Lublin 2025: Grousset, Marti and Gose grab gold on a night of dramatic duels – as Damborg strikes again

Compelling duels were the main feature on day 4 of Lublin 2025 as France’s Maxime Grousset defeated Switzerland’s Noe Ponti – just – at the third time of asking, Spain’s Carles Coll Marti held off Caspar Corbeau of The Netherlands in the men’s 200m breaststroke and Germany’s Isabel Gose beat Simona Quadarella to the women’s 800m title.

In amidst the one-on-one struggles Denmark’s 18-year-old Martine Damborg, who won her first senior international title on day 2 with a third consecutive European junior record in the 50m butterfly, was in wonderland again as she earned women’s 100m butterfly gold – once again in a European junior record.

Ponti, defending all three butterfly titles at these European Aquatics Short Course Swimming Championships, had won his first two races against the Frenchman who beat him to world long course 50m and 100m butterfly titles earlier this year, first securing another 50m butterfly gold and then beating Grousset to the 100m medley title by 0.01.

The Frenchman was rueful about the narrow margin of defeat, but added: “I love this battle and I hope the next race will be mine!”

Tonight he was as good as his word as he took the lead in the 100m butterfly, lost it and then regained it over the final 25m to come home in a Championship record of 48.10, beating his Swiss rival by … 0.01.

“It was amazing, so close, close all the way.,” Grousset told European Aquatics. “It is a battle for all time with us, a very good competition between us which I love. Maybe he wins, maybe I win…I just focused on myself for this race and I won the duel! I just wanted to touch the wall ahead of him.”

“I lost by one one hundredth,” Ponti said. “It was a good race and everything went very smoothly but Maxime had a better touch. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose…”

The 200m breaststroke meeting of Marti – who won the world short course title in his event last December – and Corbeau, who lowered the world record to 1:59.52 in October, was keenly awaited and didn’t disappoint.

The Spaniard went for broke in pursuit of his second senior international title and Corbeau, who had already secured 100m breaststroke title, could never quite get on terms. Marti won in 2:00.86, with the Dutch athlete taking silver in 2:01.27.

“My goal coming to this race was obviously to win but I tried to go under the world record Caspar did,” Marti said. “And I made a couple of mistakes and then clearly it was impossible to go under 1:59.52, which I think will stay there as a record for a really long time.

“And then I just tried to manage the race and win and that’s what ended up happening. I’m really happy to win another gold for Spain and excited for the future. And I just want to say congrats to Caspar because 1:59.5 is really unbelievable fast.”

Corbeau added: “I think you can hear from my voice that I am a little bit ill, but I tried my hardest. Maybe if I was feeling a bit better it could have been a little bit more fun of a race, but it was not my day today.”

Austria’s 21-year-old Luka Mladenovic, winner of EA U23 50m, 100m, 200m breaststroke titles in the summer, added another bronze to he one he won in the 100m breaststroke as he finished in 2:02.48.

Great Britain’s 18-year-old Filip Nowacki, the world junior 100/200m breaststroke champion clocked 2:02.96 to finish fourth, improving on the European junior record of 2:03.75 he had set in the previous day’s heats.

Gose, who had won 400m freestyle gold ahead of Quadarella on day 1 in a European and Championship record of 3:54.33, secured a second gold in a women’s 800m freestyle Championship record of 8:01.90 after another intense, extended struggle with her Italian rival.

Quadarella tracked the Paris 2024 1500m freestyle bronze medallist grimly throughout, getting to within 0.22 of her after 600m, but she could not respond to the German athlete’s brutal acceleration over the final 100m.

The Italian, silver medallist in his event two years ago, claimed another as she finished in a national record of 8:03.00, with Gose’s 20-year-old compatriot Maya Werner claiming bronze in 8:14.41 ahead of Hungary’s Ajna Kesely, who clocked 8;15.77.

It was so good,” said Gose. “I just wanted to speed up in the last 200 and that’s what I did. I had the power, and it’s so good getting two medals in these two events.”

“It was a really tight race,” Quadarella said. “I knew that Isobel would open the race very fast and I tried to be near her and I did it and I finished in an Italian record, so I’m really happy about this.”

Damborg, racing in lane seven, took over the lead from Sweden’s defending champion Louise Hansson in the final length of the women’s 100m butterfly, looking dazed once again as she won gold in a European junior record of 55.52.

Silver went to Tessa Giele of The Netherlands in 55.55, with Hansson taking bronze in 55.69.

“It was a pretty good race for me I think,” said Damborg. “I’m very happy. I went out fast and kind of took it home. It was wild…”

The opening flourish of seven consecutive finals on day 4 also saw victories for Italy’s Paris 2024 100m backstroke champion Thomas Ceccon, Germany’s world 100m breaststroke champion Anna Elendt and Great Britain’s Lauren Cox.

Ceccon powered to his first individual European short course title as he finished the men’s 100m backstroke final in 49.29 after moving up from third to first in the second half of the race.

“I was feeling good,” Ceccon said. “The last 25 maybe a little harder than the other three. It was not super-fast but I’m not shaving or anything, I just wanted to win like this.”

Silver went to France’s defending champion Mewen Tomac in 49.46, with Britain’s Oliver Morgan timing his challenge well to take bronze in 49.68.

Elendt, who missed a medal in the 100m breaststroke here by one place, secured her spot atop the podium as she won the women’s 200m breaststroke final in 2:18.26.

Britain’s Angharad Evans claimed silver in 2:18.90, with Kotryna Teterevkova of Lithuania securing bronze in 2:19.30.

Cox, fastest qualifier for the women’s 100 backstroke final, followed through to claim gold in a time of 56.51, making sure of her first senior international title with a powerful final 25m.

Maaike de Waard of The Netherlands was second in 56.62, with bronze going to Germany’s Nina Holt in 56.72.

Grousset reappeared in the last event of the evening, the men’s 100m freestyle semi-finals, and posted the fastest time of 45.65

Italy’s Sara Curtis, whose anchor leg the previous night had secured Italy the mixed 4x50m freestyle title in a world record, offered further evidence of her form as she topped qualifying for tomorrow’s women’s 100m freestyle final in 51.29, with Great Britain’s Eva Okaro clocking 51.48 and double gold medallist Marrit Steenbergen of The Netherlands, who has won the last two world long course titles in this event, third on 51.56.

 Qualification for tomorrow’s men’s 200m medley was topped by Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez de Oliviera, Turkey’s Berke Saka and Great Britain’s 200m freestyle champion Duncan Scott.

Britain’s Freya Colbert and Katie Shanahan topped qualifying for tomorrow’s women’s 200m medley final, with Ireland’s Ellen Walshe third fastest.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics

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