Swims That Flew Under the Radar at the Budapest World Championships
The World Short Course Championships in Budapest were incredible. Thirty world records were broken during the six-day meet, and it seemed every race saw some sort of historically fast swim. Flying under the radar, however, were hundreds of athletes from countries that have not traditionally stolen the international spotlight.
Upcoming Young Stars
Sitting nestled near Oceania is the country of Timor-Leste, more commonly known as East Timor. Born in 2011, the young Salena Marlin swam in the early heats of the women’s 50 freestyle. Registering a 42.76, Marlin’s swim has significance not apparent at first glance. She is one of those athletes who has the opportunity to gain experience and receive the chance to compete on a global stage.
After an extensive search for Timorese national records, a few freestyle records have been logged online, all from the past six years. Timor-Leste carries a population of just 1.361 million. For context, Budapest has a population of 1.737 million. With time to develop and further opportunities, the young Marlin could continue to make her presence known.
Rami Rahmouni
It’s no secret at this point that there’s something in the water for distance swimmers in Tunisia. Oussama Mellouli won Olympic gold and three medals across his six Games. Ahmed Hafnaoui won surprise Olympic gold in 2021. He backed that up with two world titles and a world-record scare at the 2023 Fukuoka Worlds. At these Budapest Championships, a young Ahmed Jaouadi proved it was no fluke. He won a surprise gold in the 1500 free, beating world record holder Florian Wellbrock.
Meanwhile, the 800 freestyle saw 15-year-old Rami Rahmouni, also out of Tunisia, swim in the morning heats. Going 7:44.40, Rahmouni finished 20th overall. In a sea of distance talent, it seems the renaissance marks ever forward with more talent rising with every meet.
Lebanese Stars
Two Lebanese swimmers have steadily risen the world rankings, and it seems their breakout onto the world stage is imminent in the years to come.
Lynn El-Hajj
Just 17 years old, Lynn El-Hajj broke out domestically this year to qualify for both Olympic breaststroke events. In Budapest, she broke her own national record in the 100 breaststroke. In addition to that, she reset her own 50 mark. A few days later, El-Hajj swam to a 31.67 individually in the 50, lowering her mark for the second time in three days. In joint 45th, she sat just over a second and a half off of making a second swim. Consistently improving, the time will come for the young Lebanese star.
Munzer Kabbara
Munzer ‘Munzy’ Kabbara has been a steady improver for the Texas A&M Aggies. After making the Olympic team in Tokyo, he found himself left home for Paris 2024. That seemed to light a fire under Kabbara. He marched full steam ahead to Budapest, where he exploded for two national records.
In the 200 individual medley, Kabbara blasted a 1:55.31, good for 16th overall. It represented a significant ceiling broken. For a swimmer who had never finished in contention for semifinals before, he was now 16th in the world. His accomplishment has meaning beyond personal goals as well: Kabbara is the first swimmer in Lebanese history to finish top 16 in an event at a World Championships or Olympics. Since the World Championships in Budapest did not feature semifinals for 200-meter events, however, it meant he was finished after prelims. That didn’t stop his emphatic celebration.
Nicole Frank
A collegiate swimmer for Florida International University, Nicole Frank found her way to a new Uruguayan national record in the 400 individual medley (4:46.81). The FIU junior has been steadily improving since her collegiate debut. In her sophomore campaign, she won her signature event at the AAC Championships in a 4:12.68.
Frank is currently the fastest on the roster for FIU in the 400 yard distance, which perfectly complements her newly minted national record.
Vicente Villanueva
Chile has seen significant international presence at the hands of Kristel Kobrich. It seems the male contingent is building talent as well, as all of the men’s SCM national records have come in the last decade. The newest marks came from the young Vicente Villanueva. In Budapest, he broke the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke national records, going 59.22 in the 100 and 2:07.69 in the 200 for huge personal bests.
Still just a high school senior, the international commit heads to Penn State University in the Fall of 2025. A 59.22 converts over to a 53.35 in the 100 yard breaststroke, while 2:07.69 converts to a 1:55.03. Both times would place Villanueva second in the team listings, providing a massive boost to Penn State relays.
Sasha Gatt
Born and raised in Malta, Sasha Gatt saw huge personal success at the Short Course Worlds this year. The Maltese swimmer reset the national record in the 800 meter freestyle to an 8:35.15. Her 1500 also resulted in a new national record of 16:32.58. Both swims highlight a banner year for Gatt. She finished 16th at the Olympic Games in the 1500 free. On top of that, she added 200 and 400 freestyle SCM national records just a month before Budapest. All told, Gatt has eight national records to her name.
Tomas Koski
The highest finisher of the athletes listed here, Tomas Koski absolutely clobbered the Finnish record in the 200 freestyle. A 1:41.92 brought Koski into Lane Six for the final, and although he added time to place seventh, it was a huge breakout moment. A sophomore for the Georgia Bulldogs, Koski’s successes can be seen through his Bulldog roots. Already, Koski has established NCAA B-cuts after qualifying in three events last season. Should he replicate his success to LCM, Koski could find himself in the mix come the Singapore World Championships in just eight months.