BELGIUM – LSU swimmer Grace Palmer earned a gold medal and two bronze medals, competing at the 2026 Open Belgian Swimming Championships last weekend in Antwerp.
Palmer, a Liège, Belgium native, won the gold in the 200-breaststroke on Sunday, May 17, finishing with a time of 2:27.77. Tes Schouten of the Netherlands, touched the wall first, but did not claim the title. Palmer recorded a time of 2:31.20 in the prelims to send her to the final with the second fastest time.
On Saturday, Palmer took third in the 100-breaststroke, posting a personal best time of 1:10.10. She made her way to the finals by clocking a fourth-place time of 1:11.31 in the prelims. Later that day, Palmer anchored the mixed 400-freestyle relay team. The squad put together a bronze-medal performance, recording a time of 3:41.93.
Palmer also competed at the event in the 50-breaststroke, placing fourth with a time of 32.75, and the 400-medley relay, taking fifth with a time of 4:20.74.
Palmer is a rising junior for the Tigers and is coming off a strong sophomore season. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 200-breaststroke, finishing in 22nd. She also placed fourth at the SEC Championships in the same event. She holds the school record in the 200-breaststroke and ranks in the top ten in program history in the 100-breaststroke, 500-freestyle, 1000-freestyle, and 1650-freestyle.
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