Bucher targets defence of European 50m butterfly silver
Monday 10th August 2026 on 08:00 in
Austria
Simon Bucher is the only Austrian swimmer seeking to defend an individual medal from the 2024 European Championships at this year’s event in Paris, ORF reported. Bucher won silver in the 50-metre butterfly in Serbia, after taking gold with the medley relay. The 50m event begins on Monday, with the final scheduled for Tuesday.
The inclusion of the 50m events in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic programme has increased attention on the races. Bucher is not targeting direct qualification in the butterfly sprint, however, as that would require finishing in the top six at a designated World Cup meet.
“That is probably more for the sprint specialists. That is why I want to qualify again through the 100m,” the 26-year-old told APA. “That remains my main goal in this event.”
His focus on the 100m has already brought him long-course world championship silver in 2024 and 10th place at the 2024 Olympics. He missed the final in Paris and wants to reach it in Los Angeles.
Bucher is still seeking his first long-course European Championship medal in the 100m. He finished 54th in Glasgow in 2018, 10th in Budapest in 2021, fifth in Rome in 2022 and fourth in 2024. The 100m heats and semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday, with the final on Thursday evening.
Training challenges
After the Paris Olympics, Bucher followed his coach Florian Zimmermann from the training base in Linz to Innsbruck, despite poorer training conditions closer to home. He has since travelled abroad regularly.
“The conditions at the Tivoli outdoor pool are not ideal, even in the 50m pool. The water is usually too cold, so I cannot or do not want to sprint,” Bucher said. Shortly before leaving for Paris, he spent a week training alone with Zimmermann in Meran.
He also spent almost a month in Malaysia in January and February. Bucher said the temperatures of around 30 degrees were “extremely cool” for him, although humidity was high. He trained, among other places, in a pool on the roof of a residential complex.
“Compared with Tyrol, they have more 50m pools in residential complexes than we have in all of western Austria,” Bucher said, pointing to the continued lack of facilities in the region.