GALWAY’S JOHN SHORTT has won a gold medal 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 took the world gold medal in 53.86, which was .08 of a second ahead of silver medallist, neutral athlete Georgii Iakovlev in 53.94. The USA’s Gavin Keogh completed the podium in 54.06.
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🗣️ "I'm just so proud to be Irish, and proud to be here."
Hear from the newly crowned World Junior Champion, John Shortt 🥇
“It feels pretty good,” the National Centre Limerick swimmer said after the race.
“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.’
“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 you know they were beating me to the first 50m, so you know 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.”
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Galway 18-year-old crowned World junior swimming champion
GALWAY’S JOHN SHORTT has won a gold medal 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 took the world gold medal in 53.86, which was .08 of a second ahead of silver medallist, neutral athlete Georgii Iakovlev in 53.94. The USA’s Gavin Keogh completed the podium in 54.06.
“It feels pretty good,” the National Centre Limerick swimmer said after the race.
“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.’
“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 you know they were beating me to the first 50m, so you know 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.”
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in the pool John Shortt Swimming World Aquatics Junior Championships