Swimming at the World Aquatics Championships


The aquatics discipline of swimming has been the core component of every edition of the FINA World Aquatics Championships since its introduction in 1973. In 1991, open water swimming events were introduced to the program of the World Championships.

Championships

Future championships

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 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 from Bahrain in 2015. She participated at the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle events.

Men's events

Women's events

Mixed events

Open water

Open water swimming events have been competed since the sixth edition of the championships in 1991. From 2000 to 2010, FINA organized in even years specific championships for open water swimming events, the FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships.

Events

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 and List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming. 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 1973-2019

Updated after the 2019 World Aquatics Championships.

Swimming

Open water swimming

Multiple medalists in swimming

Boldface denotes active swimmers and highest medal count among all swimmers per type.

All events

* 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

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.
EditionMenWomenMixedTotal
1973710Not held17
197514Not held5
1978410Not held14
198243Not held7
1986-6Not held6
19917-Not held7
199437Not held10
1998--Not held0
20018-Not held8
2003122Not held14
200554Not held9
200778Not held15
20091726Not held43
20112-Not held2
2013-6Not held6
201526311
201726311
201954110

Participation

EditionAthletesNations
197368647
197568239
197882849
198284852
1986111934
1991114260
19941400102
19981371121
20011498134
20032015157
20051784144
20072158167