It’s not my first time in Romania, but it is my first time in Otopeni. I’ve never swum in this pool before — it’s very beautiful, very nice. It’s really bright and fast. I’m looking forward to swimming quick times here, so it will be good.
I am coached by Pāvels MURĀNS. I’ve competed in two editions of the European Juniors, and now I am here at the World Juniors, which is the highest level of competition for me. I’m swimming the 50m and 100m breaststroke, but my main event is the 50m.
Los Angeles 2028 is not that far away, and I’m really happy they added the 50m breaststroke to the Olympic programme. I’m waiting for the qualifying standards to come out and then I’ll aim to make the cut. In my country, I’m the fastest now in the 50m breaststroke, so we’ll wait for the times and see. Perfect. Of course, everybody wants to be at the Olympics.
I know David Popovici — he’s a great swimmer and everybody knows him. Several of my teammates met him at an Under-23 competition, but since I was still a junior, I didn’t attend that meet. Maybe I’ll meet him this week.
The trip was so long — almost 20 hours of flying. We flew from Costa Rica to Paris, and then boarded our next flight to Bucharest. It felt endless. This is my first time in Romania. It’s a very, very good pool. It feels fast and is one of the best pools I’ve ever swum in.
I swam at the Juniors in Netanya two years ago, so this is my second edition. I am competing in all the freestyle events from 100m to 800m. I believe I can swim better times here. I’ve had a lot of experience before arriving, so I think I can perform very well.
I’m 16 years old, and in three years I will be 19 — the year of the Los Angeles Olympics. My coach and I are working toward that, of course. I always look ahead at the Olympic cycle. When the Paris Olympics ended, I was already thinking about Los Angeles, and even eight years ahead to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
The best swimmer in Romania is one of the fastest in the 100m freestyle. I really like his mindset. He has a live philosophy that resonates with me. I think I heard him say that he doesn’t think about anything during competition. He stays positive, trusts his training, and focuses on enjoying the process. It’s a mindset I admire greatly.
The two South African swimmers spoke together for their interview. Both are coached by Rocco Meiring, who also guided two-time Olympic gold medalist Tatjana Schoenmaker and is currently coaching World Champion Pieter Coetze.
Emma: Getting here was obviously long, but it was social — a team thing — so it was great.
Chanel: We flew from Johannesburg to Istanbul. That first flight was about nine hours, and then we flew from Turkey to Romania.
Emma: The pool looks great. I haven’t been in it yet, but it looks very fast, and everyone’s saying it’s quick.
Chanel: I think it’s really cool. I haven’t swum yet either, but people say it’s very fast.
Emma & Chanel: This is our first Juniors.
Emma: I’m swimming the 400m individual medley and the 200m backstroke.
Chanel: I’m competing in the 50m and 100m breaststroke events.
Emma: The next Olympics is definitely on the horizon, but I’m trying to focus on the competitions coming up now. I take it year by year; otherwise, there’s too much stress. I just want to hit personal bests as much as possible each year.
Chanel: We’re thinking about Los Angeles 2028, and maybe even the 2032 Olympics, but our main focus is the competitions in the next year or two.
Emma: Romania’s fastest swimmer is David — known to many swimmers just by his first name — and he’s very quick. He’s definitely an inspiration, especially at the world junior level, because he’s a young, fast swimmer.
Chanel: David has shown us what’s possible at the junior level, and I think he’s very inspirational.
We arrived Saturday night, had some dinner, and then went to bed. It’s only about a three- or four-hour flight from Ireland, so the trip went really well. We got in the pool today and felt pretty good.
This is my second time in Romania. We were here for the European Short Course Championships two years ago, when Daniel Wiffen broke his first world records. This pool brings back some nice memories. I swam pretty well the last time I was here, so if I can do that again, I’d be very happy. I am swimming all of the backstroke events here — 50m, 100m, and 200m. My coach is Jan Szaranek.
I was in Singapore at the World Championships, swimming in the semi-final of the 200m backstroke, but this is my first World Juniors. I’ve been to a few European Juniors, so this is a bit of a new experience — but not entirely new.
I’m 18 years old, and of course, thoughts about swimming at the Los Angeles Olympics are always in the back of your mind. But you have to take it year by year and focus on the competitions in front of you. You can’t be thinking three years ahead, though it’s always there as your ultimate goal. Seeing Dan compete in Paris was inspiring. He inspired everybody, along with Mona McSharry and Ellen Walsh. They’ve done incredible things to put Ireland on the map. I suppose it’s the job of me and others in my age group to try to continue that success over the next three or four years — and beyond.
I don’t know a whole lot about David Popovici personally, as I’ve never met him. A freestyler I trained with has raced him a few times and said he’s a very nice, down-to-earth guy. I’ve seen interviews and obviously seen him race, and he seems very nice, but personally, I don’t know him. I’d enjoy the chance to meet him — that would be great.
Getting here from Korea was difficult because the flight time is really long. I was a little worried, but now that I’m here, I think it was worth it. We flew from Seoul and connected in Dubai before coming to Romania, so the total travel time was about 22 hours — it’s really far.
I’ve been thinking a lot about swimming in Romania, and this pool is really good — I really like it. I will be swimming the 50m and 100m backstroke events.
This is my first World Junior Championships, but I did compete in the 2024 World Championships in Doha and also in the most recent World Championships in Singapore in July. Because this is my first time at the Junior Championships, I feel a little nervous, but I think it’s different from the World Championships. The Junior Championships suit me better, and I hope that I will be less nervous here.
This is also my first time in Romania, the home country of David Popovici. I remember watching him swim at the Singapore World Championships, where he won the gold medal in freestyle. I thought, “That’s amazing.” Now, swimming in his country makes it even more special.
I am 15 years old, born in 2010. The Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028 are not too far away. I really want to go to the Olympics, but I know it’s just three years away. I need to practice really hard, and this competition is an important step on that path.
We left France this morning and arrived here on Saturday. We were in the south of France for a training camp, and the flight went well. The pool is just incredible — I am so excited to swim here. It’s very impressive and very big. This is my first time in Romania, but it’s not my first Junior Championships, as I have competed in two European Junior Championships. I don’t think we’ll have time to explore Romania, but from what I’ve seen so far, it seems like a great country.
In Otopeni, I will be swimming the 50m, 100m, and 200m freestyle, as well as the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays. I train under coach Steven Deyes. I am 17 years old, and my goal is to compete in the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles. I’ve watched David Popovici swim, and he is incredibly fast and inspiring. I hope to meet him here.
I live in Mason, Ohio, in the U.S., but I am representing Zambia, where I was born. I was raised there and lived in Zambia until I was 10, before moving to Tanzania for my dad’s work, and then to the U.S. I train under coach Emilie Heoper at the swim club where U.S. Olympian Carson Foster trains when he’s not in Austin, Texas. This is my first time in Romania, but it’s my second World Juniors, as I competed in Netanya, Israel, two years ago. I am swimming the 100m to 800m freestyle events at my second Junior Championships. In Netanya, I dropped my time in the 100m freestyle but added time in the 400m and 800m events because my nerves got to me. Hopefully, I can flip that here, with that experience under my belt. I am excited for this meet. I feel like I’m swimming at a different level now, under my coach’s guidance, and we’ve done a lot of good work to make sure I’m dropping time and swimming my best.
I am 16 years old and thinking about swimming for Zambia at the next Olympics. One of my closest friends is 19, and he still has higher World Aquatics points than me in his events, but hopefully, sooner or later, I will qualify for these meets, which would be a dream.
I know of Romanian star David Popovici, who emerged in 2022. I was watching the Tokyo Olympics on TV, but I didn’t really notice him because I was focused on Caeleb Dressel and how well he swam at that meet. Later in 2022, Popovici made a big impact at the World Championships and set the world record. I’ve really followed him since then and kind of idolize him. He’s one of my favorite swimmers, and it would be cool to meet him.
The trip here was pretty good, although we had a very long delay on our first flight from Brisbane. We flew to Dubai for a stopover and then into Austria. We stayed in Slovakia for about a week of training before flying here on Friday. It was a long journey from across the world, but everyone is looking good and excited. Our training experience in Slovakia was excellent. It was very hot, but the atmosphere was great—everyone would come to watch when they weren’t training, just supporting each other. It’s a very supportive team.
This is my first time in Romania and actually my first time in Europe. It’s a different place, but I’m excited. Being here is nice, and so far everything looks great. This pool is fantastic—probably one of the best I’ve ever raced in.
This year I qualified for my first junior team. Last year, at this time, I wouldn’t have even thought I’d be on a junior team, so this is amazing. Anything beyond racing here feels like a cherry on top. I am swimming the 50m fly and the 4x200m freestyle relay.
I’m 18 years old, and the Gold Coast is my home. Swimming at the Olympics has been a dream of mine since I was younger. Now it’s actually starting to feel like a real possibility, which is very exciting—especially with Brisbane set to host the 2032 Olympic Games. I just need to keep training and hopefully I’ll be there. My coach is Tommy Fraser-Holmes.
I think David Popovici is an amazing swimmer—the way he steps up and performs every time. I’ve never met him personally, but from what I’ve seen, he seems like a great competitor. It would be great to meet him, and I think a lot of people would be excited if he comes to this meet.
I live in the Maldives. We flew from the Maldives to Istanbul, which is about eight hours, and then from Istanbul to Bucharest, another two hours. It wasn’t too bad, but it was definitely tiring. This is my first visit to Romania, and so far it’s been a good experience. I’ve only seen the pool so far, but it’s definitely one of the biggest pools I’ve ever swum in. I don’t think I’ve competed in an international meet this large before.
I am 16 years old and this is my first Junior Swimming Championships. I am swimming the 50m backstroke, 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, and also participating in some relays.
I’m very aware of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics coming up. I get really excited thinking about it because it’s such a big opportunity. Coming from a small country, qualifying for a competition like that would be a huge achievement, and I’m definitely looking forward to working toward that goal.
David Popovici is one of the swimmers I really look up to. I’m really excited about the chance to meet him here. His stroke is something I study closely when I swim, and I think I can learn a lot from him.
