Johannes Liebmann breaks 1,500m world record at European Aquatics Championships 2026 in Paris; distance double gold

European Aquatics Championships 2026: German wunderkind Johannes Liebmann breaks 1,500m world record for distance double gold

The four-time Paris 2024 Olympic champion made a triumphant return to the pool he set ablaze four years ago for his first individual medal at the European Aquatics Championships 2026 on Saturday (15 August).

French sensation Léon Marchand conjured the memory of his Olympic 200 metres butterfly triumph to claim the top step in the same event at the European Championships 2026 in Paris on Saturday (15 August).

While his return to the Centre Aquatique Olympique pales in comparison to his achievements from two years ago, Marchand was still a dominant force in the 200m butterfly event. Marchand smashed into the wall in a winning time of 1:51.72 to claim the gold ahead of Hungarian Hubert Kós (1:54.06), with Apostolos Siskos of Greece taking third in 1:54.13.

Marchand delivered the goods in front of a vociferous and partisan French arena, winning by more than a body length after trailing over the first half of the race. Kós made a flying start to lead the Frenchman by 0.18 after two laps.

But Marchand switched on the afterburners over the second half, surging to victory with the arena raising the roof as he touched the wall.

“It’s classy, very classy. It was simply an amazing experience. The noise in that pool was incredible ,” Marchand said.

“It was intense, and I got so much energy from the crowd. I swam a really good race, finished very strongly, and it’s my first European title, so I’m pretty proud .”

Two years ago, Marchand snatched the victory from the jaws of defeat with a comeback victory over defending champion and world record holder Kristóf Milák in an Olympic record time of 1:51.21. There was no rematch on Saturday, with Milák instead focusing on the shorter distances at these championships.

Marchand also raced a truncated programme, opting not to compete in the breaststroke or individual medley events at his home European Aquatics Championships due to a niggling injury. The 24-year-old Marchand adds the individual gold to the 4x200m freestyle relay silver.

“I’ve had a really great week. Every evening, there’s so much joy and such a great atmosphere. The week has gone by really quickly for me,” Marchand said. “I kept fighting and, in the end, I’m glad I did. When I found out I wasn’t going to be able to swim the 400m individual medley, I hesitated about competing at the European Championships.

“I’m happy and proud of myself for fighting all the way through and coming here to win a title.”

Men’s 200m Butterfly - Final | Swimming | Olympic Games Paris 2024

The Men’s 200m Butterfly was held on 31

2024 at Paris La Defense Arena. Leon Marchand (FRA) claimed Gold with a new Olympic Record time of 1:51:21, Kristof Milak (HUN) took Silver and Ilya Kharun (CAN) completed the podium.

Picture by 2026 Getty Images

By Ockert de Villiers Florian Bouhier

31 July - 16 August

European Aquatics Championships | Paris | France