Italian swimmer Sara Curtis has had a week to remember at the European Aquatics Championships, setting the world record in the women’s 50-meter backstroke on Thursday, marking the second time in two days she’s broken the record.

Curtis won the continental gold medal in Thursday’s final, swimming the one-length race in 26.56 seconds at the Paris Aquatics Centre. A day earlier in the event’s semifinals, she swam it in 26.63, taking nearly a quarter-second off the previous mark of 26.86 set by Australia’s Kaylee McKeown in October 2023.

The 19-year-old Curtis, who is the first Black swimmer to hold an individual long-course world record, competes collegiately at Virginia, where she won four NCAA relay titles in March. Individually, she was an All-American in the 50-meter freestyle and the 100-meter freestyle. In 2024, she competed at the Paris Olympics, reaching the semifinals in the 50-meter freestyle.

Curtis beat out Mary-Ambre Moluh of France, who finished in 27.06, and Lauren Cox of Great Britain, who clocked 27.15. Moluh, who embraced Curtis after the race, set the European record in the 100-meter backstroke earlier this week, becoming the first European woman to break 58 seconds. Moluh’s record came on the lead-off leg of the mixed medley relay, which World Aquatics announced earlier this year is eligible for record-breaking times.

It sets Curtis up as a favorite in an event that will have a bigger spotlight over the next two years. The 50-meter backstroke will make its debut on the Olympic program in 2028 in Los Angeles, alongside the short versions of the butterfly and breaststroke.

The European championships are the biggest event of the year for the continent’s swimmers. The best swimmers from the U.S., Canada, Australia and more are competing this week at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, Calif. The next World Aquatics Championships meet is in July 2027.

The Euro meet features most of the continent’s top swimmers, including French star Léon Marchand, the four-time Paris Olympic gold medalist who will compete in two individual events later this week.

Earlier Thursday, Hungary’s Kristóf Milák, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, won the men’s 100-meter butterfly and nearly produced another world record. He swam it in 49.48 seconds, just 0.03 seconds off American Caeleb Dressel’s leading mark that he set at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Asked what would constitute a successful season for his side, Barry-Murphy said: “We don’t know. I think one of the beauties of this season is that, for a lot of us, we’re going into the unknown.

“Our feeling is that we can surprise a lot of people. We have a real hunger and appetite to improve on what we did last season.”

Barry-Murphy is preparing for a blockbuster start to the campaign, with Welsh rivals Wrexham at the Cardiff City Stadium for a south-north derby on 17 August.

The former Manchester City academy coach says he is unsure whether any more new signings will be completed ahead of Wrexham’s visit, with Lincoln City midfielder Jack Moylan still the only outfield player recruited by Cardiff this summer.

“I don’t think so,” said Barry-Murphy when asked if Cardiff were close to a new signing.

“If you start anticipating timings or what may or may not happen, you just waste a lot of your time and your energy.

“Our focus is purely on the game on Monday and making sure that anything that could or maybe would distract us, doesn’t.”

Barry-Murphy said injured Wales forward Rubin Colwill could return for Wrexham’s visit, but fellow international Dylan Lawlor is unlikely to be fit to face the Red Dragons.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The fact that the Columbus Blue Jackets had agreed to trade defenseman Zach Werenski to the Dallas Stars in early July proves the rumors that swirled across the NHL weren’t without merit.

But that Werenski used his no-move clause to shoot down the trade to the Stars — one of the top clubs in the Western Conference — should be clear evidence that Werenski isn’t ready to quit on Columbus just yet.

So, where does this matter stand today, about one month before training camps open across the NHL?

Werenski met with reporters on Thursday at Nationwide Arena for the first time since he became one of the league’s biggest offseason stories, reiterating his desire to win with the Blue Jackets, the only NHL club he’s ever known.

He has two years remaining on his contract, with potential unrestricted free agency looming after the 2027-28 season.

“I think everyone knows how much I love this city and how much it means to me, and I would have no issues being here for an even longer time (than his current contract),” Werenski said. “I want to see us in the playoffs and I want to see us make progress, and I feel like we’ve done that.

“Winning solves everything, and that’s where we have to get to as a club. We have to raise our standards and expectations, and that starts with myself. I fully plan on doing that this year and being an even better player, a better leader. And, hopefully, that just means I’m here even longer.”

Werenski was back in town for a charity function with the Blue Jackets. He’ll return for training camp in early September, he said, but wanted to address the matter before camp to avoid distractions.

As he drove into Columbus from his offseason home in the Detroit suburbs, Werenski said he texted his wife, Odette, to say he wishes they were already back in Columbus for good ahead of the season.

“After today, my focus is fully on our team winning,” Werenski said. “I’m not going to answer questions about my future. That’s why today was important to kind of get these (questions) out of the way.

“But when I come to camp, I think all my teammates will know how committed I am, and I’m just excited to get back out there with them.”

Werenski, 29, had a joyous start to his offseason. On May 6, the Werenskis welcomed their first child, Hudson Charles. A month later, on June 2, Werenski was awarded the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman.

But later that month, multiple reports surfaced that Werenski had indicated to Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell during his exit meeting that he was unlikely to sign an extension when his current contract expires after the 2027-28 season.

On June 26, as the first round of the NHL Draft was being held in Buffalo, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that Waddell had begun listening to trade offers for Werenski from select teams.

On July 1, Werenski rejected a trade to Dallas that would have reportedly brought defenseman Thomas Harley and other players to Columbus.

Clearly, Werenski agreed, there was a miscommunication along the way. He never asked for a trade, he said, and never said definitively that he wouldn’t be signing an extension in Columbus, only that he can’t say today what might happen when his current deal expires.

But amid the swirling reports, Werenski, one of the most beloved players in the franchise’s history, was pilloried by many fans who thought he was just the latest star player to request a ticket out of Columbus.

“It was tough for about a week there,” Werenski said. “I felt like it was kind of misconstrued a little bit on how I felt. In saying that, people have jobs to do, and, you know, they’re getting their information from somewhere, but it definitely wasn’t from me.

“The only thing I can go off is mine and Don’s conversations, and we’ve had great conversations since right when the season ended. I don’t know what my agent (Judd Moldaver) and Don are talking about … well, I do, to an extent. But certain things started to swirl and kind of snowballed, and it escalated to a spot that neither me nor Don intended. At least that’s how I feel about it.”

Werenski finally called Waddell directly, he said, to make sure they got the situation “back on the tracks.”

The goal now, of course, is keeping it there. If the Blue Jackets win this season — they’ve missed the playoffs in six consecutive seasons — it might stop the speculation of a Werenski trade from surfacing at the deadline.

But there will be much curiosity next July 1, which is the earliest date Werenski can sign an extension with the Blue Jackets.

There are other questions to consider, too, such as the Blue Jackets’ vacant captaincy. Boone Jenner, who had a five-year run with the “C,” signed a free-agent contract with the Washington Capitals in July, and Werenski had been seen as the likely heir apparent.

Does his uncertain future change that? Good question. Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness has said he’d like to name a captain in training camp.

“It would be an honor,” Werenski said. “Obviously, there are a lot of guys in that room that are leaders. I’m not sure what they’re gonna do. I feel like you probably find out more throughout camp.

“I’ve been here for 10 years. I’d be honored to be the captain of this franchise. I was fortunate enough to learn from guys like (Nick) Foligno and Booner, guys who have worn it before. I definitely feel like I’m capable of it, but we’ll see.”