PARIS – Sara Curtis, who set a world record in the 50m backstroke semifinals, took silver in the women's 4x100m freestyle, setting an Italian record. Thomas Ceccon also took bronze in the 200m backstroke, setting an Italian record, and Benedetta Pilato in the 100m breaststroke. The third day of the 38th European Aquatics Championships, taking place at the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Paris, will go down in history.
The women's 4x100m freestyle, led by a true champion, climbed to the second step of the podium, achieving a historic Italian record of 3'33"19. Only the Netherlands were ahead in 3'31"89. The Italian ascent was launched by Emma Virginia Menicucci (53"85), fourth and doing well to stay in the slipstream of all her opponents; then the fabulous fraction of Sara Curtis (52"29), 45 minutes earlier, author of the world record in the 50m backstroke, which actually put us in the lead; Chiara Tarantino (53"68) was solid and kept Italy at the top; then the closing race was entrusted to 15-year-old Alessandra Mao (53"37), the youngest of the entire team, who finished in second place behind the Netherlands, led by world record holder Marrit Steenbergen (53"37). Russia, under a neutral flag, took the third step of the podium in 3:33.69. It's a very important silver medal, won by a quartet already focused on the future and looking optimistically to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Menicucci, Curtis, Tarantino, and Mao improved on the 3:35.18 set by the same team, but with Sofia Morini replacing Mao, for seventh place at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore.
Thomas Ceccon took bronze in the 200-meter backstroke with a stunning Italian record of 1:53.96, demolishing the 1:55.71 he swam in Brisbane, Australia, in the spring of 2025. The 25-year-old from Schio—Olympic champion in the 100-meter backstroke and member of Fiamme Oro and Leosport—passed in 54.97 at the halfway point, and held off a comeback from his opponents (29.23 and 29.76) to earn an Olympic-caliber podium finish with a spectacular record time. Hungary's Olympic champion Hubert Kos won in 1:53.08. Silver went to Greece's Apostolos Siskos in 1:53.81.
Benedetta Pilato confirmed her competitive streak by winning a crucial bronze in the 100m breaststroke. The 21-year-old from Taranto—the Italian record holder (1:05.44), registered with CC Aniene and coached by Mirko Nozzolillo in Rome since last September—swam a time of 1:05.89, with an aggressive pass of 30.08 and a return of 35.81. In the final twenty meters, she was overtaken by Great Britain's Angharad Evans, who won with a meet record of 1:04.87, and Ireland's Mona McSharry in 1:05.41. Lisa Angiolini (Carabinieri/Virtus Buonconvento) finished eighth in 1:06.73. "My first lap gives me a good feeling ahead of my 50th," says Benedetta Pilato, gold medalist at Rome 2022. "I expected to be caught. I tried to resist, and I succeeded. This medal is a reward after a difficult period, two transfers in three years, and the search for a physical balance that would allow me to train consistently. This medal is a great satisfaction and gives me so much confidence.".
