Top 10* Athletes From The 2025 World Junior Championships

2025 World Junior Swimming Championships

• August 19-24, 2025
• Otopeni, Romania
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Meet Packet
• Team Leaders’ Guide
• SwimSwam Event Page
• SwimSwam Preview
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6

World Juniors was the final international meet of a packed international calendar over the last two months, but certainly did not disappoint.
From Rylee Erisman’s sprint freestyle fireworks, a more competitive men’s 200 breaststroke than at the senior world champs, and a pair of male 100 freestylers who traded blows throughout the meet, here are our top 10 swimmers of the championship, based on results, performances, and a healthy dose of vibes.

HM:

• Charlotte Crush – USA: double backstroke medalist with the best underwaters of anyone in Otopeni
• Amelie Smith – Great Britain: two IM silvers, and already at a world finalist level in the 400 at just 16
• Mizuki Hirai – Japan: Championship Record setter in the 100 fly, and a big reason behind Japan’s mixed medley relay win
• Alessandra Mao – Italy: A 1:57-flat 200 free at 14. Yes, 14. Federica Pellegrini wasn’t faster than that until she was 18
• Kuzey Tuncelli – Turkey: Established distance free swimmer, a 1500 finalist in Paris last summer, who won a pair of golds
• Raito Numata – Japan: Fast-closing IM phenom who beat the World Junior Record holder for the win in the 400 IM, and closed in 26.3 in the 200 free for bronze
• Jan Malte Grafe – Germany: WJR-setting 50 breaststroker in the heats, who was just edged out for gold in the final

Key: NR – National Record, CR – Championship Record, WJR – World Junior Record

=10. Nikita Sheremet – Ukraine

Highlights

• Men’s 50 freestyle (semi-final) – 21.75 *1st, =CR, =WJR*
• Men’s 50 freestyle (heats) – 21.82
• Men’s 50 freestyle (final) – 21.99 *1st*

One of only two individual World Junior Record-setters at the meet, Sheremet was the best 50 freestyler in Otopeni, despite making the final closer than it could have been. He set a big best in the heats, breaking 22 seconds for the first time, and then matched Michael Andrew’s World Junior Record in the semis. He may be a threat in only a single event, but we saw how that’s worked out for his countryman Vladislav Bukhov – the 2024 World Champion in the 50 free.

=10. Jan Malte Grafe – Germany

Highlights

• Men’s 50 breaststroke (heats) – 26.95 *CR, WJR*
• Men’s 50 breaststroke (final) – 26.99 *2nd*
• Men’s 50 breaststroke (semi-final) – 27.18
• Men’s 100 breaststroke (final) – 1:00.21 *5th*

Sheremet’s fellow WJR-breaker, Grafe set his in the heats of the men’s 50 breaststroke, clipping Nicolo Martinenghi‘s mark by two-hundredths of a second. Having come in with a best of 27.59, he was well under that in all three rounds, dipping under 27 seconds again in the final as he was touched out by just a hundredth of a second for golf by Nusrat Allahverdi. Grafe was also a force in the 100, placing 5th after hacking off nearly a second.

9. Jon Shortt – Ireland

Highlights

• Men’s 200 backstroke final – 1:56.19 *1st, NR*
• Men’s 100 backstroke semi-final – 53.80
• Men’s 100 backstroke final – 53.86 *1st*
• Men’s 50 backstroke final – 25.06 *3rd*

Shortt set one Irish Record in the 200 back, and was hundredths away from a second in the 100. He set a best time at both distances, and won gold in each, setting himself up for a potential podium tilt in the 200 next summer at Europeans. Taking bronze in the 50 as well, Shortt is Ireland’s top male swimmer right now and is only getting better.

8. Agostina Hein – Argentina

Highlights

• Women’s 400 IM – 4:34.34 *1st, CR, NR*
• Women’s 400 freestyle – 4:07.06 *4th*
• Women’s 800 freestyle – 8:26.19 *2nd*
• Women’s 200 IM (heats) – 2:13.58

Hein had a fantastic Junior Pan Ams, but an ever better World Juniors. She started with a bang, resetting her weeks-old Argentinian Record in the 400 IM and resetting the championship record, before winning silver in the 800 and making finals in the 200 free and 200 IM. She is poised for a big senior breakout next year at Pan Pacs in Irvine.

7. Jacob Mills – Great Britain

Highlights

• Men’s 100 freestyle semi-finals – 47.74
• Men’s 4×100 medley relay (free) – 47.65 *2nd*
• Mixed 4×100 freestyle relay – 47.76 *2nd*
• Men’s 50 freestyle (semi-final) – 21.98
• Men’s 50 freestyle (final) – 22.02 *2nd*
• Men’s 4×100 free relay (heats) – 48.17 leadoff
• Men’s 100 freestyle (final) – 48.22 *2nd*
• Men’s 4×100 free relay (final) – 48.27 leadoff *5th*
• Mixed Medley Relay heats (free) – 48.11

Mills came into these championships of a solid showing at his first ever senior international meet, but was a level above in Otopeni. His 100 free semi-final, where he became the #3 British swimmer in history, ahead of Duncan Scott and Tom Dean, was the high point, but he had four other swims of 48.2 or better in the 100 to go alongside his 50 free silver.

6. Audrey Derivaux – USA

Highlights

• Women’s 200 backstroke – 2:06.99 *1st, CR*
• Women’s 200 IM – 2:10.58 *1st*
• Women’s 200 butterfly – 2:07.57 *1st*
• Women’s 100 butterfly (semi-final) – 57.57
• Women’s 100 butterfly (final) – 57.74 *2nd*
• Women’s 4×100 medley relay (fly) – 57.94 *1st*

Derivaux won the second-most individual gold medals behind Peiqi Yang, and added a relay medal silver in the women’s medley. She didn’t quite hit her best time in any of her gold medal-winning swims, but still got to the wall first in all three at just 16 years old and broke Regan Smith‘s Championship Record in the 200 back. Derivaux did set a best en route to a silver in the 100 fly, and still has another World Junior Championship in 2027 before she ages up – she could be scary in two years time.

5. Shin Ohashi – Japan

Highlights

• Mixed medley relay (breast) – 58.52 *1st*
• Men’s medley relay (breast) – 58.55 *1st*
• Men’s 200 breaststroke – 2:07.56 *2nd*
• Men’s 100 breaststroke – 59.50 *2nd*
• Men’s 50 breaststroke – 27.12 *3rd*

Ohashi could not quite match his World Junior Records in the individual events, taking silver behind Filip Nowacki in both despite not adding much time at all. However, he was the best relay breaststroker at the meet, distancing even the Jersey swimmer. His splits appear to be the 2nd- and 3rd- fastest by a Japanese swimmer in history, behind Yasuhiro Koseki‘s 58.16 from 2019, and his 200 would have won silver in Singapore this year.

4. Rylee Erisman – USA

Highlights

• Women’s 100 freestyle – 52.79 *1st, CR*
• Women’s 200 freestyle – 1:56.76 *2nd*
• Women’s 4×100 medley relay – 52.75 *1st*
• Women’s 4×200 free relay – 1:56.69 *2nd*
• Women’s 100 freestyle (semi-finals) – 53.09 *CR*
• Women’s 4×100 free relay – 53.41 leadoff **1st, CR**
• Mixed 4×100 medley relay – 53.05 *2nd*
• Mixed 4×100 free relay – 53.09 *1st*

Erisman’s 100 free would have placed 3rd in Singapore this summer, and after going 1:56.76 on the 200 and winning the 50 in 24.70 she is a clear three-distance threat. She was the class of the field in the 100 free both individually and on relays, as shown by her medley relay anchor of 52.75. Individually, she broke 53 where no one else was under 54.

3. Filip Nowacki – Great Britain

Highlights

• Men’s 200 breaststroke- 2:07.32 *1st, CR*
• Men’s 100 breaststroke- 59.20 *1st*
• Mixed 4×100 medley relay (breast) – 58.83 *2nd*
• Men’s 100 breaststroke (semi-final) – 59.24
• Men’s 50 breaststroke – 27.18 *4th*
• Men’s 4×100 medley relay (breast) – 59.23 *2nd*

Nowacki had a breakout meet at European Juniors, clocking 59.49 in the 100 and 2:08.32 in the 200, but was even quicker in Otopeni. His 200 is the 2nd-fastest by a British swimmer ever, and his 100 gives Great Britain a clear successor to Adam Peaty for the future. His 200 would have won the senior world championships this year, and he delivered two quick medley relay splits en route to a pair of silvers. Pencil him in for the podium at Europeans and Commonwealths next year

2. Yang Peiqi – China

Highlights

• Women’s 4×200 freestyle relay – 1:55.54 *1st*
• Women’s 200 free – 1:56.25 *1st, CR*
• Women’s 400 free – 4:05.38 *1st, CR*
• Women’s 800 free – 8:22.93 *1st*
• Women’s 1500 free – 16:08.37 *1st*
• Women’s 4×100 medley relay – 54.14 *2nd*

The only swimmer to win four individual gold medals, Peiqi ended up with five golds, a silver and a bronze as she won the top female athlete award. As well as leading the field in the 200-400-800-1500 freestyles, she set best times in all bar the 400 and championship records in the 200 and 400. Her split on the 4×200 free relay was faster than her split on that relay in Singapore and the fastest in the field by over a second, as China nearly toppled Canada’s World Junior Record.

1. Carlos D’Ambrosio – Italy

Highlights

• Mixed 4×100 medley relay (free) – 47.02 *5th*
• Men’s 200 freestyle – 1:45.15 *1st, NR*
• Men’s 4×100 freestyle – 47.20 *2nd*
• Men’s 4×100 medley relay (free) – 47.27 *3rd*
• Men’s 100 freestyle (semi-final) – 47.86
• Men’s 100 freestyle (final) – 47.88 *1st*
• Mixed 4×100 free relay – 47.40 *3rd*
• Men’s 4×200 free relay – 1:45.60 *3rd*
• Men’s 50 freestyle – 22.14 *3rd*

D’Ambrosio had a breakout senior worlds, but was even better at his final junior competition. He swam the 100 free on relays four times – every one was 47.40 or better, with the pick of the bunch being the 47.02 which came on the only relay out of those four not to medal. He won the 100 free, broke his Italian Record in the 200 free for the second time this summer as he won by over a second and a half, and added bronze in the 50 free. The Italian speedster was on fire every time he dived into the pool for a final – a 1:45.60 anchor for the 4×200 free team may have been his worst swim of the meet, which says a lot about his new standards.