March 29

Shin Ohashi cracked his own World Junior Short-Course Record wide open with a 2:01.24 in the 200m breaststroke yesterday at the 101st Japan Swim in Tokyo.

The 17-year-old improved on his 2:02.03 set last year. Here's how and where he made his progress - by making each of the four 50m splits a touch swifter:

• 27.01; 57.59 (30.58) 1:29.05 (31.46) 2:01.24 (32.19) - 2026
• 27.22; 57.98 (30.76) 1:29.58 (31.60) 2:02.03 (32.45) - 2025

March 28

Persson Is Third Swedish man Inside 22sec in Free Dash

Elias Persson, less than a week shy of his 24th birthday, made the club of Swedish sub-22sec 50m free sprinters three deep with a 21.98 win at the Linköping Water Games today.

His previous best had been a 22.15, which he clocked twice, the first time a year ago at Finland's Helsinki Swim Meet before a snap for 8th place at the World University Games in Berlin lat July.

The only other two Swedish sprinters to have crackled the 22sec mark are  Stefan Nystrand (best a 21.45, 2009 in shiny suit) and Bjorn Seeliger (best a21.64 in 2024).

Persson, who finished 32nd in 22.27 at Singapore 2025 Worlds, is among entries for the Swim Open in Stockholm, where Sweden's premier swimmer Sarah Sjöström will make her competitive comeback after taking time out to welcome to the world her daughter with husband Johann (see below in this Vortex).

Open Water World Cup: Wellbrock, Germany & Johnson Shine Again Out On The Wave

The Open Water World Cup concluded in the Red Sea, Somabay, in Egypt today with gold for Germany in the mixed team relay, which marked a second gold for Florian Wellbrock in two days.

Wellbrock brought Germany home to gold with a storming effort after taking over in second place 1.10secs behind Spain's Mario Mendez Puga, Hungarian Dávid Betlehem 2.50secs away.

By the closing sprint, Wellbrock and Bethlehem were left to battle it out for top honers a day after they finished 1-2, respectively, in the 10km.

Winner of a record four golds in open water at the Singapore World Championships last year, Wellbrock, who was set up for victory by Lea Boy, Leonie Märtens and Oliver Klemet, stopped the clock at 1:09:24.60, 2.30 ahead of his Hungarian rival.

The silver crew: HUN - Bettina Fabian, Napsugar Nagy, Hunor Kovacs-Seres and Dávid Betlehem - 1:09:26.90.

The bronze crew: ESP - Maria de Valdes, Angela Martinez Guillen, Mateo Garcia Castro and Mendez Puga - 1:10:10.90.

• RESULTS In Full

The day before, Aussie Moesha Johnson, the Germany based training partner of Wellbrock, made it two 10km golds for the two 2025 World Champions and members of the team working under coach Bernd Berkhahn in Magdeburg.

Women's Race - 42 Racers

Johnson, the World 5km and 10km champion last year, found herself - as it was in Singapore, ahead of Italy's Ginevra Taddeucci as the shoal headed into the finishing stages of battle. Johnson's sprint increased her already big margin of vantage, and she was home to victory in 1:58:26.10, Taddeucci second in 1:59:14.70, Germany's Lea Boy third in 1:59:23.30.

Speaking through World Aquatics, Johnson said:

“That was a really great race and I’m really happy with it, it’s a great start to the season. The World Cup last year was after a big season, so to get back on top again today, it’s just a really great start for me. There’s three more stops and I’ll do some pool racing in the middle; we’ll see what happens in the next stops.”

Men's Race - 53 Racers

Wellbrock's kept the stars of world's premier open water man firmly in his grip with a 1:50:59.50 win ion the 10km ahead of Olympic bronze medallist at Paris 2024, Betlehem, on 1:51:04.10. Third place went to Italy's Domenico Acerenza, on 1:51:05.60.

Speaking through World Aquatics, Wellbrock, who recently came down from altitude training, referred to the sprint event that formed the first 1500m of the race, the fastest through winning US$1,000:

“I had no idea what was possible today, so my coach told me to just finish the first round first, and take the sprint money. And then I just tried to follow Kristóf Rasovszky and Sacha Velly because those are pretty strong guys. I’m so happy with my result today because it’s my third time here in Egypt and my third gold. It’s always pretty hard to make it on the podium, and especially on the top of the podium, so I’m totally happy.”

The World Cup now moves to Ibiza on April 24-25 ahead of legs in Golfo Aranci on May 1-2, before the final round in Setubal on June 20-21.

Also in the March Vortex:

• Texas Longhorns Hook Men's NCAA Crown Again To Extend All-Time Bull Run
• Sjöström Set To Slipstream Back Into The Swim at Stockholm Open
• Christou Draws Shortt To 30th Irish Record of 2025-26
• Matsushita 4:06.9 Leads Kojima To Next WJR, 4:08.8, in 400IM at Japanese Championships.
• Virginia Cavaliers Make It A Record Sixth Straight NCAA Crown
• Steenbergen On A Roll & Shortt Cracks Irish 200 Back Mark At The Paris Open
• Shortt Takes Ireland's Shortest Time Over 200 Back
• WJRs For Shin Ohashi and Yumeki Kojima at Japan Swim
• Double Trouble From Steenbergen and Grousset As Evans Rattles Her record Again
• Evans Gathers Momentum For A Scottish Summer of Plenty
• Grousset Grabs Another Win Over Ponti As Giant Open Looms On Paris Horizon
• Stars Head to The Giant Open ...
• Freya Colbert Takes British 200 Free Record Below 1:55 In Edinburgh
• Filip Nowacki At The Double; Peaty Fourth In First Race Since Paris 2024 Silver
• Maxime Grousset Growls - 22.78 50 'fly in Lausanne
• Angharad Evans Scares Her Own British Record At Edinburgh International
• Florine Gaspard & Mary-Sophie Harvey At The Double In Lausanne
• Target Practice For A Summer Of Divided Speed
• Speed Unending From McKeown As Perkins Hauls Four Golds at the NSW Championships in Sydney
• Tuning Up In Westmont: Gretchen Walsh, Summer McIntosh, Katie Ledecky, Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Sam Short, Léon Marchand, Carson Foster, Chris Guiliano were among those on the crest of the big-wave surfers starting their steady tune-up a the Swim Pro Series - Westmont

In other coverage

Over at The China Open:

Ponti Upholds ’Flyers Pride But Dash Of Day Was A Zhang Of An Outlier - Fastest 800 Finish Ever

The China Open was striking for four reasons: McEvoy’s master-class 20.88; money magnets that drew foreign stars to a charm offensive that doubled as domestic championships; the speed of Zhang as he beat Märtens in the 200, 400 & 800 free; and the very young age of many Chinese finalists

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Walsh Owns 11 Of Swiftest 100 ’Fly Swims Ever: No7 In At 55.22

China Open, Day 3: Gretchen Walsh Nails Her 16th & 17th Sub-56 100 ’Fly Swims; Zhang Outstrips Märtens With 3:41 Best 400 free; & Chalmers & Alexy Snap On 47.7 in 100 free

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Cameron McEvoy - 20.88 World Record 50m Free - Cielo’s 2009 Shiny Suit Standard Sunk

At The China Open in Shenzhen, Australian Olympic and World 50m freestyle champion has cracked the 20.91 global mark set by Brazil’s Cesar Cielo in the dying days of the short-lived shiny suits crisis in 2009

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

O’Callaghan Adds To Aussie Party With 1:53 Power Play For 200 Win At China Open

As Australian Mollie O’Callaghan delivered the second-best swim of the day, after a WR from teammate Cameron McEvoy, the China Open is the place to be for fast finalists aged 11-14 and racing for their Chinese clubs

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Zhang Just 0.14sec Shy Of Sun To Beat Märtens In 200 Free At China Open

China Open Day 1 : Zhang Zhanshuo scares disgraced Sun Yang’s China 200m free record 0.7sec ahead of Germany’s Olympic 400m champion Lukas Märtens; and Tang Qianting sets Asian 50m breaststroke record

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

U.S. Masters On Watch After Swimmer Threatened With Lifetime Ban For Backing Rules Protecting Women’s Category

Angie Griffin lost a woman’s Masters title to a male & called for U.S. Masters to adhere to the World Aquatics rule that preserves the women’s category for females only. Now, she faces a disciplinary, and U.S. Masters has in turn been put on notice by the Aquatics Integrity Unit.

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord