John Shortt brought the curtain down on a remarkable week in Otopeni by delivering a second goal medal and third podium finish. The Galwegian set a new Irish senior and junior record in the 200m Backstroke final in a time of 1:56.19, a race he dominated from the start. Shortt was the favourite to win coming into the final after a win of 1:57.53 in the semi-final, which was almost two seconds ahead of his nearest rival. In the final, he comfortably beat Italy's Daniele Del Signori and David Melnychuk of the USA. The 18-year-old swim sensation has achieved more at a World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships than any Irish athlete before him. In 2017, Mona McSharry won gold and bronze in the Junior Worlds and the Sligo swimmer went on to win the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Now there are high hopes for what Shortt can achieve on the Olympic stage in three years' time in Los Angeles on the back of his success in Romania. Shortt won gold in the 100m Backstroke final on Wednesday and then took the bronze in the 50m Backstroke on Friday, having qualified seventh-fastest for the final.