Before They Became Superstars: World Junior Championships Has Served As Springboard for Future Success
At the World Junior Championships that wrapped up over the weekend, we witnessed the rise of a new generation in the sport. In the years ahead, some of the athletes who flourished as juniors will translate their talent to success at the senior level. At Juniors in Otopeni, Romania, several swimmers posted times that would have brought brilliant result at the World Championships in Singapore.
Great Britain’s Filip Nowacki, who won the gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2:07.32, was faster than the winner of gold at Worlds. In Singapore, China’s Qin Haiyang finished first by touching the wall in 2:07.41. Other athletes produced times worth noting, such as American Rylee Erisman.
How many of these juniors will remain factors as seniors? Their mission is a difficult one, and numerous junior stars do not remain standouts at the highest level of the sport. The World Junior Championships are on the newer side, with only 10 meets held since its introduction in 2006. Through the years, here are some juniors who went on to flourish as seniors.
Looking back at the medalists in Rio de Janeiro, the first host of World Juniors, two names stand out. Spain’s Mireia Belmonte and France’s Camille Muffat won their first individual medals at a global event, before becoming Olympic champions. Belmonte won gold medals at Juniors in the 400 freestyle and 400 individual medley while Muffat was the bronze medalist in the sprint freestyles and the silver medalist in the 200 IM. Interestingly, Muffat went on to make her name in the middle-distance freestyle before tragically losing her life in a helicopter crash. The 2006 Juniors also featured Aurelie Muller, who went on to become a world champion in the 10k open-water event.
In 2011, Cameron McEvoy won the gold medal in the 50 freestyle at the World Junior Championships in Lima. The Australian went on to become an Olympic champion in the event and the fastest swimmer in the world. At the same championships, another brilliant Aussie introduced herself to the world. Bronte Campbell displayed her sprint-freestyle talent while the Italian duo of Gregorio Paltrinieri and Gabriele Detti also stood on the podium during the meet, along with 2016 Olympic champion Simone Manuel.
Over the years at World Juniors, some future superstars competed. The likes of Caeleb Dressel, Mack Horton, James Guy, Apostolos Christou, Ruta Meilutyte, Siobhan Haughey, Kyle Chalmers, Nicolo Martinenghi, Penny Oleksiak, Kristof Milak, Regan Smith, Thomas Ceccon, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske, Lani Pallister, Benedetta Pilato and David Popovici all excelled at World Juniors. Meanwhile, Leon Marchand has also won a medal at the World Junior Championships, accomplishing the feat in 2019 in Budapest, where he finished third in the 400 individual medley.
Obviously, other athletes have raced at the World Junior Championships and moved on to excel as seniors. But this is just a glance at some of the big names who have used the meet as a springboard. Who will be next? We’ll be watching.
