With just over a month to go before the start of the Paris2024 Olympic Games, many athletes chose not to travel to Serbia, as was the case of the Portuguese Diogo Ribeiro, world champion in the 50 and 100-metre butterfly, with the absences of countries such as France and Italy, who were competing in the qualification events in their countries.

The only Portuguese woman with Olympic minimums present in Belgrade was Camila Rebelo, who, at 21 years old, gave Portugal the first medal ever at the European Championships, by winning an unexpected gold in the 200-metre backstroke, with a new national record of 2.08.95 minutes.

Still 20 years old, Francisca Martins was another of the highlights of the Portuguese swimming team, winning bronze in the 400-metre freestyle, although, with a bittersweet feeling, for not having reached the much-desired Olympic minimum.

In addition to bronze in the 400-metre freestyle, the Foca-Felgueiras swimmer was just four hundredths off the podium in the 800-metre freestyle, in addition to reaching seventh place in the 200 freestyle.

Gabriel Lopes was sixth in the final of the 200-metre individual medley, while Ana Pinho Rodrigues finished in seventh place in the final of the 50-metre breaststroke.