Filip Nowacki Posts His Second Fastest 200 Breaststroke In Short Course Pool As Golden Year Nears Its End
Filip Nowacki underlined his quality once more with the second fastest 200m breaststroke of his career at the Swim England National Winter Championships in Sheffield.
The 18-year-old posted 2:03.24, 0.28 off the European junior record of 2:02.96 he set en-route to fourth at the European Short Course Championships in Lublin, Poland. That had followed a 2:03.75 EJR in the semis in Poland.
Nowacki enjoyed a winning margin of almost five seconds over second-placed Christian Ryan although Michael Jamieson’s British record is safe for some time yet. The Scot, who won Olympic silver at London 2012, posted 2:01.43 in December 2013 with Andrew Willis (2:02.71) and Adam Peaty (2:02.89) also ahead of Nowacki in the rankings.
Filip Nowacki: Photo Courtesy: World Aquatics
It has been a spectacular year for Nowacki who’s coached by Keiron Piper at Millfield. He won the 100/200 breaststroke double at the European juniors in Samorin in July where he went inside Peaty’s British age group record in the shorter race.
He headed to the World Junior Championships in Otopeni, Romania the following month. There he tussled with Japan’s Shin Ohashi in both events with Nowacki coming out on top each time, taking the 100 title in 59.20. He set a EJR of 2:07.32 in the 200, just 0.02 off Ross Murdoch’s British record.
He also made his presence felt at the British Championships in April where he finished second in the 200m breaststroke in 2:11.09 as well as third in the 50 (27.87) and 100 (1:00.28).
Nowacki made his senior GB debut at the short-course Europeans where – as well as that fine fourth place in the 200 – he finished 12th in the 100 semis and swam the breaststroke leg of the men’s 4×50 medley relay.
Nowacki’s performance came a day after Tyler Melbourne-Smith went top of the 400 free rankings for 2025. The Loughborough University student clocked 3:36.09 to go second behind Duncan Scott in the British rankings as he became the 10th European all-time.
Other performances on Friday included Imogen Clark in the women’s 50m breaststroke where the 26-year-old won in 29.60. It was the 15th swiftest of her career with Clark owning the 23 top times by a British woman and also secured her the double after she won the 100 on Thursday.
Cam Brooker returned from his British record in the 200 back for the 50. Mantas Kauspedas touched first in 23.00 with Brooker second in 23.16.
Amalie Smith won double IM gold at the European juniors before clinching double silver at the world event. She’d won the 200IM on the opening night and then claimed the title in the longer event on Friday by almost eight seconds in 4:30.64.
