European Aquatics: Quadarella wins 400m freestyle gold, Italy excels in medal count

Italian swimmer Simona Quadarella dominated the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, securing her third gold medal by winning the 400m freestyle. Her winning time was 4:01.34, adding to her earlier victories in the 800m and 1500m freestyle events at the championships.

Great Britain emerged as the leader in the overall medal standings for the European Aquatics Championships, which encompassed swimming, open water swimming, artistic swimming, diving, and high diving. The British team secured 14 gold medals. Italy, however, led in the total number of medals won, accumulating 43 medals, significantly more than Russia and Germany, who followed with 32 medals each.

The Italian contingent achieved a total of 13 gold, 15 silver, and 15 bronze medals. In addition to Quadarella's triumphs, other Italian swimmers also earned medals. Thomas Ceccon claimed a silver medal in the 100m backstroke, finishing just one-hundredth of a second behind the gold medalist, Greece's Apostolos Christou. Benedetta Pilato also won silver in the 50m breaststroke, narrowly missing gold by one-hundredth of a second to Lithuania's Ruta Meilutyte.

Further success for Italy came in the relay events. The women's 4x100m medley relay team, consisting of Sara Curtis, Benedetta Pilato, Anita Gastaldi, and Emma Virginia Menicucci, secured a silver medal, finishing second to Great Britain. The men's 4x100m medley relay team, with Thomas Ceccon, Nicolo Martinenghi, Alberto Razzetti, and Carlos D'Ambrosio, also took home silver, finishing behind Russia, with France claiming bronze.