Israel Poppe was in excellent spirits, making jokes as he wrapped up his World Aquatics Swimming Championships 2025 in the best way possible with a smile, a personal best and full of motivation for the future. Racing in the Men’s 100m Butterfly on Day 6 in Singapore, the 18-year-old swimmer clocked a time of 57.96, shaving time off his previous best from the XIII OSA Championships in Australia last year. A great final swim for Team Guam.
“That race was very fun,” he said. “It was pretty interesting for me because I didn’t feel that fast. But then I looked up at the wall and saw 57 which isn’t that fast,” he laughed, “but it’s better than my best so I’m happy with that!”
Sharing the heat with Samoa’s Kokoro Frost made the race even more exciting and offered a bit of friendly competition! “I was next to some guys that were around my pace, so they were motivating me to keep going as hard as I could. Like Kokoro from Samoa, he was right next to me. I thought he was gonna catch up, so I just had to go through it. I had to muscle it!” he grinned. “Keeping my technique, that was the hardest part.”
While the race marked the end of Israel’s events in Singapore, he’s walking away with more than a time drop. “I learned that I just have to keep training hard,” he said. “I’ve been dropping time, but very little, so I’ve gotta stay focused, not get distracted and just have fun.”
Israel loves being at these meets and has so much fun being with his teammates but one clear highlight is getting to be around some of the world’s best talent. “Watching the Men’s 100m Freestyle final last night was pretty cool. That was probably my favorite part”.
As for what drives him, Israel says he doesn’t have just one source of motivation, he is fortunate to be surrounded by inspiration. “My coaches inspire me, and my teammates around me keep me going. And of course, my parents back home, they’re always encouraging me to stay swimming and stay working hard.”
Now, with his races behind him and a new PB in his back pocket, Israel is looking ahead to an exciting new chapter: he’s been awarded a prestigious World Aquatics Scholarship to train at Bond University in Australia, following in the footsteps of many successful Oceania swimmers. “After this competition, I’m going to try and head over there, start training hard… for a whole year!” he beamed. “Back home I only get about eight hours of swimming a week. Going over there I’ll be getting a lot more. I hope I’m going to drop a lot of time and get a lot better, reach my potential one day.”
With his mix of positivity, perseverance, and personal growth, Israel Poppe’s final swim was more than a personal best, it was a glimpse of what’s still to come for one of Guam’s brightest young swimmers.
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Written by The Reporters’ Academy Photos by Andrea Schuster