Ali Thameem
At just 16, Looth Mohamed has written his name into Maldivian swimming history with a single heat in Romania. On the opening day of the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships in Otopeni, he managed to break not one, but two national records.
Looth’s main event on day one was the 100m breaststroke. He finished in 1:10.95, which is 3.63 seconds faster than the previous long-course record of 1:14.58 set by Mubal Azzam Ibrahim.
His split at the 50 m mark was 32.67, and that was also quicker than the Maldivian record for the 50 m breaststroke, which stood at 33.24, again held by Mubal. The difference of 0.57 seconds was confirmed by the electronic timing system, and under World Aquatics rules it is valid as a separate national record since Looth completed the full race. He will swim the 50 m breaststroke on Saturday, starting in Heat 3.
Looth’s double record was part of a bigger day for Maldivian swimming. The women’s 4×200 m freestyle relay team of Thazkiyah, Lyba, Ayaana and Meral set a new record of 10:09.97, while Meral Ayn Latheef also lowered the 400 m individual medley mark with a time of 5:57.86.
Otopeni, a small city on the edge of Bucharest, is hosting the 2025 junior championships until 24 August. For the Maldives, three records falling on the first day has already made the trip memorable, with more swims still to come.
