Audrey Derivaux delivered the first of three USA victories on day 3 at the World Junior Championships in Otopeni, Romania, her 2:06.99 meet-mark in the 200m backstroke adding to her day 1 win in the 200m butterfly.

Derivaux was followed home by teammate Charlotte Crush, for a U.S. 1-2, and after Tajus Juska delivered Lithuania's first gold of the championships as the only sub-52 boy in he 100m butterfly, Rylee Erisman struck another gold for the USA in championship-record time.

Erisman's 52.79 in the 100m freestyle inside the 53.19 standard she set in semis yesterday, and the first time the World Junior gathering has witnessed a sub-53sec in the short history of the youth event. Erisman's speed meant that she was not only the only finalist inside 53 but 54 as well.

After 17-year-old  Turkish distance speedster Kuzey Tuncelli, coach by Aykut Çelik, retained the 800m freestyle crown in 7:46.52, his Japanese age peer Kazushi Imafuku a close shadow all the way to silver in 7:48.34, the American gold rush came to a close with a tight 3:26.03 victory for in the mixed 4x100m freestyle 0.14sec ahead of the Great Britain quartet, Italy's foursome 0.62sec further away for bronze.

• RESULTS IN FULL
• Day 3 Finals at a Glance:

There was also an equalled World junior record in the semis of the men's 50m free, the standard now shared by Michael Andrew, of the USA, and a swimmer with no nation, for reasons we all understand. Understanding of whether such athletes are being used or will be used as political pawns back home far less clear, and as such, here at SOS, we will leave the names of those who race 'neutrally' to the result sheet. The questions raised are all the more relevant when the athletes are juniors/under-age and, indeed, below voting age, the rights to their images, as the caption on our main image states, handed over to the global regulator for Aquatics as a condition of entry to such events.

Also in the August Vortex:

• Filip Nowacki Thrice Inside Peaty's GB Youth Mark For World Junior Gold, Max Morgan Delivering Brit 1-3
• At 12, Yu Zidi, 3x4th & Bronze Medallist At Global Seniors, Too Young To Race As World Juniors Begin
• World Cup Rosters Include McIntosh, McKeown, Douglass, O'Callaghan, Smith, Ponti, Kós, Ceccon, Liendo - and Peaty