Russia Tops Open Water Junior Worlds Medal Desk In First World Aquatics Meet Without Impartial Status

2026 Open Water World Junior Championships

For the primary time since 2019, the Russian flag was raised atop a World Aquatics swimming podium whereas the Russian nationwide anthem performed. This occurred 4 occasions this weekend because the Open Water World Junior Championships performed out in Santa Fe, Argentina.

The jap European powerhouse collected 4 golds out of ten complete occasions and added on three silvers to prime the meet’s medal desk. Russia’s youthful contingent confirmed out, because the nation swept all of the 14-15 and 14-16 age group occasions. Kira Guseva, aged 14, was Russia’s greatest star, taking the women’ 14-15 5k by a whopping 84 seconds. The silver medal in that race additionally went to a Russian: fellow 14-year-old Anastasiia Siniakova. The host nation of Argentina earned its lone medal by choosing up bronze on this race, courtesy of Sofia Ovalles.

In the boys’ version of the 14-15 5k, the story additionally goes {that a} Russian pulled out a dominant win. Alan Nosov pulled of a 37-second victory over silver medalist Sawyer Hansen of the States.

With the three aforementioned Russian medalists together with Aleksandr Filipets, the nation additionally dominated the 14-16 combined 4×1500 relay, touching the wall 25 seconds forward of their runner-up American counterparts.

Russia’s different gold medal got here from the 16-17 ladies’ 7.5k race. This was gained by Kseniia Misharina, who carried out a gutsy swim dominating a lot of the race. The technique proved profitable, as her hole forward of eventual silver and bronze medalists Brinkleigh Hansen (USA) and Olivia Galea (AUS) was an excessive amount of to shut – although the minor medalists did shut it considerably.

Brinkleigh Hansen bought her lick again later within the 3k knockout race. In the ultimate 500 meter section, Hansen beat out Misharina for the gold by just one tenth of a second, the bottom a time distinction can go in open water swimming. Their respective ultimate 500 meter occasions stood at 5:18.80 and 5:18.90, respectively. Hansen, who swims for St. Petersburg Aquatics in Florida, suffered a concussion throughout her top-ten end on the Pan Pacific Championships, which left her out of the water for a time frame. Japan’s Sachika Kajimoto, youthful sister of the occasion’s reigning World Champion Ichika Kajimoto, rounded out the 3k podium.

Less than a second additionally separated the highest three gents within the 3k race. France’s Ethan Parker, who is nineteen years of age, emerged because the victor.

Hungary had a 1-2 of its personal within the 16-17 boys’ 7.5k occasion. Balint Kreisz topped that occasion’s podium, whereas the silver went to compatriot Armand Attila Marosszeki. The Hungarians additionally picked up gold within the 14-19 combined 4×1500 relay, taking down runner-up Italy by a three-second margin.

Here are the ultimate medal desk standings, with Russia on prime. It’s the nation’s first look on a World Aquatics swimming medal desk in seven years. First COVID, then a state doping scandal, and most just lately the nation’s invasion of Ukraine have denied Russian swimmers the privilege of absolutely representing their nation this decade. Instead, swimmers had been competing underneath a “neutral status”. World Aquatics walked again on its impartial standing restrictions in April, however the warfare that has seen over 2 million casualties wages on with no indicators of slowing down.

Medal desk – World Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships 2026