Jan Malte Grafe Breaks Martinenghi’s 50 Breast World Junior Record In 26.95

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 | Day 4 | Day 5
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

We saw another third World Junior Record of the Championships go down this morning, as Germany’s Jan Malte Grafe hacked six-tenths of a second off his previous best time of 27.59 to go 26.95 out of the penultimate heat, shaving two-hundredths of a second from Nicolo Martinenghi‘s mark from 2017.

Grafe, who placed 3rd at the European Junior championships at the start of July in 27.65, led his heat from the very start, taking the win by more than seven-tenths of a second. He now vaults himself to favorite status in the event, leading the swimmers in prelims by nearly half a second.

His time ranks him as the 5th-fastest German swimmer in history, and joint-48th all-time.

German Men All-Time Performers, 50m Breaststroke

1. Melvin Imoudu (2024) – 26.62
2. Lucas Matzerath (2024) – 26.80
3. Noel de Geus (2024) /Hendrik Feldwehr (2009) – 26.83
4. –
5. Jan Malte Grafe (2025) – 26.95

Four of the top five German swimmers have set their best times in the last 18 months, which could set up some great battles for international spots.  Grafe set a best of 1:00.21 in the 100 here in Otopeni as well.

Martinenghi’s mark of 26.97 had stood since the Italian Championships in 2017, and withstood a close shave at this meet two years ago when Indonesia’s Felix Iberle came within a hundredth to set a Championship Record of 26.98.

Grafe would have made the semi-finals at the Singapore World Championships with his morning swim, and was just off the 26.93 required to place 8th in those semi-finals. He is the 2nd-fastest German this year, behind Melvin Imoudu‘s 26.74 from Singapore.

There were several other notable junior swims this morning, as Filip Nowacki (27.38) and Max Morgan (27.39) both now rank in the top 11 in the all-time junior rankings. Both were under Morgan’s previous British Age Group Record of 27.41.

Junior Men All-Time Performers, 50m Breaststroke

1. Jan Malte Grafe, GER (2025) – 26.95
2. Nicolo Martinenghi, ITA (2017) – 26.97
3. Felix Iberle, IDN (2023) – 26.98
4. Johannes Skagius, SWE (2013) / Nusrat Allahverdi, TUR (2025) – 27.16
5. –
6. Alessandro Pinzuti, ITA (2017) – 27.19
7. Chris Smith, RSA (2024) – 27.28
8. Simone Cerasuolo, ITA (2021) – 27.29
9. Shin Ohashi, JPN (2025) – 27.33
10. Filip Nowacki, GBR (2025) – 27.38
11. Michael Andrew, USA (2017) / Max Morgan, GBR (2025) – 27.39

Grafe will go for Germany’s first gold medal of the meet providing he makes it through to the final tomorrow evening, although with five of that top ten in this field there is no guarantee.