2022 DANISH OPEN (DEN)
- Friday, April 15th – Tuesday, April 19th
- Bellahøj Svømmestadion, Copenhagen, Denmark
- LCM (50m)
- World Championships & European Championships Qualifier
- Start Lists/Results
We’ve been highlighting the head-turning results of Nicholas Castella, the 14-year-old swimmer from Denmark who has been tearing up the Bellahøj Svømmestadion during the Danish Open.
The teen didn’t disappoint on the final two days, wrapping up two additional new lifetime bests en route to making his mark on the international junior swimming scene.
For example, yesterday Castella fired off a big-time result of 50.78 in the men’s 100m freestyle. Although that rendered the young gun 7th place in the race, his result hacked over half a second off of his previous personal best.
Entering this competition, Castella’s career-quickest 100m free stood at the 51.46 he clocked just last month. However, opening here in 24.35 and closing in 26.43, the Ricki Clausen and Ejnar Larsen-trained emerging star came within range of the fastest known 100m freestyle time swum by a 14-year-old.
That time is held by Romania’s David Popovici, the now-17-year-old who raced his way to two Olympic finals last year in Tokyo. Popovici hit a 49.82 stunner as a 14-year-old at the 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival.
The American National Age Group Record for 13-14-year-old men in this event sits at the 51.12 Thomas Heilman put up last December. Also for perspective, Caeleb Dressel‘s fastest time as a 13-14-year-old was 52.53.
With some speed still left in the tank on the final day of this Danish Open, Castella powered his way to a new PB of 3:58.14 in the men’s 400m freestyle, good enough for silver.
Once again Catella’s result here would have inserted itself onto the list of all-time best American males for that age, with only Evan Pinion‘s 3:57.61 having been faster. The most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, owns a PB of 3:58.80 in this 4free from when he was just 14 years of age.
To refresh, here are Castella’s impressive feats this weekend at the Danish Open.
- 50m free – 23.13
- 100m free – 50.78
- 200m free – 1:50.44
- 400m free – 3:58.14
- 200m back – 2:02.71
Castella is expected to race at the European Youth Olympic Games in Slovakia at the end of July.
Thorpe swam 3.49.64 in 1997 at age 14. Crazy when you think about it.
Zhang Xinchen went 49.76 at age 14 last year during the Chinese National Games: https://www.fina.org/swimming/rankings?gender=M&distance=100&stroke=FREESTYLE&poolConfiguration=LCM&year=2021&startDate=&endDate=×Mode=ALL_TIMES®ionId=all&countryId=f2790b26-6c54-4791-8403-9f67b8653ce9
Just watched also Castella’s final race, the 400 free (swum with great maturity and technique with a steady pace of 30″ low in the central 50s). Congrats to him and his coaches and, just for reference, I remind the medals at last Eyof in Baku, July 2019 (at Eyof can compete boys until 16 year of age, so for this edition born till 2006). 50 free: Chowaniec 22.91, Popovici 23.03, Korstanje 23.08; 100 free: Popovici 49.82, Whittle 49.99, Nickelsen 50.22; 200 free: Mildred 1.49.33, Popovici 1.50.93, Gulsen 1.51.33; 400 free: Grgic 3.52.10, Beth 3.52.63, Kachris 3.53.53; 200 back: Tkachev 2.01.24, Saka 2.01.62, Kosinski 2.02.79.