After another year of continued growth and record-breaking performances in the water, Apopka’s Keira Druck is preparing to once again compete against the best young swimmers in the country. 

The 14-year-old swimmer will return to the 2026 Florida Age Group Swimming (FLAGS) Championships, held July 9-12 at the Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training facility in Ocala. The premier Florida age-group meet brings together some of the state’s top swimmers, and Druck enters the competition ranked among the nation’s best in her age group. 

“Right now she is ranked top 10-12 in the nation for 14-year-old girls this season,” Druck’s mother, Kristin, said. “So we are hoping for a strong showing here.” 

Druck’s busy summer schedule comes after another impressive year in and out of the pool. 

In April, Druck competed in her second USA Swimming Open Water Junior Nationals, continuing to prove herself in one of swimming’s most demanding events. She finished 20th with a time of 1:06.22, dropping more than three minutes from her previous performance at the event. 

Despite the challenging race, Druck finished with confidence and a smile, continuing to show the competitive mindset that has helped fuel her success. 

In May at the annual Lucky Lakes Golden Mile, Druck once again made history. She captured the female overall championship for the second consecutive year, improving her time by 20 seconds from last year. 

Druck finished with a time of 18:33.21, breaking her own 13-14 age group record from the previous year. Her performance was impressive enough to place her fourth overall among nearly 300 competitors, finishing just six seconds behind the top three male finishers. 

Now, Druck turns her attention back to the pool for a championship weekend filled with opportunities. 

On Thursday, Druck competed in the 13-14 200-meter medley relay, along with the 100 and 1500-meter freestyle. In the morning preliminary race, she finished second place, dropping her best time while qualifying for the finals and a futures cut. Friday’s schedule includes the 200-meter freestyle relay and 400-meter medley relay. 

Druck will race in the 400-meter freestyle and 400-meter freestyle relay Saturday before closing out the competition Sunday with the 100-meter butterfly and 800-meter freestyle. 

The meet is another opportunity for Druck to measure herself against elite competition while continuing to build toward future national events. After the FLAGS meet, she will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, July 29-Aug. 1 for the Futures Championships, a USA Swimming national-level meet.