Sara Curtis simply cannot be stopped. At the 2026 European Swimming Championships in Paris, the young Italian claimed gold in the women’s 50m backstroke and wrote another extraordinary chapter in Italian and international swimming history. After setting a world record in the semi-finals, the 19-year-old managed to go even faster when the European title was on the line.
Curtis touched the wall in 26.56 seconds, setting another world record and improving on the 26.63 she had produced just a day earlier in the semi-finals. Those seven hundredths of a second underline the remarkable rise of an athlete who, in the space of just a few months, has gone from being one of Italy’s brightest prospects to one of the leading names in international swimming.
Her progress throughout 2026 has been impressive. In April, at the Italian Championships in Riccione, Curtis had already demonstrated her outstanding form by setting a new Italian record in the 50m backstroke while continuing to show her quality in the sprint freestyle events.
Another major step forward came in June at the Settecolli Trophy in Rome, where she clocked 27.07 in the 50m backstroke to set a European record.
Paris, however, has taken Curtis to another level. First came a European bronze medal in the 100m freestyle, before her sensational performances in the 50m backstroke.
In the semi-final, the Italian stopped the clock at 26.63, setting a new world record. Just 24 hours later, she managed to improve it again.
Curtis showed no signs of feeling the pressure in the final despite entering the race as the woman to beat. An explosive start, an excellent underwater phase and an extremely high stroke rate allowed her to produce an outstanding race from start to finish: 26.56, European gold and another world record.
The achievement becomes even more remarkable when considering how quickly Curtis has continued to lower her personal best and push the limits of the event. Only a few months ago, breaking the 27-second barrier represented an extraordinary benchmark in the discipline. Curtis has now taken the world record even further.
At just 19 years old, Sara Curtis is therefore no longer simply the future of Italian swimming. She is already its present.
The 2026 season has confirmed her status on the international stage, with her performances at the European Championships representing another major milestone in her young career.
With Los Angeles 2028 on the horizon and plenty of room for further development, Italian swimming may have found one of the athletes capable of playing a leading role over the coming years.
In Paris, meanwhile, Sara Curtis has already written her name into swimming history: European champion and the fastest woman ever in the 50m backstroke.
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