At the 2026 European Open Water Swimming Championships in Paris, Italy claimed the silver medal in the mixed 4 × 1.5 km relay, finishing just behind Germany and ahead of Hungary. The Italian team was made up of Barbara Pozzobon, Ginevra Taddeucci, Marcello Guidi and Gregorio Paltrinieri.
Italy finished in 1:03:41.34, only around two seconds behind Germany, which won gold in 1:03:39.28. Hungary completed the podium in 1:03:42.44.
The race remained extremely competitive throughout. Taddeucci produced a strong second leg, moving ahead of Germany’s Isabelle Gose towards the end of her 1,500-metre section. Italy then faced a difficult third leg when Germany’s Oliver Klemet opened a significant gap over Marcello Guidi.
Paltrinieri took over for the final leg and attempted to close the remaining distance. Although he could not catch Germany’s Florian Wellbrock, he managed to move Italy ahead of Hungary’s David Betlehem and secure the silver medal.
The result gave Italy another medal in the open-water events and marked the seventh medal for the Italian team in open-water swimming at these championships.
