Preview OBC LC 2026
Presentation: Open Belgian Championships Long Course 2026
The Open Belgian Championships represent the absolute highlight of the Belgian swimming season. From 15 to 17 May, the country’s top swimmers will gather at the Wezenberg swimming pool in Antwerp, aiming to achieve the qualifying times for the European Junior Championships. Here’s a brief preview of what lies ahead.
Day 1 – Friday 15 May 2026
Men’s 100m butterfly
The opening event of the weekend immediately takes on an international dimension. Canada’s Ali Sayed, who competed at last year’s World Championships in Singapore, tops the entry list. Behind him, Bere Waerniers is the clear favourite for the Belgian title. Can he kick off his weekend – and that of the crowd – with a qualifying time for the European Junior Championships? To do so, he will need to improve his personal best by eight tenths of a second.
Women’s 100m butterfly
In the women’s events, we will be seeing Roos Vanotterdijk for the first time this weekend. The figurehead of Belgian swimming had to withdraw from the Flanders Swimming Cup, but will be present this time. And she intends to make her mark: Roos is entered in no fewer than eight events. Her quest for European qualifying times begins in the 100m butterfly. With a personal best more than three seconds under the required time, this first qualification seems almost a formality. On her way to this qualification, it is not out of the question that she could already set the first Belgian record of the weekend. To do so, she will need to improve on her own national record of 55.84.
Men’s 200m backstroke
Noah Verreth is a man on a mission in the 200m backstroke. At the Flanders Swimming Cup, he broke the legendary two-minute barrier for the first time. He missed Stefaan Maene’s Belgian record (1:59.64) by just 15 hundredths of a second. With a wink, Noah declared that after 24 years, it was time to wipe that record off the books. Will he finally succeed this weekend? If he beats that record by a second, he will also secure the qualifying time for the European Championships in Paris.
Women’s 400m medley
A Hungarian and a Dutch swimmer are preventing Ella Vachaudez from taking the top spot among the entrants in the weekend’s most comprehensive event. On paper, however, she has a comfortable lead over Charlotte Debecker to secure the Belgian title.
Men’s 100m breaststroke
The Netherlands dominate the men’s 100m breaststroke. Caspar Corbeau, who trains in Antwerp, logically tops the entries ahead of his compatriot Luca Janssen. Behind them, the battle for the Belgian title promises to be thrilling. Bartel Vranken seems to hold the best cards, but he is closely followed by Noah De Schryver and Lukas Baeten. The young Karsten van Groenigen, meanwhile, is aiming for the junior qualifying time (1:02.99).
Women’s 50m breaststroke
In the 50m breaststroke, Florine Gaspard will make her debut at these Belgian Open Championships. She has already achieved the European qualifying time earlier this year at the Flanders Swimming Cup and will therefore be able to swim without pressure. As always with Florine, we will also be keeping an eye on the Belgian record. She currently holds it in 30.44. Will she manage to chip away at it a little more?
Men’s 400m freestyle
We’ve been waiting a long time for this: this weekend, Lucas Henveaux is finally swimming on Belgian soil again after more than a year’s absence. And he’s back in great form. Last month, he equalled his Belgian record set two years ago — and broke the 3:45.00 barrier for the first time since then. Will he go even faster now? That would certainly be a nice bonus on top of the European qualifying time, set at 3:49.22.
Women’s 200m freestyle
As always, the women’s 200m freestyle promises to be a spectacle. At the Flanders Swimming Cup, Sarah Dumont and Siri Vanderlinden have already put in superb performances, achieving European and junior qualifying times respectively. They will therefore be able to focus fully on their battle for the national title. Behind them, Nore Michiels is one to watch. To join Siri at the European Junior Championships, she will need to break 2:02.51, a time that seems theoretically within her reach.
Men’s 50m freestyle
Vincent Van Hooydonck has a score to settle in the 50m freestyle. During his last qualifying attempt, he fell just one hundredth of a second short of the European qualifying standard (22.15). Visibly frustrated, he left the pool in disappointment. Will he get his revenge this weekend? If he succeeds, the Belgian record (22.13), held by Yoris Grandjean since 2009, could also be under threat. We will also be following Joseph Van Wellen, who is aiming for the junior qualifying time (22.98).
Women’s 50m backstroke
Roos Vanotterdijk returns for her second European qualifying time of the day. The national record holder will need to go under 28.30. At the last World Championships in Singapore, she comfortably achieved this with a time of 27.67. It remains to be seen whether she can go even faster this time. Alongside Roos, we’ll also be keeping an eye on her training partner Fleur Verdonck. She’ll need to improve her entry time (28.88) by more than half a second to stand a chance of making it to Paris.
Women’s 1500m freestyle
The first day concludes with the longest event of the weekend. Alisée Pisane, the Belgian record holder, is the clear favourite for the national title. Will she live up to her status?
Day 2 – Saturday 16 May 2026
Women’s 200m medley
The start of this second day is already looking promising. We’ll see Roos Vanotterdijk in action straight away. She dominates this event and is also aiming for the European qualifying time of 2:13.35. With her Belgian record of 2:09.35 — which could well be broken this weekend — qualification seems almost certain.
Men’s 100m freestyle
Time for the flagship event! Canada’s Ali Sayed and the Netherlands’ Perry Laarhoven top the entry list. But our attention is focused primarily on the Belgians. Vincent Van Hooydonck has been the man to beat over this distance for some time, but Seppe Lammens and Bere Waerniers will do everything they can to make life difficult for him. Bere, incidentally, can approach the race without any pressure: he has already secured his place at the European Junior Championships at the Flanders Swimming Cup.
Women’s 100m breaststroke
From one star to another: now it’s Florine Gaspard’s turn. Over this distance, she is aiming for the European qualifying time of 1:07.15.
In a head-to-head duel with Tes Schouten — the 2024 world champion in the 200m breaststroke — she will undoubtedly be pushed to her absolute limits. Could this lead her to swim faster than ever before? She could then further improve her Belgian record (1:06.89).
Men’s 200m butterfly
Lucas Henveaux seems to have rediscovered his love for the 200m butterfly. After a nine-year absence from this distance, he gave it another go last month — with success. His time of 1:58.18 immediately stands out as the benchmark at these Belgian Open Championships. A European qualifying time (1:57.32) seems entirely within reach if he continues in this vein. Louis Croenen’s Belgian record still seems a notch above on paper, but with Henveaux, anything is possible: he has already proven on several occasions that he knows how to push his limits when it matters most.
Women’s 50m butterfly
Roos Vanotterdijk is preparing for her second race of the day. Her entry time also matches the Belgian record (25.32). We are convinced it could be beaten again this weekend. If she manages it, she will comfortably clear the European qualifying time of 26.42. We should also keep an eye on the young Fleur Bussels. Thanks to her excellent 27.11 at the Flanders Swimming Cup, she has already secured her place at the European Junior Championships and can therefore swim without pressure.
Men’s 50m breaststroke
When it comes to breaststroke this weekend, Caspar Corbeau is the name on everyone’s lips. Even over his shortest distance, he tops the entry list. The battle for the Belgian title promises to be a thrilling one. Loek Huyghelier, Bartel Vranken and Lukas Baeten are separated by less than half a second. All the ingredients are in place for a thrilling final.
Women’s 200m backstroke
Hungary’s Eszter Szabo Feltothy leads the entry list by a wide margin, but our attention will be focused primarily on the duel between the Belgians. Marthe Vanheuverbeke has the fastest time on paper, but Fleur Bussels and Noor Broeckaert are hot on her heels. A race that is likely to be decided in the final metres.
Men’s 50m backstroke
Noah Verreth always sets the bar very high, and this time is no exception. At the Flanders Swimming Cup, he secured his qualification for the European Championships in Paris, but his face nevertheless betrayed a certain disappointment. He wanted to improve on his own Belgian record set a week earlier, but was unsuccessful. This weekend, he will have another chance. Alexander Van Hoey Billiet, meanwhile, is pursuing a different goal: securing the qualifying time for the European Junior Championships in Munich. To do so, he will need to swim under 26.00.
Women’s 100m freestyle
The first of two head-to-head races between Roos Vanotterdijk and Florine Gaspard is on the programme. Florine has already secured her European qualifying time, whilst Roos still needs to confirm hers (54.60). But there is more at stake than just qualification. Florine would obviously like to take Roos’s Belgian record (53.62), whilst Roos will do everything she can to keep it. Will the two swimmers push each other to excel? A thrilling spectacle is guaranteed. We’ll also be keeping an eye on Fleur Bussels, Nore Michiels and Siri Vanderlinden. Fleur has already met her junior qualifying standard, whilst the other two will be trying once again to break the 56.32 barrier.
Men’s 400m medley
At the Flanders Swimming Cup, Simon Laviolette was slightly disappointed despite meeting his junior qualifying standard.
His target was the European qualifying time, but he missed it by just over half a second (4:19.70). This weekend offers him a new opportunity. Behind him, Claudio Buttarelli will also be aiming to secure his junior qualifying time.
Women’s 800m freestyle
Will we witness a change of reign? At the Flanders Swimming Cup, Sarah Dumont looked set for a long time to break Alisée Pisane’s Belgian record (8:32.52), before having to ease off the pace in the second half of the race. The European qualifying time was a fine consolation. This weekend, she will have another chance to challenge that record — going head-to-head with Pisane in the adjacent lane. Siri Vanderlinden will also be aiming for the junior qualifying time of 8:53.12. At the Flanders Swimming Cup, she narrowly missed out with a time of 8:53.56.
Men’s 800m freestyle
Lucas Henveaux faces his biggest challenge of the weekend here. To qualify for the European Championships, he will need to improve on his own Belgian record. This currently stands at 7:51.51, but to secure his ticket to Paris — where he set that record — he will need to shave off another half-second (7:51.08).
Day 3 – Sunday 17 May 2026
Men’s 200m freestyle
The final day of the Belgian Open Championships gets off to a flying start with Lucas Henveaux. To secure his European qualification, he will need to go under 1:47.78 — a time he has already proven on several occasions that he is capable of achieving. His Belgian record, incidentally, stands at an impressive 1:46.03. Will we kick off the day with a bang? Simon Laviolette is also hoping to add to the spectacle. At the Flanders Swimming Cup, he finished just above the required junior qualifying time (1:51.11), but he had already broken that barrier the previous month. If he can repeat that performance, he will join Bere Waerniers in Munich.
Women’s 200m butterfly
Don’t look for Sarah Dumont in this event. The Belgian record-holder has already met her European qualifying standard and is sitting this race out. In her absence, the Dutch swimmer Evy Rozeboom tops the entry list, whilst Siri Vanderlinden looks the favourite for the Belgian title. But she will need to watch out for Sam De Bont and Fran Vertessen.
Men’s 200m breaststroke
Caspar Corbeau, the short-course world record holder, will be at the start. At the last Olympic Games, he also won bronze in this event. All eyes will therefore be on him. For the Belgian title, attention will turn to Noah De Schryver, who hopes to secure a European qualifying time alongside his title. To do so, he will need to swim under 2:11.19. A match — or even a break — of his Belgian record (2:10.83) would therefore be more than welcome.
Women’s 100m backstroke
The 100m backstroke is the first of three races on Roos Vanotterdijk’s schedule this Sunday. As always, we’ll be on the edge of our seats as soon as she steps onto the starting block, because with Roos, a great performance is never far away.
The European qualifying time for Paris is set at 1:00.55, whilst her Belgian record is well below that at 1:00.97. Everything suggests, therefore, that she will once again be aiming for a top-class time — and perhaps even improve on that record. She will also be cheering on her training partner Fleur Verdonck, who is also hoping to secure the European qualifying time.
Men’s 50m butterfly
Germany’s Stefano Razeto holds a slight advantage on the entry list over Vincent Van Hooydonck, but our sprint specialist will do everything he can to turn the tables in the water. With a personal best of 23.97, he is already closing in on the European qualifying time (23.53). The task is difficult, but far from impossible.
Women’s 200m breaststroke
As with the men, the stars will also be out in force for the women’s 200m breaststroke. Tes Schouten, Olympic bronze medallist in Paris over this distance, will be at the start once again. But Roos Vanotterdijk is also one to watch. She will face Grace Palmer and Zinke Delcommune for the national title. Will the swimmers push each other towards the European Championships in Paris? To do so, they will need to break the 2:27.06 mark.
Men’s 100m backstroke
One last chance to admire Noah Verreth. The Belgian backstroke star is aiming for a hat-trick in the backstroke events, but his ambition doesn’t stop there. As always, he wants to keep pushing himself, and his own Belgian record of 53.62 will certainly be in his sights. With no pressure, he’ll be able to let himself go completely as he’s already secured his place at the European Championships.
Women’s 50m freestyle
Get ready, as the second — and final — showdown between Florine Gaspard and Roos Vanotterdijk is on the programme. It will also be the last time we see the two stars in action this weekend. A real final! Florine has already secured her European qualifying time, whilst Roos still needs to confirm hers by swimming under 24.99. But as is often the case with these two swimmers, it’s not just about qualifying. The Belgian record will also be on the line. It is currently held by Florine in 24.42, but it seems far from untouchable when they go head-to-head. Everything suggests they will once again push each other to achieve exceptional times.
Men’s 200m medley
No time to catch their breath, as Simon Laviolette will be straight back in the starting blocks. His ticket to the European Junior Championships is already secured, but he is now aiming for the European qualifying time of 2:00.14. Alexander Van Hoey Billiet also has a clear goal: to achieve the junior qualifying time of 2:04.42.
Women’s 400m freestyle
Will it be a real one-woman show for Sarah Dumont to round off her Belgian Open Championships? That is certainly what the entry list suggests. With her European qualifying time already secured, she will be able to swim without pressure. Will this allow her to break her sister’s Belgian record (4:06.27)? We’ll also be keeping an eye on Siri Vanderlinden, who can also swim freely thanks to her junior qualifying time already secured.
Men’s 1500m freestyle
The weekend will conclude with the longest event in the men’s competition. But rest assured that Lucas Henveaux will want to get it over with quickly. For the first time since 2021, he’ll be competing over this distance in a standard-size pool.
It is therefore difficult to gauge his potential exactly. However, we can dream of a European qualifying time set at 15:07.20. If he achieves this, he will also break Tom Vangeneugden’s 18-year-old Belgian record (15:11.04). What a grand finale that would be to round off the weekend in style!
Thanks to our partner Swimnation for this insight!