Sjöström took EC silver in the 50 meter freestyle

The final was tight, with Sjöström fighting for the gold alongside Poland's Katarzyna Wasick and Italian starlet Sara Curtis.

In the end, it was Wasick who hit the tile first - just two hundredths ahead of Sjöström, who took the silver. Curtis was 15 hundredths behind Wasick in bronze.

- It was powerful, there have never been so many girls under 24 seconds in an EC final. It's great fun, she's running the race of her life, says Sjöström about the gold medalist.

Sjöström's time stood at 23.86 – a little slower than in the impressive semi-final the other day.

- I think I can approach my personal record soon if I continue as I have been doing, she says.

The silver medal adds to an already solid collection. It is Sjöström's 98th in international championships. The first came 18 years ago, when the Swede as a 14-year-old won EC gold in the 100-meter butterfly.

- Who's counting? Not me anyway, says Sjöström.

Liebmann with world record

The swimming crowd was also treated to a world record on Saturday night. Germany's Johannes Liebmann clocked 14.26.79 in the 1,500m freestyle – an improvement on the record by almost four seconds.

The previous record of 14.30.67 was set by Bobby Finke, USA, during the 2024 Paris Olympics.