After the U.S. won the first three relays last week at the World Junior Championships (boys’ 400 freestyle relay, girls’ 800 free relay, and mixed 400 medley relay), Australia responded in record-breaking fashion with a world junior record of 3:24.29 in the mixed 400-meter freestyle relay.
The Aussie quartet of Flynn Southam (48.58), Edward Sommerville (48.54), Olivia Wunsch (53.62), and Milla Jansen (53.55) combined to crush the previous world junior record of 3:25.92 that the U.S. set in 2019.
Maximus Williamson led off with a blazing 48.38 split — which would be a new U.S. boys’ 17-18 national age group (NAG) record if not for USA Swimming deeming mixed medley relay leadoffs ineligible — but Sommerville seized the lead by a few tenths at the midway point of the race. At just 16 years old, Jansen outsplit Wunsch on the anchor by .07 seconds less than 30 minutes after earning a runner-up finish behind her 17-year-old Aussie teammate in the individual 100 free final.
This is your LIVEBARN Race of the Week because both Australia and the U.S. finished under the previous world junior record as Williamson (48.38), Jason Zhao (49.05), Erika Pelaez (53.76), and Anna Moesch (54.40) combined for a runner-up finish in 3:25.59.
Split Comparison
| AUS, 2023 | USA, 2023 |
| Flynn Southam – 48.58 | Maximus Williamson – 48.38 |
| Edward Sommerville – 48.54 | Jason Zhao – 49.05 |
| Olivia Wunsch – 53.62 | Erika Pelaez – 53.76 |
| Milla Jansen – 53.55 | Anna Moesch – 54.40 |
| 3:24.29 | 3:25.59 |
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