2023 WORLD JUNIOR SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- September 4 – 9, 2023
- Netanya, Israel
- Wingate Institute
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- How To Watch
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
Night two of the 2023 World Junior Swimming Championships had its share of spotlight-grabbing performances which resulted in more swimmers standing on the podium.
However, amidst the commotion were a few feats worth calling out in their own right, just to ensure they weren’t overlooked in all the Netanya excitement.
Agostina Hein (ARG)
Just 15 years of age, Argentina’s Agostina Hein bagged bronze in the girls’ 800m freestyle event this evening. Her time of 8:33.90 rendered her in 3rd place behind winner Kayla Han, also 15, of the United States (8:29.66) and runner-up Yihan Mao of China (8:33.66).
Although Hein’s time was off her lifetime best of 8:29.62 from this year’s Mare Nostrum Tour, her bronze medal represented just the 4th piece of hardware earned by an Argentine in the history of this competition. The former 3 medals were all snared by national record holder Delfina Pignatiello at the 2017 World Junior Championships.
Maximus Williamson (USA)
Maximus Williamson was part of two gold medal-earning performances this evening. He topped the boys’ 200m IM podium, but not to be missed was his blistering anchor leg on the United States’ mixed medley relay.
Only about 15 minutes post-2IM, Williamson, who turned 17 years of age just yesterday, brought home the Americans in a final split of 47.74.
That represented the quickest free split of all competitors and was even swifter than the already-impressive leg of 47.78 he produced as a member of last night’s boys’ World Junior Record-setting 4x100m free relay.
Milla Jansen (AUS)
Although her Australian teammate Olivia Wunsch claimed the top seed in the girls’ 100m freestyle semi-finals, 16-year-old Milla Jansen turned some heads en route to ranking #2 this evening.
Jansen put up a new lifetime best of 54.18 to sit just .10 outside of Wunsch, with her effort slicing .18 off of her previous PB of 54.36 notched for silver at last year’s Junior Pan Pacific Championships.
According to Swimming Australia’s database, Jansen bumped herself up one position on the list of all-time Aussie 16-year-old performers, now sitting ahead of Olympic gold medalist Cate Campbell.
Top 5 Aussie 16-year-old Girls’ LCM 100 Free Performers All-Time
- Mollie O’Callaghan – 53.93, 2020
- Olivia Wunsch – 54.05, 2023
- Yolane Kukla – 54.08, 2012
- Milla Jansen – 54.18, 202
- Cate Campbell – 54.20, 2008
That Williamson split would have improved every relay in the final heat of Men’s 4×100 FR at this summer’s World Championships. Cooking!
Cate Campbell, DOB 5-20-92; The comparison to 16-year-old Cate Campbell is a bit misleading. A fuller story…
On 5-14-08, less than a week BEFORE she turned 16, Cate was in one of the best mid-season swim race battles ever seen in the US. Cate was part of a group of 20-25 Aussies (Youth Team) who came to swim at the 2008 Santa Clara International in mid-May In a wonderful demonstration of the beginning of a generational handoff, Cate chased down a then 25-year-old Natalie Coughlin for the 100 LCM Free win at :53.30, STILL over a half-second faster than the Australian list leader, the great Mollie O’Callahan. Cate had set a new U.S. Open record, fastest by anyone(any age,… Read more »
Cate was then sick or injured when she was 16 I think.
Hard to figure.
In the Bejing 100 she was :54.55 for 13th in prelims and :54.54 in semifinials for 10th, missing the final. Her :53.30 from Santa Clara would have been Bronze, which Coughlin won by equalling her own Santa Clara time. Campbell lead off the Australian 4×100 Free in the final in :54.43, after a :54.65 in the prelim leadoff. Four important swims, all well over a second slower than her Santa Clara final.
But in the Bejing 50 she was :24.17 for Bronze, just off her :24.13 at Santa Clara, a US Open record that lasted 10 years till broken by Simone Manuel in 2018.
I don’t recall any press reports at the time regarding injury or illness… Read more »