Tajus Juska Becomes One of the Fastest 14-Year-Old 100 Freestylers Ever with 50.52

2023 EUROPEAN JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, July 4th – Sunday, July 9th
• Sports and Recreational Center “Milan Gale Muškatirović”, Belgrade, Serbia
• Prelims at 10am local (4am EDT)/Finals at 5pm local (11am EDT)
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Entries
• SwimSwam Preview
• Live Results
• Livestream
• Day 1 Prelims Recap |Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Finals Live Recap
• Day 5 Prelims Recap | Day 5 Finals Live Recap

Lithuanian sprint freestyle sensation Tajus Juska was back at it during the European Junior Championships prelims on Saturday morning, firing off a 50.52 in the 100-meter freestyle to become one of the fastest 14-year-olds ever in the event.

Only Romanian world record holder David Popovici (49.82) and England’s Jacob Whittle (49.97) appear to have been faster than Juska at 14 years old. Notably, Juska is quicker than the current age group records in America (51.12, Thomas Heilman), Canada (51.05, Laon Kim), and Australia (50.86, Kyle Chalmers).

Juska dropped more than half a second off his previous Lithuanian age group record of 51.13 from last month. He’s also shaved more than three seconds off his lifetime best so far this calendar year.

Juska placed 6th in prelims before missing Sunday’s final with a 50.64 in the semifinals on Saturday night. During his morning swim, he was out in 24.10 and back in 26.42.

Again, at just 14 years old, Juska is within two seconds of the overall Lithuanian record in the 100 free, a 48.64 set by Simonas Bilis in 2016.

• Related: 14-Year-Old Tajus Juska Sets Lithuanian Age Group Marks