2025 in review: women’s open water swimming
European women once again played a defining role in open water swimming during 2025, producing a season marked by emerging young talent, resurgent veterans, and a broad spread of success across several nations. From a humid and tactical World Championships in Singapore to the sunlit bay of Stari Grad for the European Championships, the continent’s leading swimmers shaped nearly every major race of the year.
The World Aquatics Championships set the tone early in the season. Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci delivered four outstanding races, finishing with a hat-trick of individual silver medals and another in the mixed relay. While the world titles went elsewhere, Taddeucci’s reliability across the 10km, 5km and the new 3km sprint confirmed her as Europe’s most consistent marathon performer.
Monaco’s Lisa Pou added further European presence on the podium, continuing her impressive upward trajectory with a bronze medal of her own in the 10km. Even in events not won by Europeans, the continent filled much of the front pack and retained its status as the deepest field globally. Hungary’s women followed-on from the impressive performance of the men, with Bettina Fabian picking up her first individual world medal with bronze in the 3km sprint, while she also combined with the wider team from the country for bronze in the team event.
At the European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Championships in Stari Grad back in May, the balance of power shifted slightly, with Hungary delivering the most impactful set of performances. Viktoria Mihalyvari-Farkas claimed her first European title in the 10km, controlling the race from the mid-point and fending off a late charge from Taddeucci. Italy responded in the 5km, where Taddeucci edged the Hungarian in what was one of the most entertaining races of the week.
Germany’s Lea Boy and Spain’s Paula Otero claimed memorable medals in the 3km knockout sprint event, which made its debut at the comepetition, while Fabian illustrated Hungary’s growing range by sprinting clear for gold. The mixed relay served as a final confirmation of Hungary’s depth: Mihalyvari-Farkas and Fabian anchored a team victory that secured the overall championship trophy for their nation. Maria de Valdes’ 5km bronze medal rounded off the podium appearances for the competition.
The season-long circuits brought their own storylines. The World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup belonged to Taddeucci, whose steady accumulation of points culminated in a memorable victory at the final leg in Golfo Aranci, following a dash to the finish against Poland’s Klaudia Tarasiewicz. She left Italy not only with a race win but also with the overall World Cup title, a first in her career and a fitting reward for a year of almost uninterrupted podium finishes.
The European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Cup showcased Europe’s emerging talents even more clearly. Across the five-leg series, Monaco’s Lisa Pou emerged as the standout performer, collecting strong results round after round to secure the overall series crown.
A number of elite athletes rounded off their seasons at the start of December for the Oceanman Elite World Finals in Dubai. Italy’s Barbara Pozzobon took the top-spot in that race, with France’s Caroline Jouisse and Clemence Coccordano coming in for silver and bronze respectively, which further shows just how much depth the continent has on the world stage.
Across all competitions, 2025 revealed a European field in excellent health. Italy still commands the most experience, while Hungary appears poised to take 2026 by storm, Germany and Spain have reliable contenders capable of springing upsets, while Lisa Pou continues to fly the flag for Monaco.
The continent’s women won the majority of available medals at both the European Championships and the World Championships, and topped both major season-long circuits. With the European Aquatics Championships 2026 in Paris poised to be the showdown of the year for the continent’s best, European Aquatics will once again be centre-stage for the biggest moments of the open water swimming calendar.
Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
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