2014 Swammy Awards: Male International Junior Swimmer of the Year

To see all of the 2014 Swammy Award winners, presented by TYR, click here.

To be eligible for this award:

• The athlete must be 18 or under as of December 31, 2014
• The athlete could not have won a medal at a major international meet (Olympics, World Championships, Commonwealth Games, European Championships, Asian Championships, Pan Pacific Championships, etc…) in years prior 

2014 HONOREE: Mack Horton, Australia

18 year old Australian Mack Horton had a terrific 2014 from start to finish. He began the year by winning both the 400 and 800 freestyle at the BHP Billiton Super Series.

In April he went on to win the 1500 freestyle at the Australian Championships and finish second in the 400 freestyle. Horton set new junior world records in both of those events along with another in the 200 freestyle.

In Glasgow at the Commonwealth Games Horton finished second to Olympic silver medalist Ryan Cochrane in the 1500 freestyle breaking his own junior world record posting a time of 14:48.76. He also just missed the Australian age group record of 14:48.63 set by the legendary Grant Hackett in 1999.

Horton then ended his summer by taking home a silver in the 800 freestyle and a bronze in the 1500 freestyle from the Pan Pacific Championships.

Horton finished the year ranked third in the world in the 1500 freestyle (14:48.76), fourth in the 800 freestyle (7:47.73) and seventh in the 400 freestyle (3:44.60).

HONORABLE MENTIONS (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

• Brazilian Matheus Santana had an extremely impressive 2014. Santana broke the junior world record in the 100 freestyle twice at the Maria Lenk Trophy. He then went on to break it again at the Youth Olympic Games winning the event in a time of 48.25. He also collected a silver in the 50 freestyle and 4 x 100 freestyle relay. As impressive as his winning time in the 100 freestyle was his relay split may have been even more impressive. Santana posted a 47.73 anchoring the Brazilian 4 x 100 freestyle relay. He also anchored the mixed 4 x 100 medley relay team that set a new South American record finishing in a time of 3:52.65.
• Russian Evgeny Rylov won three gold at the Youth Olympic Games. He took the 50 and 100 backstroke (tied with Simone Sabbioni) and won gold as part of the Russians 4 x 100 medley relay. He also collected a silver in the 200 backstroke. Rylov set a new junior world record in the 50 backstroke a feat that his medley relay team also accomplished.
• Yu Hexin of China was the only male to win four gold at the Youth Olympic Games winning the 50 freestyle and 50 butterfly as well as taking gold as a member of the Chinese mixed 4 x 100 freestyle and medley relay teams. He also collected a silver in the men’s 100 freestyle. On top of that Yu set a new junior world record in the 50 freestyle and later in the year was part of the 4 x 100 freestyle relay team that took gold at the Asian Games setting a new Asian record in the process.