won gold in the final by half a second. This is her third individual medal of the meet, having won bronze in the 100 free on day 2 in addition to her 50 back title, and has been part of two medal-winning relays. She split 52.29 as the Italians won silver on the women’s 4×100 free relay, then 51.79 last night as they won bronze on the mixed 4×100 free relay. She will have the women’s medley relay tomorrow, but has already had a phenomenally successful meet here, winning five senior long course international medals having never won one previously.