Kocaeli 2026 Day 4: Meister extends reign, Kurt delights home fans

There is something about Nora Meister and the European Championships, as the Swiss swimmer claimed her ninth title and extended her winning streak in the women’s 400m freestyle S6 on Thursday, day four of Kocaeli 2026. 

It was also a day of first gold for Ireland, courtesy of Roisin Ni Rian, and more Turkish delight as Defne Kurt secured her third victory in as many races. Italy’s Simone Barlaam also claimed his third title of the week, while Czechia’s David Kratochvil continued his dominant form in Turkiye with four gold medals from four events.

There was a world record at the Gebze Olympic Swimming Pool on Thursday, as Ukraine’s Veronika Korzhova lowered a seven-year-old mark in the women’s 100m backstroke S7 with a time of 1:19.35.

Switzerland now has nine gold medals at the World Para Swimming European Championships, all won by Meister. She had already taken the women’s 100m backstroke S6 title on day one. The 400m freestyle, however, remains her signature event. 

“I think it was my fourth gold medal in the 400m, I don’t even remember,” said Meister, who is also the Paris 2024 Paralympic silver medallist in the event. “It was a battle against myself and against time. It went really well and I’m really happy with the result here.” 

Meister still has one race remaining, the women’s 50m freestyle S6 on Friday, and could match the haul of three gold medals and one silver she achieved at Madeira 2024. 

Ireland failed to reach the top the podium at the first four editions of the European Championships but has won at least one gold medal since hosting Dublin 2018. Ni Riain maintained that streak by successfully defending her women’s 100m backstroke S13 title. 

It was Ireland’s fourth gold at the WPS European Championships and the third of Ni Riain’s career. 

“I’m absolutely delighted with the race. It’s been a tough year for me, with injuries and everything. So to be able to come out like that and to win tonight, I’m really happy,” said the vision impaired swimmer, who has two races on Friday.

“I have a double tomorrow (Friday), which I’m excited. I have the 200m individual medley and the 50m freestyle. It’s my first time doing a double and at a major like this, so let’s the performance and how it goes. And I still have the 400m on the last day.”

Turkish fans had already celebrated Turgut Aslan Yaraman’s silver in the men’s 100m freestyle S8, won by Ukraine’s Eduard Horodianyn, but they had to wait until the 15th race of the session to see their flag raised on the top of the podium.

Kurt completely dominated the women’s 100m butterfly S10 to complete a hat-trick of victories on home soil, with two events still to come.

She then spent time at the Gebze Olympic Swimming Pool signing autographs and taking pictures with fans following her medal ceremony.

Earlier in the session, Kratochvil produced one of the highlights of Kocaeli 2026 coming back in the final 25m in an impressive freestyle leg to defeat Dutch swimmer Rogier Dorsman in the men’s 200m individual medley SM11 final and claim his fourth gold of the week.

Simone Barlaam also delivered a dominant performance in the final event of the day, winning the men’s 100m freestyle S9 in 52.27, just 0.04 shy of the world record he set at the Madeira 2022 World Championships. 

It was a successful session for Italy with seven victories, followed by Russia with five and Ukraine with four. The Netherlands won two gold medals, while Czechia, France, Ireland, Poland, Switzerland and Turkiye each claimed one.

You can watch the Kocaeli 2026 European Championships live here!

Kocaeli 2026 – Day Four Medallists

Women's 100m Backstroke S13
 Gold: Roisin Ni Riain (Ireland)
 Silver: Carlotta Gilli (Italy)
 Bronze: Ursula Carroll (Great Britain)

Men's 100m Backstroke S13
 Gold: Thomas van Wanrooij (Netherlands)
 Silver: Oleksii Virchenko (Ukraine)
 Bronze: Gabriel Steen (Norway)

Women's 200m Individual Medley SM11
 Gold: Liesette Bruinsma (Netherlands)
 Silver: Varvara Kniazeva (Russia)
 Bronze: Ronja Alexandra Hampf (Finland)

Men's 200m Individual Medley SM11
 Gold: David Kratochvil (Czech Republic)
 Silver: Rogier Dorsman (Netherlands)
 Bronze: Danylo Chufarov (Ukraine)

Women's 100m Freestyle S8
 Gold: Xenia Francesca Palazzo (Italy)
 Silver: Nahia Zudaire Borrezo (Spain)
 Bronze: Letizia Milesi (Italy)

Men's 100m Freestyle S8
 Gold: Eduard Horodianyn (Ukraine)
 Silver: Turgut Aslan Yaraman (Turkiye)
 Bronze: Andrei Nikolaev (Russia)

Women's 400m Freestyle S6
 Gold: Nora Meister (Switzerland)
 Silver: Verena Schott (Germany)
 Bronze: Emma Lancini (Italy)

Men's 400m Freestyle S6
 Gold: Antonio Fantin (Italy)
 Silver: Andrei Granichka (Russia)
 Bronze: Mikhail Evseenko (Russia)

Men's 100m Breaststroke SB12
 Gold: Konstantin Burmistrov (Russia)
 Silver: Uladzimir Izotau (Belarus)
 Bronze: Yauheni Kavalionak (Belarus)

Men's 50m Backstroke S1
 Gold: Francesco Bettella (Italy)
 Silver: Anton Kol (Ukraine)
 Bronze: Dimitrios Karypidis (Greece)

Women's 50m Backstroke S3
 Gold: Domiziana Mecenate (Italy)
 Silver: Zoia Shchurova (Russia)
 Bronze: Wiktoria Sobota (Poland)

Men's 50m Backstroke S3
 Gold: Denys Ostapchenko (Ukraine)
 Silver: Dimitri Granjux (France)
 Bronze: Josia Tim Alexander Topf (Germany)

Women's 50m Backstroke S4
 Gold: Mira Larionova (Russia)
 Silver: Tanja Scholz (Germany)
 Bronze: Anastasiia Goncharova (Russia)

Men's 50m Backstroke S4
 Gold: Roman Zhdanov (Russia)
 Silver: Matz Topkin (Estonia)
 Bronze: Andreas Ernhofer (Austria)

Women's 100m Butterfly S10
 Gold: Defne Kurt (Turkiye)
 Silver: Csenge Hotz (Hungary)
 Bronze: Callie-Ann Warrington (Great Britain)

Men's 100m Butterfly S10
 Gold: Stefano Raimondi (Italy)
 Silver: Ihor Nimchenko (Ukraine)
 Bronze: Riccardo Menciotti (Italy)

Women's 200m Individual Medley SM5
 Gold: Galina Fedurina (Russia)
 Silver: Monica Boggioni (Italy)
 Bronze: Giulia Ghiretti (Italy)
 Bronze: Gabriele Cepaviciute (Lithuania)

Men's 200m Individual Medley SM5
 Gold: Artem Oliinyk (Ukraine)
 Silver: Nikita Pavlov (Russia)
 Bronze: Antoni Ponce Bertran (Spain)

Women's 100m Backstroke S7
 Gold: Veronika Korzhova (Ukraine)
 Silver: Anna Hontar (Ukraine)
 Bronze: Leyre Orti Campos (Spain)

Men's 100m Backstroke S7
 Gold: Maksim Baskakov (Russia)
 Silver: Danyil Bielyi (Ukraine)
 Bronze: Andrii Trusov (Ukraine)

Women's 50m Butterfly S6
 Gold: Giulia Terzi (Italy)
 Silver: Dearbhaile Brady (Ireland)
 Bronze: Verena Schott (Germany)

Men's 50m Butterfly S6
 Gold: Laurent Chardard (France)
 Silver: Vladyslav Koshman (Ukraine)
 Bronze: David Sanchez Sierra (Spain)

Women's 100m Freestyle S9
 Gold: Oliwia Jablonska (Poland)
 Silver: Anastasiya Dmytriv Dmytriv (Spain)
 Bronze: Florianne Bultje (Netherlands)

Men's 100m Freestyle S9
 Gold: Simone Barlaam (Italy)
 Silver: Denis Tarasov (Russia)
 Bronze: Yahor Shchalkanau (Belarus)