Marrit Steenbergen, Egor Kornev, Nicolo Martinenghi and Katie Shanahan all led their way into their respective finals following the first evening session in Paris.
Men’s 50m Butterfly
Noè Ponti headed the first semi in 22.53, 0.02 off his Swiss record. When Grousset was introduced to the crowd at the Olympic Aquatic Centre, a deafening roar became a chorus of “Maxime! Maxime!” However, it was Egor Kornev who led the way in 22.36, a new championship record, ahead of Grousset who matched his 22.49 prelim time.
It elevated Kornev to third man all-time behind Andrii Govorov’s 22.27 world record and the 22.35 posted by Caeleb Dressel back in 2019.
Ponti was third through to the final with Diogo Ribeiro, Luca Armbruster, Thomas Ceccon, Kristof Milak and Grigori Pekarski joining the Swiss.
Women’s 100m Freestyle
Marrit Steenbergen lowered Sarah Sjöström’s long-standing world record to 51.68 at the Sette Colli in Rome in June.
Steenbergen served notice of her intent in prelims where she took down Sjöström’s championship record in 52.62 while looking as if she had plenty of reserve as she rolled into the wall.
She was 0.08 off her WR at the turn before coming home in 52.44 for a new CR with Sara Curtis the other woman to break 53secs in 52.93.
Barbora Janickova of Czechia clinched the eighth and last spot for the final in 53.62.
Men’s 100m Breaststroke
Martinenghi has won a solitary European title in his 100m breaststroke locker which came in 2022 when he triumphed in front of a home crowd in Rome.
The Olympic champion booked lane four in 58.67 ahead of Jack Kelly who broke his Irish record for the second time in a day in 58.90.
Adam Ramsay-Peaty has never lost a final at a European Championships with the Briton’s record standing at 16 golds in 16 races. His four victories at Budapest in 2021 clinched an historic quadruple-quadruple, months before he won the title at the Tokyo Games. The two-time Olympic champion posted 58.94 and was a completely different man to the tearful one following his Commonwealth bronze a little over a fortnight ago.
The 31-year-old is taking things one race at a time, saying: “A bit of a non-negotiable with me is just to improve that process. And if I can do that process, that’ll give me a better time. Better time gives me a better position. So, the rest is out of my control.”
Women’s 200m Backstroke
Katie Shanahan was well clear in booking lane four in 2:07.61, just 0.16 off her Scottish record at the 2023 worlds in Fukuoka where she finished fourth.
Reigning champion Camila Rebelo of Portugal will be alongside her in lane five after going 2:08.48.
