Quadarella wins record fourth European 800m title, Martinenghi takes breaststroke gold in Paris

Quadarella's record fourth title

Simona Quadarella won her fourth consecutive European title in the 800m freestyle at the European Swimming Championships in Paris on 11 August, finishing in 8'15"55. The 26-year-old from Rome, swimming for Circolo Aniene, pulled away from Germany's Isabel Gose around the 600-metre mark after a tight duel through the first half of the race. Gose, the only European swimmer able to challenge Quadarella over the distance, held on until the final four lengths before the Italian's acceleration proved decisive. Gose took silver in 8'18"44, with her compatriot Maya Werner third in 8'22"55. The victory makes Quadarella the first swimmer to win four consecutive European titles in the 800m freestyle, a feat never before achieved in the discipline.

She joins Federica Pellegrini, four-time European champion in the 200m freestyle, and Emiliano Brembilla, four-time champion in the 400m freestyle, in the exclusive group of Italian swimmers with four titles in the same event. The gold is her ninth individual European title in long-course competition (four in the 800m, three in the 1500m, two in the 400m), placing her fifth on the all-time European rankings behind Sarah Sjöström (15 golds), László Cseh (14), Katinka Hosszú (13) and Yana Klochkova (10). She finished one centisecond off the European record.

Quadarella said she knew Gose would start fast and that patience would be key.

I knew Gose would start fast, but I knew I had to wait: and so it was, I'm happy. I always try to stay consistent, winning new European titles is always more important. Confirming yourself is the thing that gives the most satisfaction.

She told Rai she was pleased to win in front of her parents, and that her niece will come on Friday for the 1500m freestyle final.

Martinenghi and Cerasuolo share breaststroke podium

Nicolò Martinenghi won the 100m breaststroke in 58"58, ahead of Russia's Ivan Kozhakin (58"68) and his Italian teammate Simone Cerasuolo, who led for three-quarters of the race before finishing third in 58"90. Cerasuolo, who had faded in the return lap in previous races, held on this time to complete an Italian double on the podium.

Martinenghi, the Olympic champion in the event, described a difficult year leading up to Paris. He told Rai Sport he had considered retirement during a season he called "very difficult," and that he had told teammates the day before there was "one chance in twenty" of winning, but that he would fight to the end.

It's been a very difficult year, today I got a bit emotional and that hadn't happened even at the Olympics.

Cerasuolo paid tribute to his teammate after the race.

Nicolò is an example for all of us: he transmits the desire to fight. And my last ten metres were, in fact, all heart.

Curtis bronze and Ceccon's frustration

Sara Curtis took bronze in the 100m freestyle in 52"72, finishing one centisecond behind the Netherlands' Milou Van Wijk (52"71). The gold went to Dutch swimmer Marrit Steenbergen in 51"90, a championship record. Curtis's medal is the first ever for an Italian woman in the 100m freestyle at the European Championships.

Thomas Ceccon finished fourth in the 50m butterfly, touching in 22"72, four centiseconds off the podium. The race was won by Russia's Egor Kornev (22"52), ahead of France's Maxime Grousset (22"54) and Belarus's Pekarski (22"68). Ceccon, the Olympic 100m backstroke champion, later qualified for the 200m backstroke final with the last available semifinal time of 1'55"86. On social media, he joked that he would rather "go hoe tomato fields" than keep swimming the 200m backstroke.