The 2026 European Championships men's 4x100 free relay is shaping up to be a thrilling spectacle, with several nations vying for the top spot. Italy, the defending champions, are once again the favorites, but they'll face stiff competition from Russia, Great Britain, Spain, and Germany. Serbia, a dark horse, could also make a surprising run at the podium.
Italy's strength lies in their depth and experience. Their swimmers regularly swim above their personal bests on this relay, and they should maintain their dominance in Paris. However, they'll need to replicate the three 47-low splits that powered them to their world championship silver medal last summer. Carlos D'Ambrosio, Lorenzo Zazzeri, Manuel Frigo, and Thomas Ceccon have all split 47-low in the past, but Italy hasn't managed to have all three firing simultaneously until last season. Lorenzo Ballarati adds another depth piece for them, and D'Ambrosio's 47-mid splits almost certainly equal gold.
Russia, represented by Neutral Athletes B, has the fastest man in Europe this season in Egor Kornev (46.96). Ivan Girev, Kliment Kolesnikov, and Andrei Minakov make this a quartet full of experience. However, their consistency has been an issue, missing the final at the World Championships last summer and performing poorly at the Tokyo Olympics. Their junior team set a new World Junior record of 3:12.75 at the European Junior Championships, with Mikhail Shcherbakov splitting 47.60, but it remains to be seen if they can replicate this success at the senior level.
Great Britain, a rung below the top two, should be strong enough to make it onto the podium. They have two 47-mid swimmers in Matt Richards and Jacob Mills, and Gabriel Shepherd, Tom Dean, Duncan Scott, and Jacob Whittle all split 47-point at the Commonwealth Games. However, their issue has been consistency, setting a national record of 3:10.73 at the World Championships last summer but performing below-par at the 2024 Olympics. Even on that relay, Jacob Mills was half a second off his best on the leadoff.
Spain and Germany, both having made or been on the cusp of world or Olympic finals recently, look in better shape than ever. Spain, with Luca Hoek Le Guenedal, Cesar Castro Valle, and Miguel Perez Godoy, could feature four 47-point legs if they swim at their best. Germany, missing Rafael Miroslaw, returns Joshua Salchow, Kaii Winkler, and Luca Armbruster, with Julian Koch potentially joining the team. Germany's depth is strong, with Salchow owning the German record at 47.80 and Winkler splitting 47.52 last summer.
Lithuania, surprise finalists at the World Championships last summer, return all four swimmers and should be able to replicate their performance, if not better it. Croatia, with Jere Hribar, has a star in the 100 free and some solid-looking depth. The Netherlands, missing an elite 100 freestyler, could challenge for the final with Sean Niewold's emergence as a 47.80 swimmer. France, on the other hand, has more question marks than anyone else in the field, with Maxime Grousset's return from injury and an inexperienced depth.
In conclusion, the 2026 European Championships men's 4x100 free relay promises to be a thrilling spectacle, with several nations vying for the top spot. Italy, Russia, Great Britain, Spain, and Germany are the favorites, but Serbia, a dark horse, could also make a surprising run at the podium. The depth and experience of these teams, along with the consistency and form of their swimmers, will determine who takes home the gold medal.
