A Maltese father-and-son swimming duo have made their mark at the European Aquatics Masters Championships, with Edward Caruana Dingli winning European gold and both Edward and Joseph Caruana Dingli setting reported Maltese Masters records in Slovakia.
Representing Exiles Sports Club in Šamorín, Edward produced the standout result in the men’s M30-34 200m backstroke, finishing in 2:24.01 to take gold in his age category and become European Masters champion.
It capped a memorable set of performances for a family with a long connection to Maltese aquatics.
Two records for the Caruana Dingli family
Exiles Sports Club reported that Edward also set a new Maltese Masters record in the M30-34 400m individual medley, completing the event in 5:10.03.
His father Joseph Caruana Dingli followed with another reported Maltese Masters record, clocking 46.00 seconds in the M60-64 50m breaststroke.
Joseph also competed in the 50m freestyle, recording a time of 34.83 seconds, according to the club.
The results gave the pair a European title and two reported national Masters records during their campaign in Šamorín.
Edward back in competition
Edward, 34, has considerable experience representing Malta internationally.
World Aquatics records show that he competed at major international events including the 2009 World Championships, the 2010 and 2012 World Short Course Championships and the 2015 Summer Universiade. His international results included appearances across freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and individual medley events.
He has remained active in Maltese swimming and was competing for Exiles during the 2025/26 season. Official national championship results from June also show Edward swimming as part of the Exiles 4x100m medley relay team.
Joseph, meanwhile, has also been competing for Exiles in Masters swimming. Results from a Malta Masters time trial in March list both father and son representing the club, with Joseph swimming in the M60-plus age range.
Joseph’s sporting history also extends to water polo, where he previously represented Malta.
A European Masters stage across three cities
The 2026 European Aquatics Masters Championships bring together Masters athletes across swimming, open water swimming, artistic swimming, diving and water polo.
Swimming competition is taking place at the x-bionic sphere in Šamorín, while other disciplines are being held across Bratislava in Slovakia and Graz in Austria. The official programme runs across the second half of August.
For the Caruana Dingli family, the championships have already produced something particularly memorable: a European title for Edward and record-setting swims from two generations of the same Maltese sporting family.
