Simona Quadarella was once again in a class of her own © APA/afp / JULIEN DE ROSA

The legendary Quadarella strikes again!

Simona Quadarella remains the grande dame of Italian swimming. On Friday evening, the Roman swimmer won her tenth gold medal at a European Championship.

August 14, 2026

From: leo

The 27-year-old, who also triumphed in the 800-meter freestyle at the championships in Paris, was in a class of her own in the 1.500-meter freestyle. Quadarella won – as she had just a few days earlier – ahead of Isabel Gose and Maya Werner of Germany. It was the tenth European Championship gold medal of her career and also the fourth triumph for the Italian swimmers in Paris.

Quadarella built up a lead in the first two laps, which Gose subsequently erased. However, the German expended valuable energy during the comeback attempt and couldn't keep up with her opponent's mid-race sprint. She cruised to victory – and with a European Championship record of 15:46,22 minutes – securing the hoped-for win.

The relay team wins bronze

“Today was tough,” Quadarella emphasized after the race. “The plan was to start fast, but that wasn’t a good idea. I had hoped to swim a slightly better time, but I’m still overjoyed.”

Sara Curtis led Italy to bronze in the relay. © APA/afp / JULIEN DE ROSA

Thomas Ceccon had already suffered a disappointment earlier, finishing only seventh in the 50-meter backstroke. However, the superstar redeemed himself shortly afterwards with the mixed relay team, winning bronze in the 4x100-meter event.

After Sara Curtis brought Italy level with the neutral Russian athletes in the penultimate leg, Emma Virginia Menicucci had to let her competitors pass her on the final leg. Russia won ahead of the Netherlands, and Italy's time of 3:20,80 minutes set a new national record. Carlos D'Ambrosio had started the race.