European Short Course Championships: Preparations and Uncertainty for Russians

European athletes are ramping up their efforts ahead of the European Short Course Championships, to be held December 2-7 in Lublin, Poland. Meanwhile, the participation of Russian athletes remains uncertain.

Angelina Köhler stood out at the German Short Course Championships, setting a personal best of 25.31 in the 50m butterfly. She also dominated the 100m (56.45) and 200m butterfly (2:07.54), and showed good form in the 200m freestyle (1:58.13).

In Spain, the national Short Course Championships in Barcelona highlighted the delegation of 25 athletes for the European Championships in Lublin. Carles Coll, holder of the world title in the 200m breaststroke from the 2024 World Short Course Championships in Budapest, stands out.

Russian Kliment Kolesnikov made an excellent appearance at the Russian Short Course Championships, with 22.43 in the 50m backstroke, the fourth fastest time of all time. Egor Kornev also stood out, with 21.73 in the 50m butterfly, also the fourth best time of all time.

Despite the approval of World Aquatics for Russian participation as independent athletes, Poland may not issue visas due to the geopolitical situation and Lublin's proximity to the borders with Ukraine and Belarus.