Individual Neutral Athletes Set WJR in Men’s 4×100 Free at European Junior Championships
The Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) men’s relay team set a world junior record in the 4x100m freestyle during the opening-day prelims at the European Juniors in Munich.
The quartet sped to a time of 3:14.72 to take 0.66 from the previous WJR of 3:15.38 at last year’s World Junior Championships in Otopeni.
Matvei Chekalov led them off in 49.65 with Egor Proshin posting the swiftest leg of 48.11 followed by Matvei Miliaev (48.69) and a 48.27 anchor by Mikhail Shcherbakov.
It lowered the championship record by almost two seconds as they consigned the previous standard of 3:16.58 held by Italy since the 2009 edition to history.
Italy were second through to tonight’s final in 3:18.23 with Ukraine – who competed in the first of two prelims with the AIN – third through in 3:22.09.
Grigorii Vekovishchev – also of the AIN team – was almost a second clear in the 200 free in 1:46.59, a time that would have won silver at European and world juniors last year.
The 18-year-old – who hails from Russia and is competing for the Neutral Individual Athletes (AIN) in Munich – was third at the halfway point of his prelim before a 54.42 second 100 propelled him to the head of the field into the semis.
The championship record stands at 1:45.26 by David Popovici from the 2021 edition in Rome.
Bogdan Toropkin – also of the AIN team – is second through in 1:47.58 with 2025 silver medallist Tajus Juska of Lithuania next through in 1:47.77.
Jan Foltyn matched his Czech 50m breaststroke record as the 18-year-old stopped the clock in 27.18secs to equal the time he went in April at the Graz Trophy in Austria.
Foltyn went in the sixth and final prelim where he cut 0.05 from the previous championship record of 27.23 that had stood to Nicolo Martinenghi since the 2017 edition in Netanya, Israel.
Foltyn, who won 50 fly silver at the 2025 edition in Samorin, heads the field into the semis ahead of Great Britain’s Max Morgan (27.30) and Louis Hoffmann of Germany (27.61).
Amalie Smith set about the defence of her 400IM title by booking lane four for the final in 4:42.30. Vivien Jackl of Hungary will be alongside her in lane five after posting 4:44.06 ahead of Viktoriia Blinova (AIN) who posted 4:47.50 with the trio the only women inside 4:50.