France's four-time Olympic champion Leon Marchand will later Sunday aim for a first medal in an event he swims rarely, the 400m freestyle, at the European championships.
Marchand has already won gold in the 200m butterfly final at these championships in Paris, and was the fourth-fastest qualifier in the 400m freestyle heats earlier Sunday.
"It's tough! It's a 400m crawl, basically. To be fair, I am happy, I swam the race I wanted to. It wasn't easy this morning," Marchand said.
Germany's Oliver Klemet was the fastest qualifier in 3min 45.22sec.
Marchand is aiming to beat his personal best time for the event of 3:44.10, which he set in December.
"I think I can make a faster start. Maybe that's where I can take my chance," 24-year-old Marchand said.
Marchand was one of the stars of the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning gold in the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke, as well as the 200m individual medley and the 400m individual medley.
He also took a bronze in the 4x100m medley relay.