{"id":650994,"date":"2026-08-14T08:38:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T15:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=650994"},"modified":"2026-08-14T10:49:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T17:49:52","slug":"european-championships-night-five-semifinals-sarah-sjostrom-and-leon-marchand-shine-en-route-to-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/european-championships-night-five-semifinals-sarah-sjostrom-and-leon-marchand-shine-en-route-to-finals\/","title":{"rendered":"European Championships, Night Five Semifinals: Sarah Sjostrom and Leon Marchand Shine En Route to Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

European Championships, Night Five Semifinals: Sarah Sjostrom and Leon Marchand Shine En Route to Finals<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is no doubt that the home crowd at the European Championships in Paris will be eager to see what four-time Olympic champion Leon Marchand has to offer on Friday night. Marchand will race the semifinals of the 200-meter butterfly, one of five semifinals scheduled for a busy night session. There will also be qualifying action in the women’s 100 backstroke, men’s 50 breaststroke, women’s 50 freestyle and women’s 200 individual medley.<\/p>\n

Marchand eased through the morning prelims in the 200 fly, but the Frenchman was superb earlier in the week when he clocked a sub-1:44 performance on the leadoff leg of the 800 freestyle relay. That effort helped France capture the silver medal, and now Marchand will move into individual competition.<\/p>\n

The women’s 50 freestyle will be another intriguing event as part of the semifinals program. Swedish superstar Sarah Sjostrom will step onto the blocks, along with Italian Sara Curtis, who captured the gold medal in the 50 backstroke with her second world record of the meet. The University of Virginia standout could be a major obstacle for Sjostrom, who is chasing her third European title in the 50 freestyle.<\/p>\n

Here is an event-by-event recap of the Night Five Semifinals:<\/p>\n