World Aquatics (formerly FINA) has confirmed that in lockstep with their adjustment of ages for the World Junior Swimming Championship, ages for World Junior Records have been extended as well.
As of February 21, 2023, World Aquatics will now begin recognizing World Junior Records for both male and female swimmers aged 14-18 as of December 31 in the year when the race was swum.
This change creates another layer of timeline-incongruity on swimming’s most-convoluted record set.
World Junior Records timeline
- Prior to April 1, 2014 – No World Junior Records recognized, regardless of age. World Junior Championship Records established as World Junior Record benchmarks, but not actual World Junior Records.
- April 1, 2014 through February 21, 2023 – World Junior Records are recognized for girls aged 14-17 and boys aged 15-18 based on end-of-year age, but many swims that are age-eligible are not recognized anyway for various administrative reasons (like Claire Curzan’s 56.20 in the 100 fly from 2021).
- February 21, 2023 through present – World Junior Record ages are extended to 14-18 for both boys and girls.
A spokesperson for World Aquatics confirmed to SwimSwam that the new age range would not be applied retroactively.
Other requirements for breaking records remain. That includes affiliation with a World Aquatics member and course measurement by a surveyor, automatic or semi-automatic timing equipment, approved swimwear, and undergoing anti-doping controls within 24 hours of the conclusion of the event.
Claims on World Junior Records must be reported within 7 days, except that records set during the Olympics, World Championships, World Junior Championships, or Swimming World Cups are automatically approved.
That makes the record a total mess.
What was the reason to equate the ages of eligibility for the WJR between girls and boys. If to put aside the question about the necessity and what stands behind the idea of registering of WJR at the first place, the making eligibility ages for girls and boys same is the dumbest thing to do. It is the law of Nature that statistically the female body goes through the puberty process earlier and last shorter period of time than same process happens with males. And WJR is all about it. Who gets in this process of becoming woman or man earlier.
The stupidity flourishes nowadays. What time are we living at?
If they applied retroactively then MOC would hold 5 WJRs right now instead of 0
Would that be true if they applied it retroactively all-time? Or just retroactively to last year?
If you apply retroactively to 2014 it’s five but she loses the LCM 50 BK if you go back all time.
LCM 100 FR
LCM 200 FR (won’t last much longer)
LCM 50 BK (fastest since 2014 but not fastest all time)
SCM 50 BK
SCM 100 BK
Thanks for doing the work so I don’t have to haha
It would be fun to see what records would be if they applied this retroactively. (I know they are not).
Whoa, I definitely missed that FINA changed their name!
So… Does that means we are gonna see Sims break some WJR’s in LCM?
What events do you think she would do that in? Aren’t her best events 200 free and the backstrokes, which are probably 3 of the strongest WJRs
She’s in reach of some SCM WJRs but if WA schedules the World Cups as LCM in the lead up to Paris there won’t be any SCM meets.
No
Updated “this is what the records should actually be” article on the way? 😀
Posted by a greedy fan who loves those articles
@Braden Keith, it’s been 5 weeks since the last SS Breakdown has been uploaded.
How many years/decades should we wait until we get the next one ? 🤔🤔