2025 World Junior Swimming Championships
- August 19-24, 2025
- Otopeni, Romania
- LCM (50 meters)
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Rising British star Filip Nowacki continued his assault on Great Britain’s Age Records on the opening day of the 2025 World Junior Swimming Championships in Otopeni.
Nowacki blasted a time of 59.24 in the semi-finals of the boys’ 100 breaststroke, lowering his own British Record for 17-year-old boys of 59.59 set last month en route to winning the European Junior title in Samorin, Slovakia.
When Nowacki produced that swim in July, he went under Adam Peaty‘s British Record for 18-year-olds of 59.92, set in 2013, and now, Nowacki is nearly seven-tenths (0.68) clear of Peaty’s mark despite still being 17. Nowacki will turn 18 later this year (October 1).
Nowacki, who broke 1:00 in the 100 breast for the first time in the semis at Euro Juniors in 59.96, also went sub-1:00 in the prelims this morning at World Juniors (59.84), giving him four career 59-point swims.
His swim in tonight’s semis featured his fastest back half by more than half a second, closing in a blistering 31.04, which is also faster than anyone came home in the final at the 2025 World Championships.
Split Comparison
| Nowacki, Euro Junior Semis | Nowacki, Euro Junior Final | Nowacki, World Junior Prelims | Nowacki, World Junior Semis |
| 28.34 | 28.03 | 28.22 | 28.20 |
| 59.96 (31.62) | 59.59 (31.56) | 59.84 (31.62) | 59.24 (31.04) |
In tomorrow’s final, Nowacki will go head-to-head with World Junior Record holder Shin Ohashi, who clocked 59.72 to qualify 2nd after leading the prelims in 59.64.
Last month, Ohashi put up a time of 58.94 to break Nicolo Martinenghi‘s World Junior Record of 59.01 set in 2017.
With his swim tonight in Otopeni, Nowacki moves into #3 all-time on the junior performers’ list, which includes 18 & under swimmers by year of birth (American Campbell McKean clocked 58.96 earlier this year at the age of 18, but turns 19 next week).
All-Time Junior Performers, Boys’ 100 Breaststroke (LCM)
- Shin Ohashi (JPN), 58.94 – 2025
- Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA), 59.01 – 2017
- Filip Nowacki (GBR), 59.24 – 2025
- Akihiro Yamaguchi (JPN), 59.56 – 2012
- Qin Haiyang (CHN), 59.57 – 2017
In terms of British breaststrokers, Nowacki moves up from 6th to 4th all-time, now only trailing Peaty, James Wilby and Ross Murdoch.
All-Time British Performers, Men’s 100 Breaststroke (LCM)
- Adam Peaty, 56.88 – 2019 *World Record*
- James Wilby, 58.46 – 2019
- Ross Murdoch, 59.09 – 2012
- Filip Nowacki, 59.24 – 2025
- Craig Benson, 59.50 – 2018
Nowacki also holds the British Age Record for 17-year-olds in the 200 breast, set en route to gold Euro Juniors in 2:08.32, and in the 50 breast, his lifetime best stands at 27.61, just 11 one-hundredths shy of the NAG record of 27.50 set by Max Morgan at the end of July at the World Championships in Singapore.
Hopefully doesn’t become a victim of an American college.
As I understand it, he’s looking.
(Also, I thought every good swimmer in the world trained in the NCAA??)
The tradition of British men’s breaststroke is incredibly strong
Having a faster back half than anyone in Singapore is nuts. And he’s been consistently improving across the summer.
Would not surprise me if he wins a medal in LA.
This guys technique is dreamy!