Masters swimmers set to light up Lublin as European Championships begin
The countdown is almost complete as the European Aquatics Masters Short Course Swimming Championships return tomorrow for the second edition of this fast-growing continental event. From 10-14 December, the Polish city of Lublin will host over a thousand masters swimmers from across Europe, marking the next chapter in a competition that made a highly successful debut in Madeira in 2023. That inaugural meet set a new standard for both performance and participation, with athletes widely praising its atmosphere and organisation. Now, the anticipation is high for an exciting five days of racing following a hugely successful elite competition the previous week.
Aqua Lublin, one of Poland’s leading aquatic venues, will stage the full championship programme, with events spanning all strokes and distances and age categories running from 25+ to over 100. The breadth of the entry list reflects the sport’s remarkable growth in recent years: from national teams and established masters clubs to first-time international competitors. Nations with traditionally strong masters programmes, including Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain and the host nation Poland, feature prominently in the entries. The presence of experienced champions alongside rising masters swimmers sets the stage for a compelling competition.
The opening sessions on 10 December will feature the 100m Individual Medley, an early indicator of form where versatility is at a premium. In the men’s ranks the 25+ field includes Germany’s Nico Perner, who arrives with one of the fastest seed times, while the 40+ category is led by Andrejs Duda, a swimmer whose entry time is leading across all age bands.
On the women’s side, Poland’s Zofia Sajecka stands out in the 25+ IM and will race in front of a supportive home crowd, while Sweden’s Linda Tietze and other established 40+ athletes are expected to press hard in their respective age groups. The IMs routinely produce close, technically important displays and will be watched closely for signs of who may dominate across multiple events during the week.
Sprint events will supply much of the early championship drama. The 50m Breaststroke fields are deep across multiple ages: Jakub Polowski of Poland tops the men’s 25+ seedings and is likely to contest podiums on the sprint program, while Britain’s Chris Jones will be among the favourites in the 40+ sprint brackets.
The women’s sprint breaststroke categories similarly feature highly competitive entries, with a mix of seasoned championship performers and fast-improving younger masters swimmers poised to challenge for medals. Great Britain’s Helen Sadler will also be looking to improve on her world record time for the 55-59 women’s 50m freestyle that she set last June, as she eluded to when speaking to European Aquatics before the competition.
The distance events have fewer entrants than the sprints, but never fail to provide streaks of records from across the age groups. The 800m Freestyle sees strong entries, with Germany’s Jan Mehrholz leading the men’s 50+ distance entries, while Samuel Naylor brings one of the fastest seed times in the younger men’s 25–49 distance field. Among women, seasoned 50+ distance competitors such as Liselotte Joling bring depth and experience to the mid-distance programme, and the 25-49 women’s 800m features swimmers with national masters credentials who can be expected to push the pace.
Across the programme, the championships will showcase standout performers drawn from a wide cross-section of clubs and nations. Water Squad, SV Region Stuttgart, USV TU Dresden, ZPC Amersfoort and multiple Polish clubs have entered substantial squads, reflecting well-developed masters programmes across Europe. That club strength is not limited to the youngest categories: the meet’s entry lists include notable names across 30+, 40+, 50+ and even veteran 65+, 70+ and 75+ brackets. Athletes in the 65+ and 70+ categories bring a different kind of excitement, with racecraft built over decades and the enduring commitment to training that is central to masters swimming culture.
Relays will once again provide some of the most dramatic moments of the week. Mixed relays and age-banded team events reward depth and strategy, and clubs with a balanced squad across age divisions will be well positioned to challenge for medals. These team events also embody the social and community spirit of the championships, where personal bests, shared victories and the exchange of experience are celebrated equally.
With races beginning tomorrow, the stage is set for five days of spirited competition, memorable individual performances and the kinds of collective moments that make masters swimming a unique part of Europe’s aquatic calendar.
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Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
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