--- title: "Nicolo Martinenghi claims men's 100m breaststroke title in Paris; Ramsay-Peaty first-ever continental final loss" sdDatePublished: "2026-08-12T08:13:00Z" source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/european-aquatics-championships-2026-nicolo-martinenghi-men-100m-breaststroke-title-adam-ramsay-peaty-fifth" topics: - name: "sport" identifier: "medtop:15000000" - name: "swimming" identifier: "medtop:20001071" locations: - "Île-de-France" - "France" - "Germany" - "Italy" --- Nicolo Martinenghi claims men's 100m breaststroke title in Paris; Ramsay-Peaty first-ever continental final loss European Aquatics Championships 2026: Nicolo Martinenghi claims men's 100m breaststroke title in Paris; Adam Ramsay-Peaty fifth European Aquatics Championships 2026: Nicolo Martinenghi claims men's 100m breaststroke title in Paris; Adam Ramsay-Peaty fifth Ramsay-Peaty, a 16-time European champion, had never once lost a final at the continental championships prior to Tuesday's (11 August) final. Team GB's Adam Ramsay-Peaty , winner of 16 European championships titles, suffered his first-ever loss at the continental championships Tuesday (11 August) as he missed out on top spot in the 100m breaststroke final at the 2026 European Aquatics Championships in Paris, France. Instead, it was Italy's Nicolo Martinenghi , Paris 2024 Olympic champion, who claimed the gold medal in 58.58. Ivan Kozhakin was just one-tenth of a second back in second, touching the wall at 58.68 on the clock. Simone Cerasuolo rounded out the top three in 58.90. "I can't believe it. I don't have the words to describe what I feel now. It was a tough year, a tough moment this year," Martinenghi told Olympics.com afterward. "I put all of my heart, all of my brain... in the water because I wanted to show my pride. It was hard work." Germany's Melvin Imoudu , the defending champion, finished fourth (59.05) with Ramsay-Peaty settling for fifth. His time was 59.10. It was Cerasuolo who led at the halfway mark, leading the pack after 50 metres in 27.03. But Martinenghi out-sprinted him in the second half to capture the title. The victory was made even more special for the Italian, having captured Olympic gold in the same city two years prior. "I love Paris, Paris probably loves me. I really wanted to stand on the first podium again after two years in this beautiful city with this beautiful crowd," he said. "Thanks today because they pushed me a lot today. Thanks to my family, to everyone who believed me more than I believed in myself." 31 July - 16 August European Aquatics Championships | Paris | France