Tarasiewicz and Kapala shine in Razanac as Dalu and Pou crowned 2025 European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Cup champions
The 2025 European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Cup came to a fitting conclusion in Razanac, Croatia, as the fifth and final leg brought the curtain down on a thrilling season that has showcased the very best of continental endurance swimming.
In perfect conditions for a 63-strong men’s and women’s field which contained beginners and veterans alike, Poland celebrated a double triumph with victories for Bartosz Kapala and Klaudia Tarasiewicz, while Italy’s Fabio Dalu and Monaco’s Lisa Pou were confirmed as the overall series champions following months of consistent excellence across Europe’s premier open water circuit.
In the men’s 10km event, Kapala delivered the performance of his young career to claim a stunning victory in a time of 1:51:05. The 18-year-old Pole, who had remained in touch with the leaders throughout the race, in an tightly contested opening few kilometres. Despite the circumstances, he timed his final surge to perfection, powering ahead in the closing metres to edge-out last leg’s winner, Hungary’s David Betlehem, by just 2.63 seconds in one of the tightest finishes of the series.
Mexico’s Paulo Strehlke Delgado completed the podium a further seven seconds behind, with Italy’s Andrea Filadelli also taking a bronze medal as the third-best European finisher.
Kapala, who turns 19 tomorrow, was left almost speechless after crossing the line, admitting that the result had exceeded his expectations. “It’s my greatest success ever, honestly. I’m very shocked, I didn’t expect to win here,” he said when speaking to Nick Hope following the race.
“It was a very risky strategy, I just felt like ‘let’s go, let’s push it’ on the last lap and it paid off so I’m very happy.
“I was sad and angry at the beginning of the fifth lap when I didn’t get to drink at the feeding but yeah I managed to finish strong which is great and I think this will boost my confidence through the roof.”
Behind him, Italy once again demonstrated its depth of talent with Filadelli’s performance, as well as Fabio Dalu who did well in a six-man sprint to to the finish to touch in fifth. Dalu, who competed in all five legs of the competition, did enough to secure the men’s overall title.
In the women’s event, Klaudia Tarasiewicz continued her remarkable debut season with another commanding performance, taking her third win of the campaign in 1:58:41. The Polish swimmer, who has only recently begun to make the transition from pool swimming, once again displayed remarkable composure and finishing speed to hold off Germany’s Lea Boy by just 0.70 seconds, with fellow German Celine Rieder a further nine seconds adrift in third. Tarasiewicz, who had already triumphed in Protaras and Barcelona, was elated to add another gold to her growing collection.
“I have enjoyed everything about this race,” she said to Hope. “The views are amazing, the temperature of the water was perfect, so I’m very happy.
“I am so surprised (transferring from pool swimming and performing so well) and don’t really know what to say as it’s been so great and I hope that in the future I will be a really good athlete in the open water.
“I love open water because every race is in a different place and in the pool it’s always the same conditions but open water is always different and I love it.”
Germany enjoyed a strong collective showing with three swimmers in the top four, with Fabienne Saphira Wenske taking fourth, while Italy’s Linda Caponi placed fifth. Pou, the overall women’s series champion, finished sixth on the day, which was more than enough to confirm her at the top of the standings after a campaign marked by consistency and class, including victory in Paris further podiums and top-five finishes.
For Dalu and Pou, overall victory was the reward for their efforts over five 50 kilometres of swimming, while for emerging stars like Kapala and Tarasiewicz, the 2025 Cup served as a breakthrough moment that may define their careers.
With five demanding legs taking place in Protaras, Setubal, Paris, Barcelona and Razanac the series showed that Europe once again leads the way in open water swimming, and bodes well ahead of next year, which will see the European Aquatics Championships in Paris once again unite the athletes to decide the champions.
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Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
The post Tarasiewicz and Kapala shine in Razanac as Dalu and Pou crowned 2025 European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Cup champions first appeared on European Aquatics®.