John Mason Brings Energy to the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships

I’m so excited to be here for this event. I’m in Romania as the World Aquatics host, and I’ll be doing all the post-race interviews for the television audience and streaming, as well as delivering the in-venue show for the crowds.

It’s my first time at a World Junior Championships, and the athletes are absolutely buzzing. I ran into a bunch of them at the hotel, and they were all saying, “The pool looks incredible.” You can just feel their excitement.

Image Source: World Aquatics co-hosts John Mason and Elizabeth Beisel share a laugh before the Men’s 800m Freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 (Mike Lewis/World Aquatics)

This experience is going to prepare them so well for what’s ahead in their careers. What really struck me right away is how much the Junior Championships have been elevated — to a level I honestly wasn’t expecting.

Of course, I’m thrilled about my hosting duties here in Otopeni. This is what I normally do for the senior level with elite athletes, and now I get the chance to see what the juniors can bring. For many of these swimmers, this is their very first experience on the world stage, and it’s such an important step. To see the way World Aquatics has raised the profile of this event is truly impressive.

This is also my first time in Romania, my first time at this venue, and it looks fantastic. I think the crowds are going to be wonderful. We’ll be watching more than 900 of the best junior swimmers in the world compete over six days, and I can promise you — they’re going to put on a show. Yes, you will definitely see some fast racing.

When it comes to developing young talent, I think it’s vital to give them something to be excited about. This event is like a tasty appetizer for what’s to come if they continue in the sport and move up to the senior level. These are the kinds of experiences they’ll remember for the rest of their careers.

One thing I’ve always been proud of is turning a competition into a show — a must-watch event. I try to host swimming like I’m hosting American Idol. Why not? Let’s turn the sport into entertainment! The crowd plays a huge role in that. Bringing them into the action, making it engaging and exciting, creates the best atmosphere for the athletes. And you know what? When the atmosphere is good, the racing gets faster, and everyone has a great time.

A lot of the audience will be parents, deeply invested in their children’s swimming journeys. Some may have only ever watched their kids race at a local or national meet. To come here and see this level of performance and presentation — that’s an unforgettable experience for them. Parents are always proud of their kids no matter what, but this stage amplifies that pride.

We’ll also have plenty of Romanian spectators, families bringing their children who might be thinking about taking up the sport themselves. That’s the beauty of an event like this — it inspires.

Image Source: John Mason heats up the Duna Arena crowd at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) 2024 in Budapest, Hungary (Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics)

Think about how many young athletes were inspired by watching Michael Phelps, Adam Peaty, or Sarah Sjöström. They saw those swimmers on TV, at the Olympics or World Championships, and thought: That’s what I want to do. That’s what we’re trying to replicate here — inspiring the next generation. Romania already has so much pride in David Popovici, who’s doing incredible things for world swimming. If even a handful of kids here today get inspired to follow his path, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Traditionally, swimming has been dominated by a handful of countries: the U.S., Australia, China, Japan, Italy, Great Britain. But lately, we’re seeing athletes from smaller nations rising to the top — and that’s what makes the sport so exciting. We’re here in Romania, the home of Popovici, one of the fastest sprinters on the planet. He swam a 46.51 in the 100m freestyle in Singapore this year — the second-fastest time in history. Watching that was incredible.

Image Source: Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania competes in the Women’s 100m Breaststroke at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

And it’s not just him. Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte has been carrying her nation’s flag at both the junior and senior level for years. In Singapore, we saw the first-ever World Aquatics Scholarship athlete, Ronan Wantenaar of Namibia, make it into the semifinals. And how about Ahmed Jaouadi of Tunisia? At just 20 years old, he won the 800m and 1500m freestyle events — two gold medals on the world stage.

Image Source: Ronan Wantenaar competes in the Men’s 50m Breaststroke at the World Aquatics Championships – Fukuoka 2023 (Hiroyuki Nakamura/World Aquatics)

That’s what really inspires me: watching World Aquatics push the development of the sport in countries that never had this kind of access before, and now seeing the results. These so-called “smaller” nations are starting to make waves, and everyone loves an underdog story.

And soon, we’ll know who to watch as we head into the Los Angeles Olympic cycle. Some of the swimmers making a splash here in Otopeni may very well be the ones surprising us in LA 2028.

John Mason Brings Energy to the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships

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