Hugo González takes silver and Laura Cabanes bronze as Spain ends European Championship swimming drought in Paris

Hugo González pushes Hubert Kos to the wall

Hugo González came within 20 hundredths of gold in the 200m individual medley final at the European Swimming Championships in Paris on Sunday, August 16. The 27-year-old Mallorcan stopped the clock at 1:54.44, a new Spanish record, but Hungarian Hubert Kos held on for gold with 1:54.24, a European record and his third consecutive continental title in the event. Russian Mikhail Shcherbakov completed the podium with bronze in 1:56.16, 1.72 seconds behind González.

González had qualified for the final with the fastest time and a championship record, raising hopes of an upset. He had earlier renounced the 100m backstroke to focus on the medley, after finishing sixth in the 200m backstroke. Kos led through the butterfly and backstroke legs, building a gap of 1.79 seconds at the 100-metre mark. González closed the deficit through the breaststroke, reducing it to 0.98 seconds, and nearly overhauled Kos in the freestyle. El País described the Spaniard as the fifth-fastest swimmer in history in the event, while El Periódico placed him sixth. Kos's time puts him behind only Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps as the fastest in the discipline.

The silver is González's fourth European medal, adding to gold in the 200m IM, silver in the 100m backstroke, and bronze in the 50m backstroke from Budapest 2021. He was also 2024 world champion in the 200m backstroke and runner-up in the 100m. He has not won an Olympic medal, finishing sixth in the 100m backstroke at both Games. Local favourite Leon Marchand did not compete due to discomfort.

Laura Cabanes breaks through

Minutes after González's swim, 20-year-old Laura Cabanes claimed bronze in the 200m butterfly with a personal best of 2:07.21. The swimmer from La Mancha resisted a late challenge from Ireland's Ellen Walshe, finishing 19 hundredths ahead. Britain's Keanna MacInnes took gold and Denmark's Helena Rosendahl Bach silver.

Cabanes had already signalled her form by placing second in the semifinals after dipping under 2:08, and improved further in the final. The bronze is her first international medal, extending a progression from junior success to the elite level. The 200m butterfly carries particular weight in Spanish swimming as the event in which Mireia Belmonte won Olympic gold in Rio 2016.

A broader Spanish showing

The two medals arrived within five to seven minutes of each other, depending on the source, ending a drought that had seen Spain leave the previous two European Championships without a swimming medal. Before the final session, Spain had recorded 23 finalist finishes across the championship, including three fourth places. Among the standout performances, 16-year-old Irene Ciércoles finished fifth in the 100m backstroke and impressed in the relays, and Luca Hoek placed fourth in the 100m freestyle.

The artistic swimming team had already secured eight medals the previous week, led by Iris Tió. Spain's "Objetivo Final Olímpica 2028" programme, aimed at building depth for the Los Angeles Olympics rather than relying on individual talent, treats the Paris European Championship as an intermediate step. The championship could not count on Carles Coll or Carmen Weiler.