Maximus Williamson Surpasses 17-18 NAG Record in 100 Free as World Juniors Mastery Continues
As the World Junior Championships reached the halfway point, Australia pulled away from the United States to secure gold in the mixed 400 freestyle relay, but Maximus Williamson refused to surrender the title easily, beating Aussie star Flynn Southam to the wall on the leadoff leg. Williamson, who twice split 47.8s on gold-medal-winning relays already in Netanya, Israel, and dominated the 200 IM in historic fashion, touched in 48.38, knocking almost a half-second off his previous best time of 48.84.
In the process, Williamson surpassed the U.S. 17-18 National Age Group record in the 100 free. The time was nine hundredths quicker than the 48.47 that Jonny Kulow swam at U.S. Nationals earlier this summer, which in turn beat the two-year-old mark set by Jack Alexy, now the senior-level Worlds silver medalist in the 100 free.
Williamson’s time would be his sixth current NAG record, joining five marks he owns in the 15-16 age group: the 200 free and 200 IM in long course plus the 200 free, 200 back and 400 IM in short course. Williamson will have plenty more chances to add 17-18 records to his ledger over the next two years, having only turned 17 Monday.
However, it’s unclear if this record will count since Williamson swam the time leading off a mixed-gender relay. But he still has the 100 free individual event to come, where his showdown with Southam is one of the most anticipated of the week and the record could drop even further. This mixed 400 free relay silver is Williamson’s fourth medal of the meet, along with his golds in the men’s 400 free relay, 200 IM and mixed 400 medley relay, and he will have three more medal chances to come: the men’s 800 free relay Thursday before the individual 100 free (prelims and semifinals Friday, final Saturday) and men’s 400 medley relay.