Ireland’s John Shortt has won gold in the 100m Backstroke at the World Aquatics Junior Championships in Romania and is now both the European and World Junior Champion in the event for 2025.
The 18-year-old, who won European Junior gold in July in 54.09 seconds, had a sensational swim to take the world gold medal in 53.86, .08 of a second ahead of silver medallist, neutral athlete Georgii Iakovlev in 53.94, while the USA’s Gavin Keogh, home in 54.06, completed the podium.
Turning third at the halfway mark in 26.17, the Galway man was back in a speedy 27.69, for his second fastest time ever, just outside the 53.80 Irish Junior Record he set in Tuesday’s Semi-Final.
Speaking after the race the National Centre Limerick swimmer said, “It feels pretty good, just so much pride at the minute, getting up there, singing my national anthem, on a World stage now, not just a European stage, I’m just so proud to be Irish and proud to be here. It’s been a long season, but to end it like that, it’s just so cool. The meets not finished, but I’m just saying, the last one hundred Back of the season, we’ve ended on a positive note so, I’m very happy with that.”
On the race he added, “The race went really well, I was just holding on for dear life towards the end, but we got the hand on the wall first and that’s really all that matters. The strategy, that my amazing coach (John Szaranek) put in to place was we had to be out with the guys, because they were out so much quicker than me last night and they were beating me to the first 50m, so as long as I went with them, I knew I had a chance to come back quicker than they did and that’s exactly what happened, so all part of my brilliant coaches strategy!”
Shortt now joins Mona McSharry as Ireland’s only other World Junior Champion. The Paris Olympic bronze medallist won 100m Breaststroke gold and 50m Breaststroke bronze in the USA in 2017.
Shortt is back in action in the Men’s 50m Backstroke Heats on Thursday morning.
| Men 100m Backstroke | John Shortt | 54.39 (4th) | SF 53.80 (2nd) IJR | F 53.86 (1st) |
| Men 50m Backstroke | John Shortt |
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