2025 EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- December 2-7, 2025
- Lublin, Poland
- SCM (25 meters)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Live Recaps:
MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – Final
- WR: 48.16 – Hubert Kos, HUN (2025)
- WJR: 48.76 – Miron Lifintsev, NAB (2024)
- ER: 48.16 – Hubert Kos, HUN (2025)
- EJR: 48.76 – Miron Lifintsev, NAB (2024)
- CR: 48.97 – Arkady Vyatchanin, SRB (2009) | Stanislav Donets, RUS (2009)
Top 8 Finishers:
- Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 49.29
- Mewen Tomac (FRA) – 49.46
- Oliver Morgan (GBR) – 49.68
- Miroslav Knedla (CZE) – 49.93
- Lorenzo Mora (ITA) – 49.95
- Denis Popescu (ROU) – 49.97
- John Shortt (IRL) – 50.10
- Jan Cejka (CZE) – 50.34
Although he sits outside the top three performers of the men’s 100m backstroke at the 2025 European Short Course Championships, John Shortt still made a statement en route to seventh place overall.
18-year-old Shortt, who swims under the guidance of John Szaranek at the Irish National Training Centre in Limerick, stopped the clock in a time of 50.10. That not only represented a new lifetime best, but it also established a new Irish Record in the event.
The prior record was the 50.16 Shortt clocked to clip Shane Ryan‘s former mark of 50.17, logged during the 2020 International Swimming League (ISL) season.
Shortt took the final out in 24.31 compared to 24.48 in the semifinal, before closing in 25.79 versus 25.68.
Entering this competition, Shortt’s lifetime best rested at the 50.78 notched at the Munster Short Course Championships last month.
With his swim, he ranks as the 15th-fastest swimmer in the world so far this season:
2025-2026 SCM Men 100 BACK
Kos
WR 48.16
| 2 | Pavel Samusenko | RUS | 48.78 | 12/19 |
| 3 | Kliment Kolesnikov | RUS | 49.02 | 11/08 |
| 4 | Thomas Ceccon | ITA | 49.29 | 12/05 |
| 5 | Kacper Stokowski | POL | 49.41 | 10/25 |
| 6 | Mewen TOMAC | FRA | 49.46 | 12/05 |
| 7 | Oliver MORGAN | GBR | 49.62 | 12/04 |
| 8 | Miroslav Knedla | CZE | 49.80 | 12/04 |
| 9 | Ralf Tribuntsov | EST | 49.92 | 10/25 |
| 10 | Miron Lifintsev | RUS | 49.93 | 11/08 |
| 11 | Lorenzo MORA | ITA | 49.95 | 12/05 |
| 12 | Denis Popescu | ROU | 49.97 | 12/05 |
| 13 | Finlay Knox | CAN | 50.01 | 10/19 |
| 14 | Gabriel JETT | USA | 50.07 | 10/25 |
| 15 | John SHORTT | IRL | 50.10 | 12/05 |
Shortt already made noise this week by earning gold in the 200 back, establishing a World Junior Record of 1:47.89 in the process. That also represented new Irish, European Junior, and Championship Records.
The Irishman’s only remaining entry for the meet is the 50 back, where he enters as the 40th seed with a time of 25.06. He entered with his best long course time, though he owns a personal best time of 23.70 in the SCM pool that would have seeded him 19th. Ryan holds the Irish Record in the event with his 22.56 from the 2022 World Championships.
At the World Junior Championships this past August, Shortt had his big breakout meet. He walked away with a gold medal in the 200 back, clocking 1:56.19 to set a new Irish Record, in addition to winning gold in the 100 back (53.86) and bronze in the 50 with the aforementioned 25.06.
A month prior, he competed at the senior World Championships, where he touched 26th in the 100 back (54.26) and 15th in the 200 back (1:57.30). He also helped Ireland to 14th in the 4×200 free relay and 21st in the 4×100 medley relay.
Shortt finished 24th in the 200 back at the 2024 Doha World Championships, swimming a time of 1:58.47. He also swam the event at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, where he hit the wall in 1:59.79 for 22nd place.
He’s been a mainstay on the European junior scene for some time, having won the 200 back (1:57.68) and earned silver in the 100 back (54.74) at the 2024 European Junior Championships. This past July, he upgraded to gold in the 100 back (54.09) but fell to bronze in the 200 back (1:58.45) at the 2025 edition.
