Filadelli and Tarasiewicz triumph in Protaras as 2025 European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Cup kicks off 

The 2025 European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Cup opened in spectacular style in Protaras, Cyprus, where Italy’s Andrea Filadelli and Poland’s Klaudia Tarasiewicz claimed hard-fought victories in the men’s and women’s 10km races under clear skies and in the crystalline waters of Fig Tree Bay. 

The first leg of the six-stage circuit saw an eventual total of 81 athletes take to the water, delivering tactical battles, sprint finishes, and early-season statements from emerging talents and established names ahead of a summer which includes both the European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Championships and World Aquatics Championships. 

In a men’s field packed with quality and tactical depth, Filadelli once again showed why he’s becoming one of the most promising rising stars in open water swimming. Biding his time in the early stages of the six –lap race, the 24-year-old Italian put his head down and got a body length ahead of the half-dozen-strong leading pack, coming home to touch the pads in a time of 1:42:47.53. 

“I started very slow because my coach, Fabrizio Antonelli, told me it was a good strategy,” Filadelli explained. “I saved energy and pushed hard in the last two laps – especially the final metres. It worked really well today.” 

Filadelli surged past teammate Pasquale Angelo Giordano in a tense sprint, winning by just 1.84sec. Hungary’s Hunor Kovacs Seres held on for third, a mere 0.17 further back, capping one of the tightest finishes in recent Cup history.  

It was Filadelli’s second open water series gold medal of the year following a victory in the Barcelona leg of the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Cup earlier in the year. Seres’s bronze medal was his first ever senior international medal, following junior golds at both European and world level.  

Despite his victory, Filadelli didn’t emerge unscathed: “I don’t know exactly what happened, but I think I got stung by a jellyfish during the race. It’s a little sore now,” he said, gesturing to a red mark on his neck. 

With eyes already turning to bigger targets, he added: “I think I’ll go to the European Championships in Croatia – maybe for the 10 kilometres.” 

Italy once again underlined their dominance in the discipline, with seven swimmers in the top ten: Vincenzo Caso (4th), Ivan Giovannoni (5th), and Giuseppe Ilario (6th) all followed closely behind.  

The women’s 10km was a more strategic affair, with a tight lead pack forming early and jostling for control over six laps. In the final 1.5km, Poland’s Klaudia Tarasiewicz produced a perfectly timed move, surging ahead in the closing stretch to secure her maiden European Aquatics Open Water Cup victory in 1:52:29.13. 

“Thank you so much—I’m so happy. Maybe I still can’t quite believe it,” said the 21-year-old, beaming at the finish. “This is one of my nicest starts ever. I had a clear race plan, and I just focused on following it and swimming my own race.” 

Tarasiewicz revealed her decisive move came with the help of a timely shout from the sidelines. “At the start of the last lap, my coach said, ‘Now, now, now—go, go!’ I thought, ‘OK, this is the moment.’ I felt strong, and I went for it.” 

Italy’s Giulia Berton pushed hard but couldn’t close the gap, taking silver 6.25sec behind. Fellow Italian c Menchini touched just 0.20sec later for bronze, narrowly holding off Monaco’s Lisa Pou, who finished fourth. Great Britain’s Ella Dyson placed fifth, with Alessia Ossoli of Italy in sixth. 

The Cup now heads to Setubal, Portugal for the second leg on June 22, with the European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Championships preceding the action from May 28 to 31. 

Click here for the full results.

Catch highlights and behind-the-scenes action from Protaras in the next episode of Open Water Cup: Beyond the Buoy on our YouTube channel and social platforms. 

Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics

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