Shin Ohashi Garners Swimming World Male World Junior Swimmer of the Year Honors
The choice for Male World Junior Swimmer of the Year was not an easy one. We knew it would go to a breaststroker, thanks to the versatility within the stroke of Japan’s Shin Ohashi and Great Britain’s Filip Nowacki. Both youngsters excelled throughout the 2025 campaign, establishing themselves as promising hopes for the podium when the 2028 Olympic Games are held in Los Angeles.
Ultimately, Ohashi earned the nod.
Japan is known for its rich history in the breaststroke events, and the 16-year-old Ohashi – a force across all three distances – is positioned to maintain the country’s tradition. Over the past 12 months, Ohashi routinely produced fast performances, headlined by a pair of world junior records. In addition to registering a top time of 58.94 in the 100 breaststroke, Ohashi went 2:06.91 in the 200 breaststroke, that WJR also the fastest time in the world.
Not since Kosuke Kitajima doubled in the breaststroke events at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games has Japan boasted a breaststroker with such balance between the 100 and 200 distances. By generating a sub-59 performance in the 100 breaststroke, Ohashi obviously possesses impressive speed. However, his endurance can be considered his strength, and it powered the teen to the three-fastest times in the world for 2025, and five of the quickest eight.
Nowacki’s credentials for the award were buoyed by a pair of gold medals at the World Junior Championships, where the Brit narrowly topped Ohashi in the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke. While those head-to-head triumphs muddled the selection process, Ohashi packaged the more impressive all-around portfolio. In the 50 breaststroke, Ohashi recorded a best swim of 27.01.
Ohashi wasn’t just a force in the Olympic-sized pool. The Japanese star was also a standout in short-course competition, where he fired off a world junior record in the 200 breaststroke during the World Cup tour. At the Toronto stop of the circuit, Ohashi checked in with a WJR of 2:02.03.
Nowacki ended the year with a best time of 59.20 in the 100 breaststroke, good for 13th in the world rankings. His swiftest outing in the 200 breaststroke was a 2:07.32, which made him the world’s No. 2 performer.
Consideration for Male World Junior Swimmer of the Year also went to Ukraine’s Nikita Sheremet and China’s Zhang Zhanshuo. While Sheremet equaled the world junior record in the 50 freestyle with a time of 21.75, Zhang set a WJR in the 400 freestyle, going 3:42.82. He also ranked seventh in the world in the 200 freestyle, 13th in the 800 freestyle and 1500 freestyle and 15th in the 400 individual medley.