Erisman went into the race as heavy favourite to win; with one eye on gold and one eye undoubtedly on the World Junior Record. Her winning time (52.79) was just 0.09 off Penny Oleksiak’s mark of 52.70, which won her gold in this event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
For the rest of the field, it was an extremely close fight for the podium, with Lily King (USA) taking silver ahead of Great Britain’s Theordora Taylor by the smallest of margins. They both clocked personal bests with just 0.01 of a second separating them, touching in 54.19 and 54.20, respectively.
Image Source: Rylee Erisman (R) of USA reacts with his teammate Lily King after competing in the Women’s 100m Freestyle at the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships – Otopeni 2025 (Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty Images)
Speaking on her win, Erisman said: “I am just so happy to be here and to represent the USA. I’m really happy to win this medal for my team, and it’s my first world junior individual medal. Honestly I feel kind of speechless right now, but I’m just so over the moon and so excited.
“I want to give a shout out to my parents who are here and to my brother and my family back at home. Also to my coach, Kyle Goller, of the Windermere Lakes Aquatic Club. I have been with him since I was little and he’s here at the meet. Thanks to all of you for your support.
“When you hear your name or ‘Go Team USA’ when you get on the block, it just means so much. Everything goes out of your head and you know that you have the biggest team and the biggest cheerleaders standing behind you.”
When asked about the work she’s had to put in to get where she is now so early in her career, she added: “Definitely a lot of hard work, and just staying driven and staying dedicated. But honestly, just having fun with it because you’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t have fun.
Image Source: Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
The second of the Men’s 50m Freestyle semifinals saw Ukraine’s Nikita Sheremet equalling Michael Andrew’s World Junior Record of 21.75. After carving out a half body length lead, the 18-year-old finished strong to shave 0.07 off his previous personal best, matching the mark set by Andrew in 2017.
“It’s unbelievable for me, but I hope I can swim faster. I can’t believe this world record. I was thinking about the Junior World Record before the semifinal, and I was hoping to swim faster than that time tonight.
“For tomorrow I have the same mindset, to swim faster. I really want to thank and congratulate my coach for my training and for what is waiting for me. I can swim even faster.”
Jacob Mills of Great Britain qualified in second with 22.05, while yesterday’s winner – and new Championship Record holder – in the Men’s 200m Freestyle, Carlos D’Ambrosio, goes into the final in third (22.10).
Image Source: Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
It was a battle between Team USA in the Women’s 200m Backstroke final. Yesterday’s winner of the 100m Backstroke, Charlotte Crush, looked the likely winner until the final 25 metres, when a rising stroke-rate from teammate Audrey Derivaux saw her powering down the final stretch.
Crush’s underwater work shined once again, popping up just in front of the 15 metre mark off every turn. But it was Derivaux, winner of the 200m Butterfly, who got her hand to the wall first in a new Championship Record time of 2:06.99. That time also put her in the world’s top 15 fastest swims so far this year.
Speaking after her win, Derivaux said: “I try to focus on closing well in the second hundred, I guess it paid off.
“It was a good race. I knew this morning that Charlotte [Crush] and I would be really close, I knew it’d be a tight finish tonight, and I think we both had a really good race.
“That was the big goal for tonight, just to get (a hand) on the wall first and I was able to accomplish that. I’m happy with that swim.”
When asked about Team USA’s approach to the meet, Derivauz said: “I think we all have just the attitude of winning. That’s a big part of our team, we like to win.”
Derivaux’s preparations, similar to Team GB’s Filip Nowacki, have involved some solo training in the lead up to the event. “I’ve been training alone this past month, so it’s been a little lonely,” she said. “But I have always been focussed on this meet and it pays off.”
Rounding out the podium was Milana Stepanova (NAB) who won her first individual World Junior medal with bronze in 2:09.99. Stepanova also holds a silver World Championship medal from the Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay in Singapore this year.
Image Source: Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
Tajus Juska claimed Lithuania’s first gold of this meet after an impressive performance in the Men’s 100m Butterfly. Juska led from the start, touching in first at the halfway point in 23.80 – more than half a second quicker than the rest of the field.
Silver medal winner, Lucio Flavio De Paula Filho (BRA), started closing on the leader down the final metres, but Juska held his competitor off to win in a new National Record time of 51.83. De Paula Filho was less than 0.2 behind in 52.01, with GB’s Dean Fearn winning his second bronze of the meet in 52.33.
Speaking to host John Mason after his win, Juska said: “I’m really happy, I didn’t expect this time, it’s really good for me.
“This one was amazing, I want to thank everyone who supported me including my coaches for their hard work, my friends, and so many other people who spend their time talking to me, training me, massaging me, and everyone else who helped.”
A strong start to the race gave Juska the edge he needed to win gold, adding: “I like going fast in the first 50. I just jumped in the water and I just did it, I went all out, everything I could do. The strategy was to win. That’s it.
“Both [the time and winning] were really important to me, but now that I’m world junior champion, that’s really amazing.”
Image Source: Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
The Men’s 800m Freestyle delivered a close race, with defending champion from 2023, Tunisia’s Kuzey Tuncelli, claiming victory in 7:46.52. The 18-year-old has once again shown his distance swimming pedigree, having previously finished 11th in this event at the 2024 Olympics and 6th at the World Championships in Singapore earlier this summer.
“I am so tired, it was such a long season,” he said. “We expected to win this event, but we are working hard for even better swims ahead. I am expecting a lot more from myself but I am very happy to be a World Junior Champion. I want to thank my coach, Aykut Celik, and my swim team Fenerbahce Sports Club.”
Tuncelli is also the World Junior Record holder in the 1500m Freestyle, and will no doubt be looking to defend his title in that event again, which takes place on the final day of competition.
Kazushi Imafuku of Japan touched home in 7:48.34 to win his first ever World Junior medal (silver), while Grigorii Vekovishchev (NAB), who won the very first medal of this meet with gold in the Men’s 400m Freestyle, completed the podium by winning bronze in 7:50.04.
Image Source: Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
The Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay saw a blistering anchor leg by Team USA help them to take the win. Erisman and King, who won gold and silver earlier in the session in the Women’s 100 free, split 53.11 and 53.91 – the fastest female athletes in the field. Michael Rice and Rowan Cox led out their winning side, which finished in a time of 3:26.03.
Some words from the winners: Cox – “I love being a part of these team USA relays. They mean a lot to me, just in my heart, I love competing for something that’s a lot bigger than myself.”
Erisman – “It’s the best feeling and I wouldn’t want to do this with any other group of people. Relays are honestly my favourite to swim at international meets and to do it with the team is just so much greater.”
King – “I think everybody on Team USA knows that the relays are the highlight of the meet, and being able to bring home that relay was so exciting. It definitely helped me go faster knowing that I had the three three of them waiting for me at the end of the pool.”
Rice – “I am very proud to be part of this team. For everybody back home, you too can put in the hard work and you’ll be able to get here one day if you push yourself.”
Narrowly behind them was the team from Great Britain, who gained yet another relay medal in a time of 3:26.17. The Italian team, which featured winner of the Men’s 200m Free, Carlos D’Ambrosio, scooped bronze in 3:26.79.
The semifinals of the Women’s 50m Butterfly saw New Zealand’s Zoe Pedersen qualifying fastest in the only sub-26 second time in the field – 25.79. The 18-year-old’s time was a new PB and also just off her nation’s National Record of 25.43.
Mizuki Hirari of Japan won the second semifinal, qualifying in second in 26.02, while South Africa’s Jessica Thompson goes in third spot with her time of 26.09.
In the night’s remaining semifinals, Smilte Plytnykaite (LTU) qualifies fastest into the final of the Women’s 100m Breaststroke. Germany’s Lena Ludwig goes in second and looked overjoyed after winning her semifinal with a new PB time of 1:07.75. Hayley Mackinder (AUS) completes the top-three seeded athletes (1:08.17).
Silver medallist from the Men’s 100m Backstroke, Georgii Iakovlev, qualifies fastest into the Men’s 50m Backstroke final tomorrow night. The splash and dash race has all the prominent names in the mix, including winner of the 100m, Ireland’s John Shortt.
This evening’s session marks the halfway point of racing here in Otopeni, with 18 World Junior Champions already crowned. As of the start of the session, Agostina Hein (ARG) is leading the women’s points rankings, while on the men’s side, five athletes are tied in the lead spot.