Best Junior Times Ever: An Open Source Record Book

With the April 1st “open season” on the new FINA Junior World Records, there’s very much of a limbo-situation left in the gap between the recognized Junior World Record, and the fastest times ever done by a junior.

And so, below, we’ve made our best attempt at assembling these “Junior World bests,” sticking with FINA’s definition of a ‘junior.” That is to say, girls who are aged 14-17 or boys who are aged 15-18, based on their age on December 31st.

That eliminates some really good, really well-known swims, like Thorpe’s World Record at 18, but in the year he turned 19.

This is where we’re asking for help from our readers. We know we have great readers that know a lot about swimming, and because of the monumental task of tracking down these “bests,” we fully recognize that there’s some we might have missed.

And so, before we settle up with these as Junior World bests, we’re reaching out to our audience to help make sure we haven’t overlooked any. Some were easy to figure out, especially on the girls’ side, where a huge portion of the current World Records were done by swimmers 17 & under.

If you think you’ve found a time that should replace one on this list, leave it in the comments with time, meet, and results if you can find them, and if we can verify, we’ll update the list.

Once suggestions quiet down for a few days, we’ll settle things up (they can always be changed later if one happens to have still been overlooked).

Interestingly, thus far, only two (UPDATED) of these swims is also the Junior World Record – that’s Evgeny Sedov’s 50 fly and Santana’s 100 free.

50 Free 21.98 Evgeny Sedov
100 Free 48.35 Matheus Santana* (McEvoy was 48.0 as an 18-year old, but in his “19th year”)
200 Free 1:43.90 Danila Izotov (still his best time)
400 Free 3:40.59 Ian Thorpe (his 3:40.17 was done at 18, but was in his “19th year”)
800 Free 7:45.67 Mack Horton (Really hard to find this one – Thorpe’s WR wasn’t until his “19th year”)
1500 Free 14:46.84 Sun Yang (14:43.48 from Kieren Perkins was in his “19th year”, UPDATED)
50 Back 25.04 Ryan Murphy (Xu Jiayu in his 19th year)
100 Back 53.38 Ryan Murphy (Hagino in 19th year)
200 Back 1:54.77 Ryosuke Irie (Hagino in 19th year, Peirsol in 19th year, UPDATED)
50 Breast 27.16 (Johannes Skagius)
100 Breast 59.56 Akahiro Yamaguchi (UPDATED)
200 Breast 2:07.01 Akahiro Yamaguchi
50 Fly 23.28 Evgeny Sedov*
100 Fly 51.10 Michael Phelps
200 Fly 1:53.93 Michael Phelps
200 IM 1:55.94 Michael Phelps (UPDATED – Hagino was in his 19th year)
400 IM 4:08.94 Kosuke Hagino (UPDATED)

50 Free 23.99 Cate Campbell
100 Free 53.03 Cate Campbell
200 Free 1:55.06 Missy Franklin
400 Free 3:59.82 Katie Ledecky
800 Free 8:13.86 Katie Ledecky
1500 Free 15:36.54 Katie Ledecky
50 Back 27.22 Fu Yuanhui (UPDATED)
100 Back 58.33 Missy Franklin
200 Back 2:04.06 Missy Franklin
50 Breast 29.48 Ruta Meilutyte
100 Breast 1:04.35 Ruta Meilutyte
200 Breast 2:22.78 Keiko Fukudome (Watanabe faster in 18th year, UPDATED)
50 Fly 25.66 Sarah Sjostrom (done in both 2009 and 2010)
100 Fly 56.06 Sarah Sjostrom
200 Fly 2:04.72 Jiao Liuyang (Jiao Liuyang and Ellen Gandy were faster in their 18th year, while 17)
200 IM 2:07.57 Ye Shiwen
400 IM 4:28.43 Ye Shiwen

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theroboticrichardsimmons
10 years ago

Open question to group – since we’re already taking liberties with the FINA rules, why are we sticking with the requirement to anchor a swimmers age to their December 31st birthday? It’s an arbitrary and silly constraint that unfairly penalizes swimmers whose birthdays are later in the year.

If we truly want a *real* Junior World Record Book, I propose that we simply count all swims done by males prior to their 19th birthday and females prior to their 18th birthday. Doing anything other than that is capricious, lazy, or both.

Wirotomo
Reply to  theroboticrichardsimmons
10 years ago

50m Free Evgeny Sedov Russia 96 21.98 31-Mar-14 Russian Cup Rostov, RUS
100m Free Cameron McEvoy Australia 13-May-94 48.07 30-Apr-13 Australia National Championships Adelaide, AUS
It’s not lazy theroboticrichardsimmons, I think swimswam just want to make “what-might-have-been” list if FINA want to accept the records in the past, with the rule they set for their official records.
And the rule is not that bad, IAAF use the same 31 Dec cut-off for their junior world record.
But if you want the real record, i think we can make that list.

I’m searching for awhile and I come up with this list for men (maybe someday i have the time to search the women record) :-):

50m… Read more »

Wirotomo
Reply to  Wirotomo
10 years ago

There;s is one mistake in my list. 200m back, it should be this one:

200m Back Ryosuke Irie Japan 24-Jan-90 1.54.77 7-Jun-08 Japan Open Tokyo, JPN

Reply to  Wirotomo
10 years ago

I have a doubt: Marco Orsi(Italy)didn t made 21.82 at 18 in 2009?(Okay, he made 19 in December, but he made his record in March.

Rafael
Reply to  DDias
10 years ago

Yes.. if was at 18.. regardless of when turning 19.. the 50 record would be from Orsi..

Wirotomo
Reply to  DDias
10 years ago

I think you’re right, DDIAS.

00:21.82 Marco Orsi CN Uisp Bologna 6 Mar 2009 Italian Championships Riccione, Italy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_record_progression_50_metres_freestyle

and Orsi wan born in 11 Desember 1990.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Orsi

so he is the fastest juniors (under 19 years) in 50m Free.

Wirotomo
Reply to  Wirotomo
10 years ago

OK.
FINA’s style Record: it’s Sedov (b. 1996), 21.98 (in 31 Dec 2014 he’s still 18 yo)
theroboticrichardsimmons/USA Swimming/Australia Swimming’s style Record :-): it’s Orsi (b. 1990), 21.82 (in 31 Dec 2009 he is 19 yo – not eligible for FINA’s record).

Kirk Nelson
Reply to  theroboticrichardsimmons
10 years ago

It’s not arbitary at all. In fact I feel the FINA rule makes it easier. All you need to know is someone’s birth year, not their birth date.

aswimfan
Reply to  Kirk Nelson
10 years ago

I agree it is easier (for those who try to compile the list), but it is definitely less fair.

aswimfan
Reply to  Kirk Nelson
10 years ago

Also, for official world record, FINA have to know the exact birthdate, not just the year, so why not using birthdate, instead of just the year?

Wirotomo
10 years ago

Braden, could you also make the best textile list?
I think it’s shiny suit’s time for men 200m free and 1500m free & women 50m free, 100m free, 200m breast, 100m fly, and 200m fly. Can we get the real junior best time on that events without help from that super suit? 🙂

Wirotomo
Reply to  Braden Keith
10 years ago

yeah i know what you mean.
i think I’m just sentimental. because of that shiny suit, Thorpe’s
1:45.37 (200 free), Paltrinieri 14:48.92 (1500 free), and Hagino’s 1:55.74 (200 back) can’t make the list. 🙂

aswimfan
Reply to  Braden Keith
10 years ago

I agree that it is quite dicey.

For example, I absolutely don’t think Izotov would have been anywhere close to that 1:43.90 had he not been in x-glide. Izotov’s textile PB is 1:45.59 in Barcelona last year.

On the other hand, swimmers like Campbell or Sjoestrom would still have broken/held the records (albeit slower) had they been in textile in 2009.
Campbell swam 24.89 as 14 yo in textile, and then she also swam 24.48 in textile in 2007, barely turned 15 yo.

Rafael
Reply to  aswimfan
10 years ago

Same for Sun, he swan 14:35 textile before turning 19 on 2010.. he could have gone 14:46 even without the suits at 2009..

Dan
Reply to  Braden Keith
8 years ago

Why not put this list on you records page?

Sven
10 years ago

Ever since FINA decided to observe junior WR’s, I wondered what the reasoning was for the girls being 14-17 and boys being 15-18. Why the disparity?

Sven
Reply to  Braden Keith
10 years ago

gotcha, thanks!

Sven
Reply to  Sven
10 years ago

I’m guessing it accounts for the different rates of maturity, but is that the official rationale?

Rafael
10 years ago

Braden, at 18 years old, on the year turning 19 the 1500 time is Sun Yang 14:35:43 at 2010 Asian Games, the time was at November, he was born on December.

aswimfan
Reply to  Braden Keith
10 years ago

Why would the opposite group has the advantage if you base it on birthday?

Birthday is birthday, and turning 19 yo is the same for every group.

aswimfan
Reply to  aswimfan
10 years ago

Therefore, basing it on birthday is more fair, in my opinion.

Majer99
10 years ago

Jiao 200 fly 2008 Olympics 2:04.72 listed as born 91

Majer99
10 years ago

Possible women’s 200 breast keiko Fukudome 2:22.78 japan junior cup 29 August 2009

Rafael
Reply to  Majer99
10 years ago

When will Ukranian National happen? Probably Solnceva will crush the 200m mark.. she went 2:23:12 last year and she will turn 16 this year..

brook
Reply to  Rafael
10 years ago

Victoria changing the country
probably, Turkey

Rafael
10 years ago

Yang times were at 2008 OG and 2009 Worlds (Forget to add this)

Rafael
10 years ago

Yang is from 1991, at 2008 he went 14:48:39 and in 2009 he went 14:46:84.. So the 1500 record is his

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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