Kalia Antoniou won Cyprus’ first gold medal at the Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games, retaining the women’s 100m freestyle title she claimed four years ago in Oran, according to a social media post by the Cyprus Olympic Committee.
The Cypriot swimmer was slightly behind at the start but recovered quickly to lead by just three hundredths of a second at the halfway mark.
She held off Italy’s Chiara Tarantino in a thrilling finish, winning in 54.60 seconds. Tarantino took silver in 54.67, just seven hundredths of a second behind.
The result gave Antoniou her second consecutive Mediterranean Games gold medal in the event, following her victory at Oran 2022.
The Cyprus Olympic Committee congratulated Antoniou, saying she had once again made Cyprus proud. It also praised her coach for his work and guidance and congratulated the Cyprus Swimming Federation.
