2026 European Swimming Championships

Women’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay – Final

World Record: 7:37.50 – Australia, 2023
European Record: 7:45.51 – Great Britain, 2009
European Championship Record: 7:50.53 – Italy, 2014
European Junior Record: 7:57.33– Russia, 2017
2024 European Champion – Israel – 7:51.83

Great Britain (Colbert, Wood, Schlosshan, Anderson), 7:45.93 CR
Hungary (Padar, Abraham, Kesely, Ugrai), 7:49.09
Neutral Athletes B (Misharina, Diakova, Surushkina, Klepikova), 7:49.13
Germany, 7:49.14
Italy, 7:54.25
Spain, 7:54.94
Poland, 7:58.22
Portugal, 8:02.92

Great Britain lowered the Championship record in the women’s 4×200 free relay today, posting the second-fastest performance in history by a European nation. Their time of 7:45.93 sliced more than four and a half seconds off the previous record of 7:50.53, and sits just four tenths off the European record of 7:45.51.

Freya Colbert blew the field away through the first 150 meters as she led off in 1:55.65, the only swimmer to break 1:57 on the leadoff. She was 1.31 seconds off the British record of 1:54.34 she set in April, but this was faster than any of her three performances at the Commonwealth Games last month.

Abbie Wood then split 1:56.72, 1.43 seconds faster than she split in Glasgow, with Leah Schlosshan 1.42 seconds faster here with a 1:56.80 split. At the 600 meter mark, Great Britain led by over three seconds and were right on European record pace.

Freya Anderson anchored in 1:56.76, faster than her season best of 1:57.00 and a second faster than the 1:57.75 she split at the Commonwealth Games. 

Split Comparison

Both Freya Colbert and Abbie Wood were under European record pace, but Caitlin McClatchey and Rebecca Adlington were each four tenths of a second faster than their respective legs of Leah Schlosshan and Freya Anderson. This was still a fantastic performance, the fastest time by a European nation since Great Britain took 4th at the 2023 World Championships in 7:46.63.  

This swim was more than four seconds faster than the 7:50.10 this quartet posted at the Commonwealth Games, where they represented England. It was also faster than the add-up of their season-best swims of 7:46.06, as they fully vindicated their status as favorites here. 

They had the fastest leadoff and three of the top ten splits in this race, leading from the 100 meter mark until the end of the race. The gap to second was 1.45 seconds after the first leg, and never dipped below that.

Germany set a new national record of 7:49.14, but finished on the wrong end of a dramatic three-way battle for silver. Hungary, Neutral Athletes B, and Germany all touched within 0.05 seconds of one another at the finish, with Germany falling from 2nd to 4th on the final 50 with Hungary taking silver in 7:49.09, ahead of Neutral Athletes B, who won bronze in a time of 7:49.13.

All three nations were under the previous Championships record, with Hungary a second off their national record of 7:48.04 and Neutral Athletes B just under a second off the Russian record of 7:48.25. Hungary were half a second faster than they were at the World Championships last year, where they placed 4th in 7:49.66, despite losing Dora Molnar from that relay.

Italy took 5th in 7:54.25, with Spain 5th in 7:54.94, their fastest swim in a decade. They were in third at the 300 meter mark, but fell down to 5th over the next 200 meters before remaining there until the final 50.