Otopeni 2025: Nowacki, Shortt and D’Ambrosio strike world junior gold as two Championship records are set on day 2

Britain’s Filip Nowacki and John Shortt of Ireland added world junior titles to their European versions in Otopeni today, with Italy’s Carlos D’Ambrosio securing a third gold for Europe in the same session in a men’s 200m freestyle Championship record of 1:45.15.

Neutral athlete Mikhail Shcherbakov also set a Championship record, clocking 1:57.25 in the 200m individual medley, which he also won at the European juniors.

Nowacki, 17, won his high-profile duel with Japan’s world junior record holder Shin Ohashi to take the men’s 100m breaststroke gold on day two of the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships in Romania. He clocked 59.20 to Ohashi’s 59.50, with his British team-mate Max Morgan claiming bronze in 59.93.

Evangelos Ntoumas of Greece and Germany’s Jan Malte Graf finished fourth and fifth respectively in 1:00.05 and 1:00.21.

Shortt took the men’s 100m backstroke title, holding off the challenge of neutral athlete Georgii Iakovlev, just he did at last month’s European Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships in Samorin. Shortt clocked 53.86 to his rival’s 53.94.

D’Ambrosio, who had earned 4x100m freestyle silver the day before, excelled himself to finish a second and a half clear of China’s Haibo Xu, who clocked 1:46.67. Japan’s Raito Numata earned bronze in 1:46.70 ahead of Turkiye’s Ahmet Mete Boylu on 1:47.24.

Nowacki, who earned four golds in Samorin, finished the night with another medal as part of the British team that finished third in the concluding mixed 4x100m medley,

He, Blythe Kinsman,  Dean Fern, Theodora Taylor clocked 3:46.43 to claim bronze behind Japan, who recorded 3:45.57, and silver medallists United States on 3:46.12.

Home swimmer Daria Silisteanu won silver in the women’s 100m backstroke, clocking 1:00.02 behind gold medallist Charlotte Crush of the United States, who recorded 59.52.

Lithuania’s European junior champion in the women’s 50m breaststroke, Smilte Plytnykaite, took silver in 31.12 behind Rachel McAlpin in 30.78. Neutral athlete Ralina Giliazova took bronze in 31.19, with Italy’s Irene Burato fourth in 31.28.

There were further medals for neutral athletes as Serafima Fokina took women’s 200m butterfly silver in 2:07.67 and women’s 800m bronze went to Kseniia Misharina in 8:29.50.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics

The post Otopeni 2025: Nowacki, Shortt and D’Ambrosio strike world junior gold as two Championship records are set on day 2 first appeared on European Aquatics®.