Swimming at the World Aquatics Championships
The aquatics discipline of swimming is considered the flagship event at every edition of the World Aquatics Championships since its introduction in 1973. While open water swimming events were added to the program in 1991, it is considered a separate discipline to swimming.
Championships
Member federations referred to as winners, second, and third, in the table below, are the top three nation's listed on the medal tally based on the standard method of ranking (being total gold medals, followed by total silver medals, and then total bronze medals).
| Year | Date | Edition | Location | Events (men/women/mixed) | Winner of the medal table | Second in the medal table | Third in the medal table | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long course | Open water | |||||||
| 1973 | 31 August – 9 September | 1 | Template:Flagicon Belgrade, Yugoslavia | 15 / 14 / 0 | 0 / 0 / 0 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 1975 | 19–27 July | 2 | Template:Flagicon Cali, Colombia | 15 / 14 / 0 | 0 / 0 / 0 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 1978 | 20–28 August | 3 | Template:Flagicon West Berlin, West Germany | 15 / 14 / 0 | 0 / 0 / 0 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 1982 | 29 July – 8 August | 4 | Template:Flagicon Guayaquil, Ecuador | 15 / 14 / 0 | 0 / 0 / 0 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 1986 | 13–23 August | 5 | Template:Flagicon Madrid, Spain | 16 / 16 / 0 | 0 / 0 / 0 | Script error: No such module "flag". (3) | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 1991 | 3–13 January | 6 | Template:Flagicon Perth, Australia | 16 / 16 / 0 | 1 / 1 / 0 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 1994 | 1–11 September | 7 | Template:Flagicon Rome, Italy | 16 / 16 / 0 | 1 / 1 / 0 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 1998 | 8–17 January | 8 | Template:Flagicon Perth, Australia | 16 / 16 / 0 | 2 / 2 / 2 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 2001 | 16–29 July | 9 | Template:Flagicon Fukuoka, Japan | 20 / 20 / 0 | 3 / 3 / 0 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 2003 | 12–27 July | 10 | Template:Flagicon Barcelona, Spain | 20 / 20 / 0 | 3 / 3 / 0 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 2005 | 16–31 July | 11 | Template:Flagicon Montreal, Canada | 20 / 20 / 0 | 3 / 3 / 0 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". (2) |
| 2007 | 18 March – 1 April | 12 | Template:Flagicon Melbourne, Australia | 20 / 20 / 0 | 3 / 3 / 0 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". (2) |
| 2009 | 17 July – 2 August | 13 | Template:Flagicon Rome, Italy | 20 / 20 / 0 | 3 / 3 / 0 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 2011 | 16–31 July | 14 | Template:Flagicon Shanghai, China | 20 / 20 / 0 | 3 / 3 / 1 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 2013 | 19 July – 4 August | 15 | Template:Flagicon Barcelona, Spain | 20 / 20 / 0 | 3 / 3 / 1 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 2015 | 24 July – 9 August | 16 | Template:Flagicon Kazan, Russia | 20 / 20 / 2 | 3 / 3 / 1 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". |
| 2017 | 14–30 July | 17 | Template:Flagicon Budapest, Hungary | 20 / 20 / 2 | 3 / 3 / 1 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:GBR2 |
| 2019 | 12–28 July | 18 | Template:Flagicon Gwangju, South Korea | 20 / 20 / 2 | 3 / 3 / 1 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". (7) | Script error: No such module "flag". (2) |
| 2022 | 18 June – 3 July | 19 | Template:Flagicon Budapest, Hungary | 20 / 20 / 2 | 3 / 3 / 1 | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". | Script error: No such module "flag". (4) |
| 2023 | 14–30 July | 20 | Template:Flagicon Fukuoka, Japan | 20 / 20 / 2 | 2 / 2 / 1 | Script error: No such module "flag". (2) | Script error: No such module "flag". (5) | Script error: No such module "flag". (3) |
| 2024 | 2–18 February | 21 | Template:Flagicon Doha, Qatar | 20 / 20 / 2 | 2 / 2 / 1 | Script error: No such module "flag". (15) | Script error: No such module "flag". (3) | Script error: No such module "flag". (5) |
| 2025 | TBA | 22 | Template:Flagicon Kallang, Singapore | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 2027 | TBA | 23 | Template:Flagicon Budapest, Hungary | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Events
The number of events competed for at each edition of the championships has grown steadily through the years. In 1973, 29 events were swum: 15 for men and 14 for women, all in the pool. Since 2015, the combined number of events for men and women including pool and open water events has been 49, a drastic increase compared to the first edition. Historically, 50 different events have been held across the 17 editions of the championships.
Long course
Long course events have been competed since the inaugural edition of the championships in 1973. The youngest male swimmer to participate in the World Swimming Championships was Ahnt Khaung Htut[1] from Myanmar, who was 12 years old in 2015. He took part at the 100m backstroke and 100m breaststroke events. The youngest female swimmer to participate in the World Swimming Championships was 10-year-old Alzain Tareq[2] from Bahrain in 2015. She participated at the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle events.
Men's events
| Edition | 1973 | 1975 | 1978 | 1982 | 1986 | 1991 | 1994 | 1998 | 2001 | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | 2009 | 2011 | 2013 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freestyle | 50 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||
| 100 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 200 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 400 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 800 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
| 1500 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Backstroke | 50 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||
| 100 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 200 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Breaststroke | 50 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||
| 100 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 200 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Butterfly | 50 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||
| 100 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 200 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Individual medley |
200 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| 400 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Relays | 4×100 m freestyle | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| 4×200 m freestyle | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 4×100 m medley | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Number of events | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | |
Women's events
| Edition | 1973 | 1975 | 1978 | 1982 | 1986 | 1991 | 1994 | 1998 | 2001 | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | 2009 | 2011 | 2013 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freestyle | 50 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||
| 100 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 200 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 400 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 800 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 1500 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
| Backstroke | 50 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||
| 100 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 200 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Breaststroke | 50 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||
| 100 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 200 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Butterfly | 50 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||
| 100 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 200 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Individual medley |
200 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| 400 m | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Relays | 4×100 m freestyle | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| 4×200 m freestyle | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||
| 4×100 m medley | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Number of events | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | |
Mixed events
| Edition | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relays | 4×100 m freestyle | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| 4×100 m medley | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Number of events | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Medalists
A select number of athletes have won medals at both long course and open water events, including Oussama Mellouli from Tunisia, Hayley Lewis from Australia, Gregorio Paltrinieri from Italy, Florian Wellbrock from Germany, and Sharon van Rouwendaal from the Netherlands. For a full list of medalists covering all editions of the championships see List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men) and List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women). For a complete list of medal winners in open water swimming see List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in open water swimming.
All-time medal table (1973–2024)
Updated after the 2024 World Aquatics Championships.
Multiple medalists
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Boldface denotes active swimmers and highest medal count among all swimmers (including these who not included in these tables) per type.
All events
| Rank | Swimmer | Country | Gender | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Phelps | Script error: No such module "flag". | M | 2001 | 2011 | 26 ** | 6 | 1 | 33 ** |
| 2 | Katie Ledecky | Script error: No such module "flag". | F | 2013 | 2023 | 21 | 5 | – | 26 |
| 3 | Ryan Lochte | Script error: No such module "flag". | M | 2005 | 2015 | 18 * | 5 | 4 * | 27 ** |
| 4 | Caeleb Dressel | Script error: No such module "flag". | M | 2017 | 2022 | 15 | 2 | – | 17 |
| 5 | Sarah Sjöström | Script error: No such module "flag". | F | 2009 | 2024 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 25 |
| 6 | Simone Manuel | Script error: No such module "flag". | F | 2013 | 2019 | 11 * | 3 | 2 | 16 * |
| 7 | Missy Franklin | Script error: No such module "flag". | F | 2011 | 2015 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 16 |
| Sun Yang | Script error: No such module "flag". | M | 2009 | 2019 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 16 | |
| 9 | Lilly King | Script error: No such module "flag". | F | 2017 | 2023 | 11 * | 2 | – | 13 * |
| 10 | Ian Thorpe | Script error: No such module "flag". | M | 1998 | 2003 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
* including one medal in the relay event in which this swimmer participated in the heats only
** including two medals in the relay events in which this swimmer participated in the heats only
Individual events
| Rank | Swimmer | Country | Gender | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katie Ledecky | Script error: No such module "flag". | F | 2013 | 2023 | 16 | 3 | – | 19 |
| 2 | Michael Phelps | Script error: No such module "flag". | M | 2001 | 2011 | 15 | 5 | – | 20 |
| 3 | Sarah Sjöström | Script error: No such module "flag". | F | 2009 | 2024 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 23 |
| 4 | Sun Yang | Script error: No such module "flag". | M | 2009 | 2019 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 5 | Ryan Lochte | Script error: No such module "flag". | M | 2005 | 2015 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| 6 | Katinka Hosszú | Script error: No such module "flag". | F | 2009 | 2019 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 15 |
| 7 | Caeleb Dressel | Script error: No such module "flag". | M | 2017 | 2022 | 8 | – | – | 8 |
| 8 | Grant Hackett | Script error: No such module "flag". | M | 1998 | 2007 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 14 |
| 9 | Ana Marcela Cunha | Script error: No such module "flag". | F | 2011 | 2024 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 15 |
| 10 | Aaron Peirsol | Script error: No such module "flag". | M | 2001 | 2009 | 7 | 1 | – | 8 |
World records
The World Championships have often been the occasion at which elite swimmers reach the peak of their season, and hence numerous world records are often broken.
| Edition | Men | Women | Mixed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 7 | 10 | Not held | 17 |
| 1975 | 1 | 4 | Not held | 5 |
| 1978 | 4 | 10 | Not held | 14 |
| 1982 | 4 | 3 | Not held | 7 |
| 1986 | – | 6 | Not held | 6 |
| 1991 | 7 | – | Not held | 7 |
| 1994 | 3 | 7 | Not held | 10 |
| 1998 | – | – | Not held | 0 |
| 2001 | 8 | – | Not held | 8 |
| 2003 | 12 | 2 | Not held | 14 |
| 2005 | 5 | 4 | Not held | 9 |
| 2007 | 7 | 8 | Not held | 15 |
| 2009 | 17 | 26 | Not held | 43 |
| 2011 | 2 | – | Not held | 2 |
| 2013 | – | 6 | Not held | 6 |
| 2015 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 11 |
| 2017 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 11 |
| 2019 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 10 |
| 2022 | 2 | – | 1 | 3 |
| 2023 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 10 |
| 2024 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
Championship Records
See also
Note
References
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External links
- FINA Official Championship Results History – Swimming (men)
- FINA Official Championship Results History – Swimming (women)Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
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