Filip Nowacki Does It Again: 59.96 100 Breast British Age Record; 5th 17&U To Break 1-Minute

2025 European Junior Championships

• Tuesday, July 1 – Sunday, July 6
• X-bionic® sphere Pool, Šamorín, Slovakia
• LCM (50m)
• Start Times – Local: Prelims – 9:30 am / Finals – 6:00 pm
• Start Times – EST: Prelims – 3:30 am / Finals – 12:00 pm
• SwimSwam Preview
• Meet Central
• Entries (by event)
• Entries (by country)
• Live European Aquatics Results
• Livestream (Pay-To-Watch)
• Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

The penultimate night of the 2025 European Junior Swimming Championships is underway from Šamorín, Slovakia, and early into the session rising British star Filip Nowacki continued to build upon his success this week by making waves in the 100 breaststroke semifinals.

The 17-year-old touched the wall in 59.96 to not only stand as the sole individual under the elusive one-minute barrier, but also establish a new British age record for 17-year-olds, clipping fellow 17-year-old Max Morgan‘s mark of 1:00.10 from April’s Aquatics GB Championships, where Morgan took silver and Nowacki settled for bronze in 1:00.28.

This isn’t the only record he has stolen from Morgan this week, as he also clipped his mark in the 50 breast twice en route to silver, first with a 27.63 in the semifinals and then lowering it to 27.61 in the final. Prior to the meet, the record stood at 27.64, set by Morgan when he won the national title at the Great Britain Swimming Championships in April.

Nowacki’s best time prior to tonight’s swim was the 1:00.25 he logged at the AP Race International meet in London in late May. In tonight’s race he split 28.34 and 31.62, compared to his previous best time swim where he split 28.50 and 31.75, so he chipped off 16 hundredths on the front and 13 hundredths on the back end with the final still to come tomorrow evening.

Nowacki’s outing tonight checks in as the 4th swiftest 17 & Under 100 breaststroker in history, tying with Singapore’s Nicholas Mahabir. Japan’s 16-year-old Shin Ohashi leads the rankings with his 59.03 clocking from last month. The European Junior Record and World Junior Record sit at 59.01, set by reigning Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi of Italy back in 2017. In terms of the overall junior rankings, Nowacki checks in at equal 7th.

Boys’ 100 Breaststroke 17 & Under All-Time Top 5 Rankings:

1. Shin Ohashi (JPN) – 59.03 (2025)
2. Akihiro Yamaguchi (JPN) — 59.56 (2012)
3. Michael Andrew (USA) — 59.82 (2016)
4. Nicholas Mahabir (SGP) — 59.96 (2023) & Filip Nowacki (GBR) — 59.96*
5. N/A (equal 4th)

Boys’ 100 Breaststroke Junior All-Time Top 10 Rankings:

1. Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) — 59.01 (2017) *World Junior Record*
2. Shin Ohashi (JPN) — 59.03 (2025)
3. Akihiro Yamaguchi (JPN) — 59.56 (2012)
4. Lizhuo Wang (CHN) — 59.60 (2016)
5. Dong Zhihao (CHN) — 59.73 (2023)
6. Michael Andrew (USA) — 59.82 (2016)
7. Nicholas Mahabir (SGP) — 59.96 (2023) & Filip Nowacki (GBR) — 59.96*
8. N/A (equal 7th)
9. Vladislav Gerasimenko (RUS) — 59.97 (2019)
10. Craig Benson (GBR) — 1:00.04 (2012)

Nowacki already has two gold medals to his name so far in Šamorín, both stemming from last night when he ripped 2:08.32 to upgrade from bronze to gold in the 200 breast from a year ago and shatter the European Junior Record in the process, and another European Junior Record in the mixed 4×100 medley relay where he popped a 59.25 breast split. His swim in the 200 breast made him the fifth-quickest British man of all time in the event and sits as the second-fastest 17-year-old and under swimmer of all time, while ranking fifth in the all-time junior rankings.

The teenager, who trains at Millfield under coach Kieron Piper but spent his age group days under the guidance of Nathan Jegou with the Jersey Tigers Swimming Club, was silver in the 100 last year and will have a chance to grab gold in less than 24 hours’ time.

Qualifiers For Tomorrow’s Final:

1. Filip Nowacki (GBR), 59.96
2. Evangelos Efraim Ntoumas (GRE), 1:00.70
3. Nusrat Allahverdi (TUR), 1:00.76
4. Nikita Batuev (AIN), 1:01.16
5. Jan Malte Grafe (GER), 1:01.18
6. Joshua Inglis (GBR), 1:01.59
7. Jan Gajda (POL) & Mark Teler (ISR), 1:01.60
8. N/A (equal 7th)