Over 2,400 athletes from 203 countries and the World Aquatics Refugee Team competed in six disciplines and 77 medal events over 24 days at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025, the first edition ever held in Southeast Asia.
Demonstrating the global appeal of the Championships, more than 125 broadcast cameras captured over 300 hours of live coverage across three competition venues. World Aquatics also produced 20 daily highlight programs and a 100-minute recap show for the 48 Rights Holding Broadcasters. Additionally, 350 accredited members of the press and photojournalists documented the Championships, reinforcing aquatics’ position as one of the most extensively covered Olympic sports—both during and between Olympic Games.
The Championships concluded on a high note with the Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay. Team USA’s Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, and Torri Huske capped off the event by breaking their own world record set at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“It’s not over until it’s over, and Team USA always knows how to finish strong. I think it sends a really positive message to those watching at home,” said lead-off swimmer Regan Smith. “I’m so excited for the future.”
World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam praised the athletes, commended the event organisers, and celebrated the quality of competition in his closing remarks.
“Singapore has consistently demonstrated its excellence as a host of World Aquatics events, and the 2025 Championships were no exception. This historic first edition in Southeast Asia marked a major milestone for our sport,” he stated. “From the organisers’ professionalism to the enthusiasm of the fans, Singapore delivered a world-class experience for all involved. We are proud to have such a reliable and forward-thinking partner in this important region.”
With the support of the Singapore 2025 Organising Committee, over 3,000 volunteers from Sport Singapore’s Team Nila played a critical role in the successful delivery of the Championships, embodying the event’s spirit of community, energy, and dedication. More than 500,000 locals participated in related activities—from attending live competitions to engaging in fan zones and pre-event community programs.
Open Water Swimming:
The Championships began with open water swimming, where Germany’s Florian Wellbrock dominated the waters off Sentosa Island. He won gold in all four events he entered—the men’s 10km, 5km, 3km knockout sprint, and the Mixed 4x1500m Relay.
“I’m still speechless. I have no idea how I did it. We made history today,” said Wellbrock after winning his fourth gold. “Competing in all events over one week is incredibly demanding, especially with today’s pressure. Finishing with another gold is just unbelievable.”
On the women’s side, Australia’s Moesha Johnson emerged as the top performer, capturing gold in both the 10km and 5km events and a bronze in the 3km knockout.
Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri and Ginevra Taddeucci delivered consistently strong performances, securing the overall team title for Italy. Monaco celebrated its first-ever open water swimming medal, with Lisa Pou earning bronze in the women’s 10km.
Swimming:
U.S. distance legend Katie Ledecky faced one of her toughest challenges yet in the women’s 800m freestyle. It took a Championship Record and the third-fastest swim of her career to outpace Australia’s Lani Pallister and Canada’s Summer McIntosh. With wins in both the 800m and 1500m freestyle, Ledecky now holds 23 world titles—second only to Michael Phelps in total World Championship gold medals.
The final evening culminated in a commanding victory by France’s Leon Marchand in the men’s 400m individual medley—his second gold of the Championships. Earlier in the week, Marchand had set a new world record in the 200m individual medley.
Also on the final night, Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi completed a rare 800m/1500m double, narrowly defeating Germany’s Sven Schwarz, while Summer McIntosh claimed her fourth title in Singapore, breaking the Championship Record in the women’s 400m individual medley.
Across eight days of swimming, athletes broke 3 World Records, 15 Championship Records, and 28 Continental Records, underscoring the continued elevation of the sport on the global stage.
Water Polo:
In men’s water polo, Spanish captain Felipe Perrone capped his legendary career with a fairytale ending, scoring the decisive goal in the final 18 seconds to secure Spain’s 15–13 victory over Hungary. It marked a perfect conclusion to his 13th and final World Aquatics Championships.
“It felt like something out of a movie. Even the best films aren’t this perfectly timed,” Perrone said. “I’m so happy and proud of what this team achieved.”
In the women’s final, Greece claimed its second-ever world title with a composed and dominant 12–9 win over Hungary.
Diving:
China reaffirmed its dominance in diving, winning 10 of 13 gold medals over nine days of competition. Athletes from 54 nations performed more than 3,300 dives across the program.
One of the most dramatic moments came in the Men’s 3m Springboard final, where Mexico’s Osmar Olvera Ibarra broke China’s 17-year gold-medal streak in the event. He outperformed three-time world champion Wang Zongyuan and Olympic champion Cao Yuan, claiming Mexico’s first-ever title in this event.
“It’s a dream come true: to be a world champion in an Olympic discipline,” said Olvera Ibarra. “This morning, I told myself, ‘Today is the day I become a champion.’ And it happened.”
| Ibarra, who also earned silver and bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, was named the top overall male diver of the championships. On the women’s side, China’s Chen Yiwen earned the top female diver award after winning three gold medals—in the individual 3m Springboard, 3m Synchro, and the Mixed Team event. A nine-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist, Chen further cemented her legacy in Singapore. |
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| Tension was in the lofty air of high diving as USA’s James Lichtenstein staged a final-dive comeback to win gold from the men’s 27m tower in Sentosa. Meanwhile, Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland reaffirmed her dominance in women’s high diving, clinching her fifth consecutive world title from the 20m tower.“It’s insane, I’m blown away, I’m kind of speechless right now,” Iffland said of her undefeated run from the Budapest 2017 to Singapore 2025 Worlds. “I never would have thought 10 years ago I would be holding my fifth medal.” |
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| In artistic swimming, China extended its dominance with a clean sweep of all team events. Xu Huiyan contributed to the gold-medal tally and added individual success, earning gold in the women’s solo technical and silver in the solo free routine. Spain’s rising stars, Iris Tio Casas and Dennis Gonzalez Boneu, also made headlines in Singapore—Tio Casas collected six medals (three gold, three silver), as Boneu earned five (one gold, two silver, two bronze), including a shared gold in the Mixed Duet Free. Competing as a neutral athlete, Aleksandr Maltsev stood out among the men, winning both the men’s solo technical and free events, as well as gold in the Mixed Duet Technical.“The level of artistic swimming is so high right now, especially in the mixed duet events. All the countries are really pushing the limits with the new rules and increasing difficulty, and you can see how much work they’ve put in to stay competitive,” Boneu said. “It’s not just one or two nations anymore—there’s real depth around the world. In Spain, we’ve also worked hard this year to keep up and contribute to that global rise in performance.” |
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| Demonstrating the growing global reach of aquatic sports, World Aquatics Scholarship holders from every continent competed at the World Championships in Singapore—marking the fifth time in history that scholarship athletes have participated in the event. The Championships also welcomed the World Aquatics Refugee Team, represented by Matin Balsini, Alaa Masoo and Eyad Masoud.As part of World Aquatics’ ongoing commitment to the global development of aquatic sports, a range of programmes for athletes, coaches, and member federations took place during the World Aquatics Championships. Athlete-focused initiatives included coaching and medical clinics, athlete ambassador events, and support services such as on-site biomechanical analysis. In Singapore, these workshops and forums centred on themes of athlete health, performance and sustainability. |
