Ghana’s rising swimming sensation, Joselle Mensah, set two new national records at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, marking a significant milestone in her debut at the global competition.
The 21-year-old clocked 26.48 seconds in the women’s 50m freestyle, shaving off 0.04 seconds from her previous record of 26.52, which she set at the 2023 African Games — a feat that earned her a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Despite finishing third in Heat 6, Joselle narrowly missed qualification for the semi-finals.
She followed up with another record-breaking performance in the 100m freestyle, winning her heat with a time of 58.98 seconds, but again fell short of advancing to the next stage.
This was Joselle’s first appearance at the World Championships, coming just 16 months after joining Team Ghana, underlining her rapid rise in international swimming.
🇬🇭Ghana’s Joselle Mensah again broke her National Record in the 50m Freestyle to set a New NR with a time of 26.48 at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships.
The 21-year-old previously held the national record of 26.52 seconds, achieved at the 13th African Games.#CitiSports pic.twitter.com/xCCVqpGASH
— Citi Sports (@CitiSportsGHA) August 3, 2025
Team captain Abeku Jackson had a challenging outing, placing 8th in his 50m butterfly heat with a time of 24.49 seconds, and later disqualified in the 100m event for reasons yet to be clarified.
Harry Stacey, who competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics and medaled at the 2023 Africa Aquatics Championships, clocked 23.05 seconds to finish 8th in Heat 8 of the 50m freestyle and recorded 51.43 seconds to place 10th in Heat 7 of the 100m freestyle.
National 100m backstroke record holder Nubia Adjei finished 3rd in Heat 4 of the 50m butterfly with 28.82 seconds, and later placed 10th in Heat 3 of the 50m backstroke, clocking 32.23 seconds.
The team of Joselle, Nubia, Harry, and Abeku did not start the 4x100m mixed freestyle relay, but featured in the 4x100m mixed medley relay, finishing 6th in Heat 2 with a time of 4:13.77.
Team Ghana was led to the Championships by Ghana Swimming Association President Delphina Quaye and General Secretary Muniru Kassim.
