2025 World Junior Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2025 World Junior Swimming Championships

• August 19-24, 2025
• Otopeni, Romania
• LCM (50 meters)
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  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2

DAY 3 FINALS HEAT SHEET

The third night of finals from the 2025 World Junior Swimming Championships in Otopeni is set to get underway tonight with medals on the line in five events, plus four sets of semi-finals on the docket.

DAY 3 FINALS SCHEDULE:

• Girls’ 50 Butterfly Semi-Finals
• Boys’ 50 Freestyle Semi-Finals
• Girls’ 200 Backstroke Final
• Boys’ 100 Butterfly Final
• Girls 100 Breaststroke Semi-Finals
• Boys 50 Backstroke Semi-Finals
• Girls’ 100 Freestyle Final
• Boys 800 Freestyle (Fastest Heat)
• Mixed 4×100 Freestyle Relay Final

The first final of the night will be the girls’ 200 backstroke, where Americans Charlotte Crush and Audrey Derivaux are the two massive favorites for a 1-2 finish after they threw down a pair of 2:08s in this morning’s prelims, a full four seconds clear of the rest of the field.

Crush, who has already won gold in the 100 back and will be swimming the 50 fly semis prior to this final, owns a lifetime best of 2:07.05, while Derivaux, who claimed the World Junior title in the 200 fly, has been as fast as 2:06.68.

Next up will be the boys’ 100 fly, which figures to be wide open as the top six qualifiers for the final are separated by just under six-tenths of a second, with Brazilian Lucio Flavio Filho leading the pack at 52.31 coming off his gold medal-winning performance at Junior Pan Ams last week in 51.78.

All eyes will be on the final of the girls’ 100 free, as Rylee Erisman aims to officially punch her ticket to the U.S. roster for the 2026 Pan Pacs after breaking the World Junior Championship Record in both prelims (53.17) and the semis (53.09).

If she goes under 53.16 in tonight’s final, she’ll be a Priority 1 qualifier for the Pan Pac roster next year, and as long as she’s under 53.51, she’ll be in position to be named to the team under Priority 3.

Great Britain’s Theodora Taylor (54.52) and American Lily King (54.68) qualified 2nd and 3rd into the final, well back of Erisman.

Erisman and King will swim the third and fourth legs for the U.S. mixed 4×100 free relay at the end of the session, while Taylor will be the anchor for Great Britain.

The final individual event of the night will be the timed final of the boys’ 800 free, where Turkey’s Kuzey Tuncelli comes in as the defending champion and top seed at 7:46.01, though he was slightly quicker at last month’s World Championships (7:45.13), where he finished 6th.

The lone 2008-born swimmer in the fastest heat will be Japan’s Kazushi Imafuku, who is the #2 seed with his lifetime best of 7:50.01 from the Japanese Nationals in March.

The night will close with the final of the mixed 4×100 free relay, where the Americans (3:28.50) and Brits (3:28.64) hold the top two seeds coming out of the prelims.

Relay Lineups:

Lane 1 – Japan (JPN)

• Raito Numata (M)
• Kazusa Kuroda (M)
• Yui Fukuoka (F)
• Mizuki Hirai(F)

Lane 2 – Neutral Athletes B (NAB)

• Mikhail Scherbakov(M)
• Roman Zhidkov (M)
• Mariia Poleshchuk (F)
• Kira Manokhina (F)

Lane 3 – Italy (ITA)

• Gabriele Valente (M)
• Carlos D’Ambrosio (M)
• Ludovica di Maria (F)
• Alessandra Mao (F)

Lane 4 – United States (USA)

• Michael Rice (M)
• Rowan Cox (M)
• Rylee Erisman (F)
• Lily King(F)

Lane 5 – Great Britain (GBR)

• Gabriel Shepherd (M)
• Jacob Mills (M)
• Skye Carter (F)
• Theodora Taylor (F)

Lane 6 – China (CHN)

• Xie Yichen (M)
• Xu Haibo (M)
• Luo Mingyu (F)
• Chen Yizhou (F)

Lane 7 – Canada (CAN)

• Laon Kim (M)
• Francis Brennan (M)
• Leah Tigert (F)
• Madison Kryger (F)

Lane 8 – Australia (AUS)

• Ben Cotroneo (M)
• Campbell Wilson-Moran (M)
• Ainsley Trotter (F)
• Heli Childs (F)

In the semi-final events, Japan’s Mizuki Hirai (26.09) leads the girls’ 50 fly, Ukraine’s Nikita Sheremet (21.82) sits atop the boys’ 50 free, Germany’s Lena Ludwig (1:08.22) qualified 1st in a tightly-bunched girls’ 100 breast field, and American Gavin Keogh paced the boys’ 50 back (25.18) this morning with all 16 qualifiers separated by less than eight-tenths of a second.

GIRLS’ 50 BUTTERFLY – SEMI-FINALS

• World Record: 24.43 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2014)
• World Junior Record: 25.46 – Rikako Ikee, JPN (2017)
• Championship Record: 25.46 – Rikako Ikee, JPN (2017)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Zoe Pedersen (NZL), 25.79
2. Mizuki Hirai (JPN), 26.02
3. Jessica Thompson (RSA), 26.09
4. Martine Damborg (DEN), 26.12
5. Olivia Hine (AUS), 26.21
6. Mena Boardman (USA), 26.25
7. Jana Pavalic (CRO), 26.31
8. Mariia Osetrova (NAB), 26.34

New Zealand’s Zoe Pedersen blasted her way to a massive best time in the first semi of the girls’ 50 fly to qualify 1st into the final by a wide margin.

Pedersen, 18, clocked 25.79 to shatter her prelim PB of 26.17 and advance with the top spot into the final by more than two-tenths, with Australian Olivia Hine (26.21) and American Mena Boardman (26.25) taking 2nd and 3rd in the heat to also qualify.

Japan’s Mizuki Hirai emerged in a tightly bunched second semi in 26.02 to qualify 2nd overall, chipping seven one-hundredths off her prelim time, while South African Jessica Thompson lowered her best time by more than two-tenths to clock 26.09 and move through to the final in 3rd.

American Charlotte Crush was 4th in the first semi, clocking 26.43, but was knocked out of the final after five girls were faster in the next heat, ultimately tying for 9th with Kazakhstan’s Sofiya Abubakirova.

BOYS’ 50 FREESTYLE – SEMI-FINALS

• World Record: 20.91  – Cesar Cielo, BRA (2009)
• World Junior Record: 21.75 – Michael Andrew, USA (2017)
• Championship Record: 21.75 – Michael Andrew, USA (2017)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Nikita Sheremet (UKR), 21.75 =WJR/CR
2. Jacob Mills (GBR), 22.05
3. Carlos D’Ambrosio (ITA), 22.10
4. Roman Zhidkov (NAB), 22.13
5. Joshua Conias (AUS), 22.26
6. Abdul Jabar Adama (NGR) / Jan Foltyn (CZE), 22.32
7. –
8. Yury Kuzmenko (USA), 22.43

After ripping a big best time in the heats of the boys’ 50 free, Ukrainian Nikita Sheremet went one better in tonight’s semis, matching the World Junior and Championship Records held by American Michael Andrew.

Sheremet put up a time of 21.75 to equal Andrew’s mark established in 2017, with the 18-year-old Sheremet only having broken 22 seconds for the first time in the prelims when he clocked 21.82.

Coming into the meet, his best time stood at 22.16, set at the European Junior Championships in early July where he was the silver medalist.

Great Britain’s Jacob Mills followed up his 21.98 prelim PB by winning the first semi in 22.05 to advance 2nd overall, while Italian Carlos D’Ambrosio, who has been on fire thus far with a win in the 200 free and a blazing-fast 47.02 split on the boys’ 4×100 free relay, qualified 3rd in a lifetime best of 22.10 after he was briefly disqualified after this morning’s prelims before being reinstated.

American Yury Kuzmenko knocked 18 one-hundredths off his best time to sneak into the final in 8th (22.43).

GIRLS’ 200 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 2:03.14 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2023)
• World Junior Record: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith, USA (2019)
• Championship Record: 2:07.45 – Regan Smith, USA (2017)

1. Audrey Derivaux (USA), 2:06.99 CR
2. Charlotte Crush (USA), 2:07.83
3. Milana Stepanova (NAB), 2:09.99
4. Madison Kryger (CAN), 2:10.08
5. Daria Zarubenkova (NAB), 2:10.51
6. Cecilia Dieleke (ARG), 2:11.97
7. Zoe Kay Ammundsen (AUS), 2:12.29
8. Chiaki Yamamoto (JPN), 2:13.23

Audrey Derivaux used a blistering closing 50 to run down teammate Charlotte Crush and win her second gold medal of these championships in the girls’ 200 back.

Derivaux, who turned 16 earlier this month, sat in 2nd throughout the race, turning a half-second behind Crush at the 100, and then she started to make her move on the third 50, with the two flipping just six one-hundredths apart, with Crush still holding a narrow lead.

However, Derivaux had an extra kick on the last length, soaring home in 32.49 to touch first in a time of 2:06.99, breaking Regan Smith‘s Championship Record of 2:07.45 set in 2017. The time was just shy of Derivaux’s personal best set earlier this year (2:06.68).

Crush, who was just minutes out of the semis of the girls’ 50 fly, held strong to win the silver medal in a time of 2:07.83, within eight-tenths of her PB set in June (2:07.05).

Neutral Athletes B swimmer Milana Stepanova was neck and neck with Canadian Madison Kryger throughout the race in the battle for bronze, and after Stepanova turned seven one-hundredths ahead of Kryger at the 150, she out-split her by two more one-hundredths coming home to clock 2:09.99 and win bronze. That swim falls just short of her PB set at the World Championships (2:09.57).

Kryger touched in 2:10.08 for 4th, also just shy of her personal best set at the Canadian Trials in June (2:09.88).

BOYS’ 100 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record: 49.45 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2021)
• World Junior Record: 50.62 – Kristof Milak, HUN (2017)
• Championship Record: 51.08 – Kristof Milak, HUN (2017)

1. Tajus Juska (LTU), 51.83
2. Lucio Flavio Filho (BRA), 52.01
3. Dean Fearn (GBR), 52.33
4. Maxim Skazobtsov (KAZ), 52.52
5. Rowan Cox (USA) / Egor Proshin (NAB), 52.59
6. –
7. Yazuz Omer Aga (TUR), 53.01
8. Han Jooyoung (KOR), 53.26

Tajus Juska went out like a rocket in the final of the boys’ 100 fly and managed to hold off Lucio Flavio Filho down the stretch to win the gold medal.

Juska, 16, turned in 23.80 at the 50, giving him a lead of more than four-tenths on 2nd-place Dean Fearn and a gap of 58 one-hundredths on Flavio Filho at the halfway mark.

Flavio Filho clawed back some time on the back half, splitting 27.63, but it wasn’t enough as Juska closed in 28.03 to finish in 51.83, smashing his lifetime best and Lithuanian Record of 52.46 set in April.

Despite being just 16, Juska is tied for 15th all-time among junior swimmers.

Flavio Filho, who won gold at Junior Pan Ams earlier this month in a lifetime best of 51.78, claimed the silver medal in a time of 52.01, while Fearn set a personal best of 52.33 to snag the bronze. Fearn also set a PB in the semis (52.55).

Kazakhstan’s Maxim Skazobtsov, who was 4th in this event at the 2023 World Juniors, matched that performance by clocking 52.52, lowering his personal best from two years ago of 52.73.

GIRLS’ 100 BREASTSTROKE – SEMI-FINALS

• World Record: 1:04.13 – Lilly King, USA (2017)
• World Junior Record: 1:04.35 – Ruta Meilutyte, LTU (2013)
• Championship Record: 1:06.23 – Eneli Jefimova, EST (2023)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Smilte Plytnykaite (LTU), 1:07.64
2. Lena Ludwig (GER), 1:07.75
3. Hayley Mackinder (AUS), 1:08.17
4. Moon Sua (KOR), 1:08.46
5. Monique Wieruszowski (NZL), 1:09.01
6. Lily Koch (AUS), 1:09.02
7. Viktoriia Tarannikova (NAB), 1:09.16
8. Mikayla Tan (SGP), 1:09.18

Coming off her silver medal in the 50 breast, Lithuania’s Smilte Plytnykaite claimed Lane 4 for the final of the girls’ 100 breast tomorrow night by qualifying 1st out of the semi-finals in a time of 1:07.64.

Plytnykaite, an 18-year-old UVA commit, was within a half-second of her personal best time of 1:07.21, set in early July at the European Junior Championships, where she won gold.

Germany’s Lena Ludwig, who won silver at Euro Juniors, broke the 1:08 barrier for the first time tonight in 1:07.75 to qualify 2nd into the final, while Aussie Hayley Mackinder advanced 3rd in 1:08.17 after setting a lifetime best of 1:07.61 at the Australian Trials in June.

Mikayla Tan, a 15-year-old who trains in the United States but is representing Singapore, set a new personal best time of 1:09.18, improving on the 1:09.36 she registered three weeks ago at the U.S. Junior Nationals.

Americans Elle Scott (1:09.31) and Kayda Geyer (1:09.73) failed to advance to the final, placing 10th and 14th, respectively.

BOYS’ 50 BACKSTROKE – SEMI-FINALS

• World Record: 23.55 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2023)
• World Junior Record: 24.00 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2018)
• Championship Record: 24.44 – Ksawery Masiuk, POL (2022)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Georgii Iakovlev (NAB), 24.58
2. Daniele del Signore (ITA), 25.02
3. Henry Allan (AUS), 25.05
4. Mikhail Shcherbakov (NAB), 25.08
5. Gavin Keogh (USA), 25.16
6. Rio Daodu (GBR), 25.23
7. John Shortt (IRL), 25.36
8. Kenneth Barnicle (USA), 25.50

Russian Georgii Iakovlev solidified himself as the gold medal favorite in tomorrow’s final of the boys’ 50 back as he fired off the lone sub-25 swim of the semis in 24.58, just three one-hundredths shy of his best time set earlier this year at the Russian Championships.

His NAB teammate, Mikhail Shcherbakov, who won the 200 IM last night, advanced 4th into the final in 25.08, just five one-hundredths off his best time to give the team a strong chance at putting two swimmers on the podium.

Italian Daniele del Signore claimed victory in the second semi-final in a time of 25.02, out-touching Great Britain’s Henry Allan (25.05) and American Gavin Keogh (25.16) as they all comfortably advanced to the final in 2nd, 3rd, and 5th, respectively.  Keogh’s swim marked a new best by .02.

GIRLS’ 100 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2017)
• World Junior Record: 52.70 – Penny Oleksiak, CAN (2016)
• Championship Record: 53.09 – Rylee Erisman, USA (2025)

1. Rylee Erisman (USA), 52.79 CR
2. Lily King (USA), 54.19
3. Theodora Taylor (GBR), 54.20
4. Kira Manokhina (NAB), 54.49
5. Luo Mingyu (CHN), 54.72
6. Alessandra Mao (ITA), 54.84
7. Mizuki Hirai (JPN), 55.01
8. Zoe Pedersen (NZL), 55.06

American phenom Rylee Erisman produced yet another record-breaking swim in the girls’ 100 freestyle, winning the final with her first clocking under 53 seconds.

The 16-year-old split 25.49/27.30 en route to a gold medal-winning time of 52.79, knocking three-tenths off her World Junior Championship and U.S. 15-16 National Age Group Record of 53.09 set in last night’s semis.

The performance also solidifies Erisman’s spot on the U.S. roster for the 2026 Pan Pacs, moving into #3 on the American depth chart this year behind only Torri Huske (52.43) and Gretchen Walsh (52.78).

Erisman’s time also would’ve been good enough for bronze in the 100 free at the 2025 World Championships, and put her just nine one-hundredths shy of Penny Oleksiak‘s World Junior Record of 52.70 set in 2016.

Oleksiak was also 16 when she delivered that performance.

It should be noted that Mollie O’Callaghan put up a time of 52.49 at the age of 18 (and in her 18th year) in May 2022, but the swim was not recognized as the official World Junior Record due to World Aquatics only allowing 18-year-old girls to be eligible to break them in February 2023. Prior to that, junior girls were defined as 17 and unders by World Aquatics.

It was a 1-2 for the Americans as Lily King managed to hold off Theodora Taylor for the silver medal in a personal best time of 54.19, while Theodora earned a bronze for Great Britain in 54.20, also marking a new best time.

Fourteen-year-old Italian Alessandra Mao chipped a tenth off her personal best time to clock 54.84 and place 6th.

BOYS’ 800 FREESTYLE – TIMED FINAL

• World Record: 7:32.12 – Zhang Lin, CHN (2009)
• World Junior Record: 7:43.37 – Lorenzo Galossi, ITA (2022)
• Championship Record: 7:55.92 – Evan Pinion, USA (2011)

1. Kuzey Tuncelli (TUR), 7:46.52
2. Kazushi Imafuku (JPN), 7:48.34
3. Grigorii Vekovishchev (NAB), 7:50.04
4. Aiden Hammer (USA), 7:51.68
5. William Mulgrew (USA), 7:51.99
6. Johannes Liebmann (GER), 7:54.83
7. Chen Shengxin (CHN), 7:55.63
8. Andrei-Thweodor Proca (ROU), 7:56.67

Turkish distance star Kuzey Tuncelli successfully defended his World Junior title in the boys’ 800 freestyle, gradually pulling away from Kazushi Imafuku and Grigorii Vekovishchev on the back half to ultimately win gold by nearly two seconds.

Tuncelli, who set a best time of 7:45.13 at last month’s World Championships, touched in 7:46.52 for the victory, improving on the time he produced to win two years ago (7:48.75). After the race, Tuncelli spoke about the long, exhausting season he’s had in 2025, and how, despite the time not being quite what he’d like, he’s satisfied with repeating as World Junior champion. He’s still only 17, set to turn 18 in nine days.

Imafuku, who turned 18 in May, broke away from Vekovishchev over the last 150 to win silver in 7:48.34, his first time under the 7:50 barrier after coming in with a best time of 7:50.01.

Imafuku also broke the Japanese National Record of 7:49.55 set by Shui Kurokawa in 2021.

Vekovishchev, the 17-year-old who won the 400 free on the opening night, improved on his lifetime best of 7:51.49, set en route to winning silver at Euro Juniors, in 7:50.04 to snag the bronze medal.

Americans Aiden Hammer (7:51.68) and William Mulgrew (7:51.99) both set big best times to place 4th and 5th, with Hammer lowering his previous mark of 7:55.94 and Mulgrew knocking off his old best of 7:57.08. Hammer now ranks 5th all-time in the boys’ 17-18 age group, while Mulgrew now sits 7th.

China’s Chen Shengxin clocked 7:55.63 from one of the early heats to move up into 7th overall.

MIXED 4X100 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL

• World Record: 3:18.48 – USA (2025)
• World Junior Record: 3:24.29 – AUS (2023)
• Championship Record: 3:24.29 – AUS (2023)

1. United States, 3:26.03
2. Great Britain, 3:26.17
3. Italy, 3:26.79
4. Neutral Athletes B, 3:26.93
5. Canada, 3:28.48
6. China, 3:29.17
7. Japan, 3:29.29
8. Australia, 3:30.25

The United States pulled out the victory in an exciting four-team battle in the mixed 4×100 free relay, with Lily King splitting 53.91 on the anchor leg to edge out Great Britain’s Theodora Taylor (54.06) and give the Americans the gold medal in 3:26.03.

The race incredibly saw the top three teams, Italy, Great Britain and the U.S., separated by just two one-hundredths at the final exchange, and the Neutral Athletes B team was right there too, sitting 14 one-hundredths back of the first-place Italians.

The U.S. sat back in 8th after the first leg, with Mike Rice opening in 49.80, and then they were in 6th as Rowan Cox split 49.21 on the second leg. However, they moved to the front of the race when newly minted 100 free champion Rylee Erisman dove in, splitting 53.11 on the third leg for the fastest women’s leg in the field, and then King was 53.91 coming home to give them the victory.

The British team featured Gabriel Shepherd (49.72), Jacob Mills (47.76), Skye Carter and Taylor (54.06), and they claimed silver in 3:26.17, with Mills’ split marking the second-fastest among male swimmers in the field.

Italy picked up the bronze in 3:26.79, with Carlos D’Ambrosio producing the fastest male split in the field at 47.40, and 14-year-old Alessandra Mao brought them home in 54.69 to hold the NAB squad at bay.

The NAB team was 4th in 3:26.93, with Roman Zhidkov splitting 48.56 swimming second and Mariia Poleshchuk going 54.22 on the third leg.

The Canadians picked up 5th in 3:28.48, with China (3:29.18) 7th and Japan, which had a 48.87 second leg from Kazusa Kuroda, touching 7th in 3:29.29.

BOYS’ 50 FREESTYLE – SWIM-OFF

• World Record: 20.91  – Cesar Cielo, BRA (2009)
• World Junior Record: 21.75 – Michael Andrew, USA (2017)
• Championship Record: 21.75 – Michael Andrew, USA (2017)

1. Ollie Moclair (AUS), 22.11
2. Kaua Marinho (BRA), 22.44

Australian Ollie Moclair registered a lifetime best of 22.11 to win the boys’ 50 free swim-off over Brazilian Kaua Marinho, making him the first alternate for tomorrow’s final.

The two 17-year-olds tied for 9th in the semi-finals earlier in the session in a time of 22.44, which Marinho managed to the hundredth in the swim-off. Moclair’s swim improves on his previous best of 22.42 set at the Australian Age & MC Age Championships in April. He recently broke an SCM Aussie Age Record in the 50 free previously held by Cameron McEvoy.