The Croatian men's 4x100m freestyle relay team secured a bronze medal at the European Championships held in Paris. The achievement was further highlighted by the team setting a new national record, with a time of 3:11.08.
The squad consisted of Jere Hribar from Split, Vlaho Nenadić from Dubrovnik, Vili Sivic from Zagreb, and Toni Dragoja. Their performance in Paris marked a significant step forward for Croatian swimming compared to previous competitions.
This success represents a significant improvement over the 2024 European Championships in Belgrade, where the Croatian team had finished in fourth place. The quartet that competed in Belgrade consisted of Nikola Miljenić, Jere Hribar, Vili Sivic, and Toni Dragoja, with a time of 3:13.06. The result in Belgrade was 18 hundredths of a second slower than the time required to secure a bronze medal.
At the 2024 European Championships in Belgrade, bronze medals were awarded to the teams from Serbia, Poland, and Greece. The Greek team recorded a time of 3:13.73. In comparison, the situation at the top of the standings has changed significantly. At the 2026 European Championships in Paris, Serbia finished in ninth place, while Poland finished in fourteenth place.
It is worth noting that Greece did not field a team in this discipline at the recent championships. The fact that the main contenders from Belgrade either finished far from the medals or did not compete highlights the quality of the Croatian achievement and the new national record.
