Rising American star Rylee Erisman has been on fire through the first three days of the World Junior Swimming Championships in Otopeni, Romania, and her headlining performance came on Thursday night in the final of the girls’ 100 freestyle.
Erisman, 16, became just the third junior swimmer in history (18 & under by birth year) to break 53 seconds in the event, clocking 52.79 to lower the World Junior Championship Record of 53.09 she set in the semi-finals. She initially set the record in the prelims, clocking 53.17 to crack Taylor Ruck‘s mark of 53.63 from 2017.
Erisman also broke the U.S. National Age Group Record for 15-16 girls in the prelims, semis and final, with the record having previously stood at 53.55 from Claire Curzan in 2021, while Erisman’s personal best coming into the meet sat at 53.75 from the Junior Pan Pacific Championships last summer.
Split Comparison
| Erisman, 2024 Junior Pan Pacs | Erisman, 2025 World Junior Prelims | Erisman, 2025 World Junior Semis |
Erisman, 2025 World Junior Final
|
| 26.17 | 25.79 | 25.80 | 25.49 |
| 27.58 | 27.38 | 27.29 | 27.30 |
| 53.75 | 53.17 | 53.09 | 52.79 |
RACE VIDEO
Courtesy of @swimcoverage on X
🇷🇴World Junior Championships Otopeni 2025
女子100Fr
ライリー・エリズマン 52.79 =CR🇺🇸Rylee Erisman
2009年生まれ16歳
自身初の52秒台、WJRまで0.09秒に迫る快速記録！pic.twitter.com/DIm5QB6Q6k https://t.co/BFLRX3skuf— 競泳NEWS (@swimcoverage) August 21, 2025
Erisman narrowly missed the World Junior Record of 52.70, set by Canadian Penny Oleksiak, who produced that time en route to winning gold at the 2016 Olympics. Oleksiak, like Erisman, was 16 when she put up that time.
The fastest junior swimmer of all-time is actually Mollie O’Callaghan, who clocked 52.49 in the 100 free at the age of 18 back in 2022. However, World Aquatics only began allowing 18-year-old girls to break World Junior Records in February 2023—prior to that, World Aquatics defined junior girls as 17 & unders.
Looking strictly at 17 & under performers, Erisman ranks #2 all-time, with only Oleksiak and Taylor Ruck also under 53 seconds.
All-Time Performers, 17 & Under Girls’ 100 Freestyle
- Penny Oleksiak (CAN), 52.70 – 2016
- Rylee Erisman (USA), 52.79 – 2025
- Taylor Ruck (USA), 52.96 – 2017
- Cate Campbell (AUS), 53.03 – 2009
- Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 53.08 – 2021
Later in the same session, Erisman won another gold medal after swimming the third leg on the U.S.’ winning mixed 4×100 freestyle relay, splitting 53.11, and she also has two silver medals to her name thus far after contributing to the Americans’ runner-up teams in the girls’ 4×200 free and the mixed 4×100 medley relays.
Erisman will have plenty more medal opportunities in Otopeni, including two more individually as she’s the top seed in the girls’ 50 free and the #2 seed in the 200 free.
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