Angelina Köhler secured the silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, clocking a time of 56.39 seconds to end a difficult stretch following the 2024 Olympic Games.
Competing at the Centre Aquatique Olympique, the 25-year-old Berlin native finished 31 hundredths of seconds behind Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk, who claimed the European title in 56.08 seconds. Daria Klepikowa, competing as a neutral athlete, took the bronze medal with a time of 56.76 seconds.
For Köhler, the performance marks her first European long-course medal. According to ran.joyn.de, it also represents the first time a German female swimmer has reached the podium in this specific event at the continental championships in 33 years, following the silver won by Franziska van Almsick in Sheffield in 1993.
Overcoming the Paris Olympic Disappointment
At the 2024 Olympic Games in the same Parisian venue, she missed out on the podium by finishing fourth in the 100-meter butterfly final, a result that came after claiming the world title in 2024.
Struggles continued into the following season, culminating in a sixth-place finish at the 2025 World Championships. Rather than accepting the plateau, Köhler adjusted both her training regime and her nutritional habits in the months leading up to the European championships—adjustments that paid dividends in the French capital.
Building Momentum Through the Heats and Finals
Köhler arrived at the championships as the fastest European competitor in her event over the calendar year. She advanced through the semifinals as the second-fastest qualifier to set up a medal showdown in the final.
Köhler kept pace to secure the silver, adding to a resume that already includes short-course hardware—specifically a silver and a gold won at the 2023 European Short Course Championships across the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly events.
What Lies Ahead
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