Hungary’s Hubert Kós secured his first European 200-metre backstroke title at the 2026 European Aquatics Championships in Paris. He touched the wall in a swift 1:53.08, a time that rewrites the championship record books.
A debut title sealed by controlled speed
Kós entered the final as the man to beat and never allowed the race to drift beyond his command. From the opening length he built a lead with his characteristic underwater work, turning with a clear advantage at the halfway mark. The field chased hard down the closing lap but the Hungarian’s margin held firm, delivering the gold and the meet record.
A personal best still a step ahead
The winning time stands as the fastest ever swum at a European Championships, yet it sits just behind the 1:52.3 he has clocked before. That gap tells its own story: this was a swim for the title, not a time trial. It is a performance that brings a major continental crown into a career already marked by world-class speed.
The victory gave Kós his first European long-course gold in the event, a hole now filled on a résumé that includes global podiums. For Hungary, it added another chapter to a fine backstroke tradition on the continental stage.
The Paris pool saw a champion race with maturity, measuring effort against the demands of the moment. Kós leaves France with the one European colour that had so far eluded him.
