Apostolos Siskos Swims 1:56.79 in 200 Back, Less Than a Tenth from the Greek Record

2023 Greek Youth Junior Swimming Championships (Multi-Site)

• February 3-4, 2023
• North Region in Athens, Greece; South Region in Thessaloniki, Greece
• Long Course Meters (50m)
• Full meet results – North Region
• Full meet results – South Region

Swimming at the South Region site of the 2023 Greek Winter Junior Championships in Thessaloniki’s Posidonio Pool, Apostolos Siskos set a new Greek Age Record in the 200 backstroke, coming very close to the overall national record.

The 17-year-old swam 1:56.79, which broke his own record of 1:57.73 from January. The overall Greek Record is 1:56.72, set by the country’s most recent breakthrough swimmer, Apostolos Christos, last year.

Sisko has been a rising star for Greece of a couple of years now. He made his international debut at the 2021 European Junior Championships, and in 2022 represented Greece at several European meets before his senior breakthrough at the European Championships. There, he finished 9th in the semi-finals of the 200 back with a best time of 1:58.66.

A few weeks later, at the World Junior Championships, he just-missed a medal with a 1:58.89 in the 200 backstroke, and also placed 7th in the 100 backstroke as one of two Greek representatives at the meet.

Since that time, he has taken more than two seconds off his previous best time in the event.

Sisko’s time clears the Olympic qualifying time of 1:57.50 in the event, though the qualification period for the 2024 Games has not yet opened. It also would have made the final at the 2022 World Championships, where Shaine Casas won bronze in 1:55.35.

The time is the fastest in the world in the 2023 calendar year and third-best in the 2022-2023 season.

Among the top swims at the Athens site came from Dimitris Papadopoulos, who won the boys’ 50 free in Athens in 23.59 at only 15-years-old.