Martine Damborg: A Rising Star to Continue Denmark’s Legacy
After winning two gold medals at the European Short Course Championship in Lublin, Poland and setting four European Junior records, Martine Damborg has emerged as the athlete who will carry Denmark’s legacy into the future.
It had been 12 years since Denmark won its last gold medals at a European Short Course Championship. The year was 2013 and Denmark hosted the meet in Herning, placing third on the medals table with four gold, four silver and one bronze. Two out of the four golds were won in individual races by Mie Nielsen (100 backstroke) and Rikke Moller Pedersen (200 breaststroke).
After many years, it appears Denmark has found a swimmer from the next generation to conquer Europe. Damborg is 18 years old and she won her first medals at the senior level in Lublin. Earlier in 2025, she was third at the World Junior Championships in the 50 butterfly and she won four medals at the European Junior Championships, including gold in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly.
Lublin was a chance for Damborg to show her speed at the senior level, and she took advantage of the opportunity. She set European junior records on three occasions in the 50 butterfly. In prelims, she clocked 25.20, which was followed by a 25.06 in the semifinals. The final brought her best performance, as Damborg won gold in 24.61, leaving Roos Vanotterdijk second in 24.84 and Beryl Gastaldello third in 24.93.
In the 100 butterfly, Damborg needed a little more time to reach full speed. Entering the meet with a personal best of 56.40, Damborg eased through the opening two rounds, going 58.23 in prelims and 56.77 in the semifinals. Damborg left nothing in the tank in the final, where she finished in 55.52 to break Anastasiya Shkurdai’s European Junior record, a 55.64 from 2020.
Damborg is providing a reminder of a former Danish butterfly star, Jeanette Ottesen. Ottesen was a 16-time medalist during her career between the World Championships and World Short Course Champs. While Damborg broke Ottesen’s national record in the 50 fly, she continues to chase Ottesen’s national mark of 55.10 in the 100 fly.
