Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu Clocks 1:00.02, Breaks Quarter-Century-Old Romanian 100 Back Record

2025 World Junior Swimming Championships

• August 19-24, 2025
• Otopeni, Romania
• LCM (50 meters)
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  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

GIRLS’ 100 BACKSTROKE – Final

• World Record: 57.13 – Regan Smith, USA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 57.57 – Regan Smith, USA (2019)
• Championship Record: 59.11 – Regan Smith, USA (2017)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Charlotte Crush (USA) – 59.52
2. Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu (ROU) – 1:00.02
3. Madison Kryger (CAN) – 1:00.27
4. Milana Stepanova (NAB) – 1:00.52
5. Kim Seungwon (KOR) – 1:00.56
6. Aissia Claudia Prisecariu (ROU) – 1:00.59
7. Zoe Kay Ammundsen (AUS) – 1:00.60
8. Milan Glintmeyer (NZL) – 1:00.90

Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu made history on night two of the 2025 World Junior Championships in Otopeni, Romania.

The Romanian, 18, clocked 1:00.02 en route to collecting silver in the girls’ 100 backstroke. American Charlotte Crush took home the gold with 59.52, while Canadian Madison Kryger (1:00.27) earned bronze.

Silisteanu was 5th at the 50-meter mark in 29.32 but split 30.70 on the back half to move into second. Her closing 50 split of 30.70 tied for fastest in the field with Crush, while Kryger was the only other swimmer under 31 seconds at 30.87.

Silisteanu’s time broke a legendary national record held by dual Olympic champion Diana Mocanu (1:00.21), who won both backstroke events at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Making it even sweeter was the fact that Silisteanu was able to break the record on home soil.

This is not the first record that Silisteanu has snagged from Mocanu. She’s been on a tear in the 50 back, having broken that record on three separate occasions over the past two years. She took it from Mocanu at the 2023 European Junior Championships, swimming 28.59 in semifinals and then 28.46 in finals. Last month, she came in at 28.26 to reset the standard at this year’s European Juniors.

Before Silisteanu, Mocanu held the record at 28.73 from 2002.

At last month’s European Juniors, Silisteanu walked away with gold in the 100 back with her previous best time of 1:00.40, while she also won the event in 2024 (1:00.72), and nabbed silver in 2023 (1:01.24). She was 5th in the 50 back in 2024 and 3rd in 2023.

Her only senior level meet was the European Short Course Championships in December 2023, where she touched 24th in both the 50 and 100 back.