Dutch swimmer Marrit Steenbergen broke the world record in the 100-meter freestyle on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at the Settecolli Trophy in Rome, Italy.
The 26-year-old from Geldrop finished in 51.68 seconds, shaving 0.03 seconds off the previous mark of 51.71 set by Sweden's Sarah Sjoestroem in 2017.
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Steenbergen is now only the fourth woman in history to break the 52-second barrier in this event, a milestone previously achieved solely by Sjoestroem.
Her performance follows a strong showing in May in Canet-en-Roussillon, France, where she broke the Dutch national record twice within four days, reaching a time of 51.86 seconds.
The achievement builds on a successful 2025 season in which Steenbergen won six gold medals at the European Short Course Championships, set five European records, and was named European Swimmer of the Year.
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Looking ahead to her primary goal at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Steenbergen credited her performance to mental health support, as reported by Omroep Brabant.
“I don't mind talking about feelings. I see a psychologist and have a few things that help me.
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I don't suffer from nerves, but if I run into something, there are short lines. It's nice to get to work on it right away,” she said.
