Over four days of competition titles were awarded in the 5km and Olympic 10km distances, as well as the gruelling 25km event and 4x1500m relay competition.

Italy topped the standings with nine medals, three golds, four silvers and two bronzes to easily claim the ‘Team title’ with 214 points; Germany (161) were second and Hungary (159) third.

Here World Aquatics takes a look at some of the key storylines from the European Aquatics Championships, Belgrade 2024, and what it might mean for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) – 10km European champion

The legendary Italian Olympic champion is one of the most decorated swimmers of his generation, having dominated the 1500 from 2013 to 2017 before adding on open water events to his programme.

He claimed 10km bronze at Tokyo 2020 and added a first open water World title to his expansive collection in 2022.

However, after securing a solitary 800m bronze from the 2024 World Aquatics Championships and generally looking out-of-sorts in his other events, questions were being asked about the 29-year-old’s ability to challenge for further major titles.

Paltrinieri gave the perfect response in his final major event before contesting his fourth Olympic Games by reclaiming the 10km European crown he last won in 2021.

Victory by such a margin – 21 seconds – is rare in this sport and it suggests those who thought his best days in the water might now be behind him, should think again.

Leonie Beck (GER) – 5km / 10km European champion

The Italy-based German swimmer has transformed herself from being an outside minor medal challenger to a regular major title contender since the last Olympic Games.

Individually Beck had earned World 5km bronze (2019) and European 5km silver (2018) heading into the Tokyo Games, where she finished an impressive fifth.

Her form since though has been quite simply remarkable, claiming her maiden European crown the following year before attaining three golds at the 2023 World Championships.

In Belgrade she delivered the individual 5km / 10km double, as she did at Fukuoka 2023.

In doing so she gave further evidence of her exceptional tactical in-event decision-making, letting others lead out the group, while remaining in the pack, before picking her moment of attack to perfection and securing by a fraction of a second.

The conditions athletes will face in the Seine are something of an unknown, but Beck has proven herself to be a master of many conditions and given waters are expected to be calm – like Fukuoka and Belgrade – they could well play to her advantage at Paris 2024.

Marc-Antoine Olivier (FRA) – 5km / 10m European silver

The French swimming squad includes a host of exciting talents across the pool and open water programme, but only a handful have previous Olympic medal-winning experience.

Olivier is one of those, having claimed bronze back at Rio 2016 and eight-years-on he is certainly a strong contender for success, now in home waters.

Although typically a regular medal contender his double silver success at Doha 2024 came five years after his last World Championships success, at Gwangju 2019, where he was also second in the 10km.

Two further second-place-finishes in Belgrade proves his ability to maintain form this season and given he is aiming to peak in Paris – where he will have home support very much on his side – there is every chance he could be back on the podium next month.

David Betlehem (HUN) – 5km European gold / 10km bronze

The 20-year-old began to come to prominence with a statement World junior title in 2022 and following continued progress now as a senior swimmer he will make an Olympic debut at Paris 2024.

The Hungarian, who trains with Tokyo 2020 10km silver medallists Kristof Rasovszky, has won a host of World and European team relay honours between 2022 and early 2024.

However, Belgrade 2024 proved to be something of a breakthrough as he landed a first major senior title with victory in the 5km, following bronze in the 10km event.

Both events saw him finish ahead of established names, including Rasovszky, but also defending 10km champion Domenico Acerenza of Italy and Britain’s 2024 World bronze medallists Hector Pardoe.

Betlehem still has many years ahead of him in the sport – and will likely target both the 2028 and 2032 Games – but has now marked himself as ‘one-to-watch’ for Paris 2024.

Giulia Gabbrielleschi (ITA) – European 10km bronze 

Although the Italian will be fully aware there are a host of talented swimmers from outside of Europe will have plenty of impact on the final podium line-up come Paris 2024, the 27-year-old also knows she has the ability to beat them.

Her biggest global achievement, outside of team relay events, would be the 5km World bronze she secured at Budapest 2022, but Gabbrielleschi has now attained four solo European honours against high-class opponents.

Her team-mate Ginevra Taddeucci, who qualified for the Olympic open water event via her performances in the pool, is another contender and claimed European 5km silver in Serbia.

Other European Ones-To-Watch at Paris 2024

Bettina Fabian is another Hungarian World junior champion making rapid progress on the senior circuit and claimed 5km bronze in Belgrade.

Acerenza and Rasovszky may not have had ideal pre-Olympic performances at the European championships but both have regularly won major honours in recent years and will be keep to sample swimming – at the front of the field – in the Seine.

Portuguese swimmer Angelica Andre claimed 10km bronze at Rome 2022 and secured a historic third place finish for her nation at the Worlds earlier this year.

The most notable Europeans, who opted to continue their Olympic preparations away from the continental championship media, included the Tokyo 2020 open water gold medallist Florian Wellbrock and reigning World 10km champion Sharon van Rouwendaal.

Both will be expected to play a significant role in determining the medal-winning line-ups at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.