Greek swimmer Apostolos Siskos has won silver in the men's 200-meter backstroke at the European Aquatics Championships, setting a new national record of 1:53.81 while finishing behind Olympic champion Hubert Kos of Hungary, who took gold in 1:53.08.
Mr. Siskos, 21, improved on the national record of 1:54.06 he had set in the semifinals, marking his second consecutive silver medal in the event at the European Championships.
The result places him third on the all-time European performance list in the 200-meter backstroke.
Mr. Siskos entered the championships in strong form after setting a national record of 1:54.12 in the event at the Acropolis Swim Open in Athens in May, which stood as the fastest time in the world in 2026 at the time and was ranked third globally by World Aquatics as of June 24.
His international breakthrough came at the 2024 European Championships in Belgrade, where he won silver in the same event with a time of 1:55.42. He also competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics, finishing 14th in the 200-meter backstroke.
Born in Serres in 2005, Mr. Siskos specializes in backstroke and butterfly and has emerged as one of the leading figures in Greece's next generation of competitive swimmers, with Thursday's result further cementing his status among Europe's top backstroke specialists.