By Will Baxley on SwimSwam
2026 Open Water World Junior Championships
September 3-6, 2026 Santa Fe, Argentina Meet CentralThe world’s most talented open water youngsters have descended upon Santa Fe, Argentina, to lock horns for sets of Junior World medals.
For the Hansen siblings of the St. Petersburg, Florida – Karrington, Brinkleigh, and Sawyer – the meet is a family affair. Brinkleigh Hansen, the middle of the trio is a bona fide open water star. Currently sitting at #13 in the open water world rankings, the 16-year-olds stands as the only teenager in the top 30. She was a mainstay in the top 10 at World Cups this spring as well as the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships. Her resume extends to the junior level, as well. She enters Junior Worlds as the reigning 14-15 5k gold medalist from 2024, and she will look to repeat a gold in her 16-17 age group’s 7.5k race. Hansen will also gun for gold in the 3k sprint knockout, and event in which she reaped silver two years ago.
In an interview with World Aquatics today, Hansen said she got a concussion at the Pan Pacific Championships, where she placed 9th.
“I’ve been kind of out of the water. I followed USA Swimming’s protocol, so I’ve only been in the water for a week now,” the junior star remarked. “but I’m just so excited to race – it’s beautiful here.”
Brinkleigh’s older sister Karrington, a freshman at the University of Kentucky, will represent the stars and stripes in the 18-19 10k event. Her younger brother, Sawyer, will take on the world in the 14-15 5k race, giving the Hansen parents a child to cheer for in every age group. Their club head coach, Fred Lewis of St. Petersburg Aquatics (SPA) has a busy week on his hands between the sibling trio and Ansley Bess in the 14-15 girls’ event. Lewis’ SPA program, and the Tampa Bay area as a whole, affirm their spots as America’s top open water talent incubator with this Team USA line-up.
The States have a second sibling squad in Argentina in the form of William and Alex Siegel.
Top NCAA teams, California and Texas, have one American each headed to the meet in Colin Jacobs and Aiden Hammer, respectively. Both will be in the hunt for a medal in the Men’s 18-19 10k event.
Apart from Americans, keep an eye out for Japan’s Sachika Kajimoto. The sister of World Champion Ichika Kajimoto, Sachika was a 2x medalist at this year’s Australian Open Water Swimming Championships and a podium finisher in the 1500 at her own country’s nationals. The male junior 2026 Open Water World Cup leader, France’s Ethan Parker, and Italian defending medalist Mahila Spennato, are also expected to vie for top spots. On the relay level, traditional senior open water powers – Hungary, Germany, Italy, and France – could give the U.S. a run for its money. This edition of the championships represents a record turnout, and athletes from South America have particularly heavy numbers with a chance to compete on their home continent.
Previous Junior Open Water World Championships have proven a launching pad for successful senior careers. Recent examples include American Olympic medalist Claire Weinstein and French World Cup champion Sacha Velly.
In more political news, Russia will compete at a World Aquatics swimming event under the Russian flag for the first time in several years at this meet.
Schedule (EST Time)
Setpember 3
Mens’ 18-19 10k — 8:00 AM Womens’ 18-19 10k — 11:00 AMSeptember 4
Boys’ 16-17 7.5k — 8:00 AM Girls’ 16-17 7.5k — 10:30 AM Boys’ 14-15 5k — 1:00 PM Girls’ 14-15 5k — 2:30 PMSeptember 5
Mens’ 14-19 3k knockout — 9:00 AM Womens’ 14-19 3k knockout — 11:00 AMSeptember 6
Mixed 14-16 4×1500 — 9:00 AM Mixed 14-19 4×1500 — 11:00 AMRead the full story on SwimSwam: 2026 Open Water World Junior Championships Preview: Brinkleigh Hansen To Compete Alongside Siblings Post-Concussion
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