Milou van Wijk and Marrit Steenbergen advanced to the semifinals of the 50-meter freestyle at the European Swimming Championships in Paris, according to reports from Welingelichtekringen. Van Wijk claimed the fastest time in the heats with a personal best of 24.13 seconds at the Olympic Aquatic Centre, while Steenbergen secured the fourth-fastest time at 24.34 seconds.
Van Wijk Sets the Pace in Paris Heats
Swimming in the French capital, Milou van Wijk established her dominance in the morning preliminaries of the 50-meter freestyle. According to Welingelichtekringen, her mark of 24.13 seconds outpaced Sweden’s veteran sprinter Sarah Sjöström, who touched the wall in 24.21 seconds. Van Wijk’s performance established a new personal record for the Dutch swimmer, building on an already successful campaign that includes a silver medal in the 100-meter freestyle and a gold medal as part of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay team.
Steenbergen Advances with Consistent Form
Marrit Steenbergen joined her compatriot in the next round by clocking a time of 24.34 seconds, earning the fourth spot in the semifinals. Records from Welingelichtekringen highlight that Steenbergen entered the 50-meter event following an extensive medal haul earlier in the week. Her achievements in Paris include gold medals in both the individual 100-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, alongside silver medals in the 200-meter freestyle and the mixed 4×100-meter medley relay.
National Depth Limits Semifinal Field
Welingelichtekringen noted that Valerie van Roon posted the ninth-fastest time of 24.73 seconds, and Tesse Giele recorded the eleventh time at 24.85 seconds. Because tournament rules permit a maximum of two competitors per country in the semifinal round, Van Roon and Giele did not advance.
Next Steps in the Competition
Van Wijk and Steenbergen advance to the evening semifinal sessions at the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Saint-Denis. Fans can follow official championship updates through European Aquatics and national sports broadcasts as the sprinters contend for places in the final.
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