2024 Paris Olympian Neza Klancar announced on Instagram on July 9th that she would be missing the 2025 World Aquatics Championships. Klancar is recovering from shoulder pain that has been nagging her for “over a year and a half.”
Here is Klancar’s announcement on Instagram:
Today marks exactly 309 days since my last race, and a few more to go before I am back behind the blocks.
I’ve been dealing with shoulder pain for over a year and a half. It got worse right before the Olympics, but I kept going…I wasn’t ready to step away from that dream.
After the Games, I took a break, mentally and physically. My shoulder got some rest, I felt a bit more like myself again, and I was excited to get back in the water in January. But after just one session, the pain came back. I knew something wasn’t right.
After a bunch of scans and opinions, I decided not to go for another surgery. Instead, I’m starting over, rebuilding my body the right way. No overhead movements for now, just slow progress, patience, and learning how to move better.
The last few months have been tough, but I’m trusting the process. I won’t be competing at Worlds in Singapore this summer, but I’ll be back…💙
Klancar, 25, was a finalist in Paris last summer, placing 7th in the 50 freestyle with a personal-best time of 24.35, improving on her mark from the 2023 Rotterdam Qualification Meet. She became the first Slovenian swimmer to reach an Olympic final since Sara Isaković, who won silver in the 200 free in 2008.
She also reached the semifinals of the 100 free in Paris, placing 14th overall with a time of 53.96—matching her personal best from the 2024 Australian Open Championships.
Klancar owns long course Slovenian records in the 50 free (24.25), 100 free (53.96), and 50 fly (25.81). In short course, Klancar holds national records in the 50 free (24.03), 50 back (27.16), 50 fly (25.54), and 100 IM (58.55).
Prior to the Olympics, Klancar fell ill in the spring of 2024; as a result, she missed the European Championships in Belgrade. Still making the final in Paris in the 50 free.
In addition to her absence from these World Championships, Klancar also withdrew from the 2024 Short Course Worlds, citing the same shoulder injury.
