Finn Kemp Secures Silver for Luxembourg at Euro-Meet

On Sunday 1 February 2026, Luxembourg swimmer Finn Kemp won a silver medal on the third day of the Euro-Meet Luxembourg international swimming competition, held at the Aquatic Centre of the Coque National Sports and Culture Centre in Luxembourg-Kirchberg.

The 26th edition of the event, which ran from Friday 30 January 2026, brought together more than 700 swimmers from nineteen countries. Luxembourg’s only medal of the competition was secured by 20-year-old Finn Kemp, who finished second in the 200m individual medley with a time of 2:02.77, just nine hundredths of a second behind Ireland’s Jack Cassin.

Speaking to Chronicle.lu after the medal ceremony, Kemp admitted he had arrived at the meeting with limited expectations, given the early stage of the season. “It’s January, we’re not really tapered yet, so I was really surprised by a personal best,” he said, adding that he was particularly pleased to race “back home in Luxembourg” in front of a supportive crowd, including his family.

Looking ahead, the swimmer confirmed that his focus is already on the European Championships later this season in Paris. “I have the qualifying time already, so I’m ready to go for it,” Kemp said, adding that he is “just trying to have fun this season” while continuing his preparation.

In addition to Kemp’s podium finish, the meeting also brought further success for Team Lëtzebuerg. Fifteen-year-old Emma Barthel delivered an outstanding performance, setting two new Luxembourg national records during the competition. She clocked 2:19.99 in the 200m individual medley and 2:34.58 in the 200m breaststroke, improving her own national bests on both occasions and confirming her strong form at the Euro Meet.

Reflecting on the overall performance, Christophe Audot, National Technical Director and Federal Coach at the Luxembourg Swimming Federation, highlighted the progress in women’s events, noting that “we have two national records and two girls in finals this evening, which is very nice to see after many years where this was difficult to achieve.” He also praised the team’s collective showing over the three days, adding: “I was very proud of the whole weekend.” He underlined that the European Championships in France later this season remain a key target, with the ambition of fielding around eight Luxembourg swimmers.    

Among the standout performances of the meet were the breaststroke events. In the men’s 100m breaststroke, Germany’s Melvin Imoudu claimed victory in 1:00.19. The German swimmer, who finished fourth in the event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, prevailed ahead of Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands, bronze medallist in the men’s 200m breaststroke at the Paris Olympics, as well as current world junior champion Filip Nowacki from Great Britain team.

Speaking to Chronicle.lu after the race, Melvin Imoudu said: “It means a lot, especially for this time of the year. It was a pretty good time and I’m very happy that I’m here again.” The victory marked his second gold medal of the meeting, following his win in the 50m breaststroke on Saturday 31 January 2026, where he touched in 27.14.

In the women’s 100m breaststroke, Dominika Sztandera of Poland secured first place in 1:08.07, finishing ahead of Great Britain’s Kara Hanlon and Anna Morgan, who took second and third respectively. Dutch swimmer Tes Schouten, bronze medallist in the women’s 200m breaststroke at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, placed fourth.

Reflecting on her performance, Dominika Sztandera admitted: “It’s the beginning of the season actually. It’s been rough for me because of family issues, sickness and that kind of stuff, so I didn’t really know how good I could be at the competition, but it actually came out pretty good.” She added that she had not initially focused on the 100m distance, saying: “I was hoping I could do better on the 50. I wasn’t really thinking much about the 100, it’s double the distance.” Visiting the meeting for the first time, she also underlined her positive impression: “I’m very happy. It’s my first competition here and it’s amazing. I like it a lot and I think we will come back another year.”

According to the organisers, Swim Wales was named the best team of the Euro-Meet Luxembourg 2026, with Swim England finishing in second place and Denmark completing the podium in third.