At World Juniors, Olivia Weinsch of Australia dazzles with 52.61 relay split and 24.60 50 free

Olivia Wunsch closed the fifth night of the World Junior Championships by anchoring the Australian girls' 400-meter free relay to a win over the United States.

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With a 53.89 anchor for the US, NC State pledge Erika Pelaez was the only other swimmer in the race to break the 54-second barrier, but she was still more than a second slower than Wunsch's otherworldly split.

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To put this in context, Wunsch's 52.61 split is quicker than every American save Kate Douglass (52.28) at this year's World Championships,

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To put this in context, Wunsch's 52.61 split is quicker than every American save Kate Douglass (52.28) at this year's World Championships,

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Meg Harris (52.29), and Emma McKeon (51.90). Wunsch, who is only 17 years old, is undoubtedly on pace to be a big Australian relay contributor in the Olympics.

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Given her recent rapid growth, she could compete in the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, and possibly as soon as Paris in 2024.

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Wunsch had never been under 54 seconds in the 100 free before this competition, with a lifetime best of 54.50 from Junior Pan Pacs previous year.

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Then, on Wednesday, she posted a personal-best 53.71 to win gold in the 100-meter freestyle before splitting 53.61 to help Australia's mixed 400-meter freestyle relay set the world junior record with a total time of 3:24.29.

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