7TH FINA WORLD JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019
- 50-Meter Course
- Duna Arena, Budapest (Hungary)
- Pool swimming: Tuesday, August 20 – Sunday, August 25, 2019
- Heats 9:30am GMT+2 (3:30 am EDT / 12:30 am PDT)/ Semifinals and Finals 5:30pm GMT+2 (11:30am EDT / 8:30am PDT)
- Meet site
- Entries book
- FinaTV Live Stream (subscription required)
- Live results
If you’ve watched any of the 2019 World Junior Championships, you know that 16-year-old American Josh Matheny has been tearing it up on the breaststroking scene.
The Pittsburgh Elite Aquatics athlete already took silver in the men’s 100m breaststroke here in Budapest, producing a shiny new National Age Group Record of 1:00.17. He also put up a wicked-fast split of 59.31 on the USA’s World Junior Record-setting mixed medley relay earlier this week.
Flash forward to tonight, however, and Matheny ripped perhaps the most impressive outing of his World Junior Championships campaign, clocking a monster personal best time of 2:09.40 to take the title in a new Championships Record time.
Matheny was chasing Japan’s top-seeded Shoma Sato for the majority of the race. When Sato started tightening up the last 25 meters, the American pounced, getting the most out of every last stroke to hit the wall just .16 ahead of Sato.
Matheny’s time of 2:09.40 marks the first time the teen has ever been not only under 2:10, but under 2:11, as he held the American men’s National Age Group Record for 15-16-year-olds previously in 2:11.02. He utterly ripped that to shreds with his performance tonight, overtaking the old meet record of 2:10.19 set by Russia’s Anton Chupkov back in 2015.
The American’s time is also now just .01 away from overtaking the World Junior Record of 2:09.40 held by China’s Qin Haiyang since 2017. With his sub-2:10 swim tonight, Matheny now becomes the 12th fastest performer in American history in this 2breast event.
Splits for Matheny’s former record:
- 29.69
- 33.16 (1:02.85)
- 33.97 (1:36.82)
- 34.20 (2:11.02)
Splits for Matheny’s new record:
- 29.47
- 33.00 (1:02.47)
- 33.23 (1:35.70)
- 33.70 (2:09.40)
Of additional note, Matheny’s time now knocks Daniel Roy out of the top 6 for Team USA National Team tracking:
| 200 BREAST | |
| Will Licon | 2:07.62 |
| Andrew Wilson | 2:07.77 |
| Nic Fink | 2:08.16 |
| Josh Prenot | 2:08.77 |
| Cody Miller | 2:08.98 |
Just friggin’ awesome
He’ll be a beast when he’s older
He’s a beast now
Race video anyone? This and/or the 59.3 split
Carson foster’s dad should be uploading the video soon
Mr Foster coming in clutch with these race vids
Wow! Remember in the early 90s when Mike Barrowman had the world record at 2:12?! This event has come a LONG way! Congrats!
1992 , Barcelona ! yes , Barrowman was the best with that WR that year . One of my all time Favourite swimmer of that era
And his 2.10.16 WR stood for over a decade.
This guy has officially entered the discussion for Tokyo. If Tokyo was even one year later to let him improve more, I think he could easily become a favorite. Still, a year could give him ample time to be a 59 low and a 208 low and put him in the running.
On a side note, love to see the Pennsylvania breastrokers continue their legacy (Linn, Kowal, Salyards, Hansen, etc)
But the 200 is a Peatyish 2.06.
For those who did not watch relays 59.31s:
Matheny had painfully slow turn, where he glided into the wall. With better turn, it could have been in 59.0 realm.
Josh’s pullouts are his weakest point, and with good work he can easily shave at least 0.4-0.5s just on those.
As for today’s 200br: Matheny is usually the fastest swimmer in the pool on the last 25m. (Just ask Jake Foster :-). Japanese boy had very little chance coming in the last 50m with only 0.26s ahead.
That actually made it such a great race to watch. He kept losing ground on the turns to Sato and had to keep chasing him down. A huge prospect for the future.
Seems like the future of American breaststroke is arriving early — this kid is obliterating the 15-16 NAG records
one of many Juniors peircing through this year ,….so happy to see that
Miller may not make it at all
yep , indeed – hard call for 2 or 3 guys there
Don’t sleep on Devon Nowicki. He is 22, about to turn pro and has only ever swam for MLA and Oakland University.
24.20 last 50 in his old record. Insane!!
I guess he needs to take it out a little quicker if he can come home in a 24.
yeah. looks like he died today or would have had WR 😉
Do the math. 24 was a misprint.
Really?? No way. I mean chalmers backhalf of a 100 is a 24, so I figured a breaststroker could do that too.
You are the only human who does not understand the joke here. Congrats.
You mean 34.20? (by the way checked the splits)
24? That would be a world record in the 50 since its a 26 right now? Crappy timing system. Oh wait for it….Fake News!