Swimmers Of 2025 - The Fab Four, & Fast & Furious, Top Relays, Breakthroughs, Juniors & Margins
All our swimmer awards for 2025 in one file as our review of the past year draws to a close, coach picks, top teams and the Own Goal Trophy to come...
Women:
Overall: Summer McIntosh (CAN)
2025 Review: Women’s Swim Campaigns Of The Year, Summer’s Sizzling Season A Light Of Lights
We start our 2025 review with the overall and top 3 women’s campaigns of the year. No topping Summer McIntosh for overall campaign of the year; our top 3 is completed by Katie Ledecky, Kaylee McKeown
Craig Lord
2025 Review: McIntosh’s Best Of 4 Pioneering Swims Is Top Women’s Performance Of Year
Summer McIntosh’s 4:23.65 400IM tops a list of six global pioneering swims by women in 2025 and she has three others entries in a top 6 alongside Americans Gretchen Walsh and Katie Ledecky. McIntosh’s swim also has a small lead on Léon Marchand’s 200IM for overall performance of the year
Craig Lord
Open ~Water: Moesha Johnson (AUS)
2025 Awards: McIntosh & Johnson Lead Duel For Dominance Of The Women’s Continental Cup
The Americas topped the count of prizes in the pool and overall, Oceania in open water... and In all three women’s categories below, Oceania, courtesy of Australia alone, was the runaway winner of the punch-above-weight trophy for yet another year
Craig Lord
Men
Overall: Florian Wellbrock (GER)
2025 Awards: Wellbrock & Marchand Lead Europe’s Victory March For Men’s Continental Cup
The Europeans dominated men’s swimming, in pool and open water, at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, helping the old continental claim the Continental Cup for overall team with the most podium visits of any
Craig Lord
2025 Worlds Review - How Wellbrock & Johnson Shifted The Singapore Swim Dial
A combined swimming medals table would grant Australia top of the table with one more gold than the USA, while Germany would have finished third best nation. The case for and against pooling open water & tank prizes, given that theatres include the same actors & teammates
Craig Lord
Wellbrock Pioneers The First Four-Golds OW Worlds Campaign As Germany Mops Up
Celine Rieder, Oliver Klemet, Isabel Gose, Florian Wellbrock (after gold in the 10km, 5km & inaugural 3km knockout) of Germany claim the last gold of the Singapore 2025 World Championships in the 4x1500 relay at Sentosa, Italy and Hungary completing the podium.
Craig Lord
Performances of the Year
Summer McIntosh (CAN)
- 400m medley WR, Canadian Trials, Toronto, and the week it was a part of:
McIntosh’s Majestic 4:23.6 Medley Makes It 3 World Records, 1 World Best, 5 Commonwealth Crackers In Five Fantastic Days
“During the meet I don’t really like to think about it. I’ll celebrate and then kind of process it and focus on the next race. I know I can go faster. “ - Summer McIntosh.
Craig Lord
Léon Marchand (FRA) and Lukas Märtens (GER)
- Marchand - 200m medley WR, first sub 1:54 and sub-1:53;
2025 Review: Marchand’s Epic 200IM & Märtens’ 400 Free Shiny Suits Slayer Top Men’s Performances Of Year
Léon Marchand’s 1:52.69 200m medley and Lukas Märtens 3:39.96 400m freestyle, the only solo World long-course records of the year, top the list of the best men’s performances in the pool in 2025
Craig Lord
- Märtens - 400m free WR, first sub 3: 40:
Märtens Takes Down Shiny Biedermann & Textile Thorpe With Game-Changing 3:39.96 WR In Stockholm 400 Free
What it took for Lukas Märtens to break Paul Biedermann’s Word record: at 51.90 he matched Mark Spitz’s first 100m free World record in 1970; at 1:47.55, he matched the third of Michael The Albatross Gross’ 200m free World records, from 1984
Craig Lord
Races of the Year
Women: 800m freestyle, Singapore 2025: Katie Ledecky, Lani Pallister, Summer McIntosh, Simona Quadarella
W800 Free - Empress Of Endurance Ledecky Leads The Greatest Women’s Distance Race In History To Triumph
Gold: 8:05.62 Katie Ledecky (USA); Silver: 8:05.98 Lani Pallister (AUS); Bronze: Summer McIntosh, 8:07.29. “I don’t feel like I have too much to lose ... just knowing what a fast field this was, I knew that if I put my best foot forward, I could be proud of the swim/the season that I’ve had.”
Craig Lord
Men: 400m freestyle, Singapore 2025: Lucas Märtens, Sam Short, Kim Woomin
M400Free: Märtens Adds World To Olympic Crown In Epic Battle With Short
“There was a lot of pressure. Also as a world record holder, it was not easy to fight these guys. But I tried my best, I gave out everything, and I’m really happy and proud to be a world champion. Now, Germany has a new world champion, and that’s not usual I think. Really proud.” - Lukas Märtens
Craig Lord
Relays of the Year
Women: USA, 4x100m medley - WR, Singapore 2025 Gold:
- Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske: Smith - 57.57; Douglass 1:04.27; Walsh - 54.98; Huske - 52.52 = 3:49. 34 World Record
W4x100 Medley: WR Gives Eagles 1-Gold Edge Over Dolphins & Finishing Fireworks For Singapore 2025
“There was a recurring message that the team morale was really high, and I agree wholeheartedly in that, I’ve never felt so closely bonded to a team before in my international senior-level meet career.” Gretchen Walsh
Craig Lord
Men: GBR, 4x200m freestyle - Singapore 2025 victory:
- part of a golden run, with Matt Richards, James Guy, Jack McMillan and Duncan Scott in the final and Tom Dean and Evan Jones in heats
M4x200m Free: Richards, Guy, McMillan & Scott Extend Great Britain’s Golden Era
“No matter what way we swim it, they’re trying to get at us, America has an eye on us, and we’ve got a big target on our backs now” - Duncan Scott, World champ. ion again, with Matt Richards, James Guy, Jack McMillan & heats men Tom Dean and Evan Jones
Craig Lord
Kings and Queens Of Perseverance & Long-Haul Excellence:
Women: Katie Ledecky (USA)
2025 Review: Ledecky Leads The Long-Haul League of Excellence
The Queens Of Perseverance 2025: Katie Ledecky, Marrit Steenbergen, Simone Manuel and Simona Quadarella have been making big podiums for over 10 years, while Kaylee McKeown, Regan Smith, Walsh sisters Alex & Gretchen, Lani Pallister, Kathryn Berkoff & Anna Elendt ride the next wave
Craig Lord
Men: Cameron McEvoy (AUS)
2025 Review: McEvoy’s Continuum A Masterstroke Of Perseverance
The Kings Of Perseverance 2025: Cameron McEvoy is the monarch of longevity coupled with big victories, while Kyle Chalmers, James Guy and Duncan Scott are also members of the 2025 podium club with a vault of podiums dating back more than a decade. And who’ll get there before LA2028?
Craig Lord
Breakthroughs of the Year
Podium
Men:
(swimmers who at Singapore 2025 World Championships claimed their first career medals in senior long-course championship racing, all levels):
- Luca Urlando (USA) - gold - 200m butterfly
- Sven Schwarz (GER) - 2 silvers - 800m and 1500m freestyle
- Tatsuya Murasa (JPN) - 1 bronze - 200m freestyle
Women:
(no women medallists in Singapore match the description of never having made a podium in senior long-course championship waters - here hen are the closest to it... swimmers who made their first long0-course world-championship podiums in individual events:
Solo events only:
- = Alexandria Perkins (AUS) and Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL) - 1 silver, a bronze each (Perkins, 50 silver and 100 bronze on butterfly, Vanotterdijk trading places with her for bronze in the 50 and silver in the 100) - counting a 4x100 medley relay silver for Perkins would break the tie
- Mio Narita (JPN) - 1 silver (400m medley)
- Claire Weinstein (USA) - 1 bronze (200 free) - also took silver in the 4x200m free
Margins Of The Year
Tightest Podium Thrillers at Singapore 2025
- M: 400m freestyle - Lukas Märtens (GER) - Sam Short (AUS) gold to silver: 0.005sec per 100m; Märtens to Kim Woo-min (KOR) gold to bronze: 0.062sec per 100m
- W: 800m freestyle - Katie Ledecky (USA) - Lani Pallister (AUS) gold to silver: 0.045sec per 100m; Ledecky to Summer McIntosh (CAN) gold to bronze: 0.208sec per 100m
Narrowest World Championship Wins
- M: 400m freestyle - Lukas Märtens (GER) - Sam Short (AUS) gold to silver: 0.005sec per 100m
- W: 800m freestyle - Katie Ledecky (USA) - Lani Pallister (AUS) gold to silver: 0.045sec per 100m
Biggest World Championship Wins
- W: 400m medley - Summer McIntosh (CAN) 4:25.78 CR over Jenna Forrester (AUS) and Mio Narita (JPN), 4:33.26 - gold to joint silver = 1.87sec per 100m
- M: 400m medley - Léon Marchand (FRA) 4:04.73 over Tomoyuki Matsushita (JPN) 4:08.32 - gold to silver = 0.897 per 100m
Pioneer Pace Dominance Cups 2025
(The biggest gaps between the world record set in 2025 and the all-time No2 performer)
- W: Summer McIntosh (CAN) - 400m medley - 4:23.65 - Canadian Trials, Victoria, June 11 - 0.677sec per 100m
- M: Léon Marchand (FRA) - 200m medley - 1:52.69 - World Championships, Singapore, July 30 - 0.655sec per 100m
Teams
Overall - Pool and Open Water, World Championships
Men, Women and Mixed combined:
Team of the Year: Australia - 10 gold, 6 silver, 8 bronze (20)
Closest: United States - 9 gold, 11 silver, 9 bronze (29)
- Pool only top score: USA (as above)
- Open Water: Germany - 4 gold
Men - overall
Team of the Year: Germany - 4 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze (7)
Closest: France - 4 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze (8)
Women - overall
Team of the Year: Australia - 8 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze (17)
Closest: United States - 7 gold, 8 silver, 5 bronze (20) - all pool
Continental Cups
2025 Awards: Wellbrock & Marchand Lead Europe’s Victory March For Men’s Continental Cup
The Europeans dominated men’s swimming, in pool and open water, at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, helping the old continental claim the Continental Cup for overall team with the most podium visits of any
Craig Lord
Best-In-Class Juniors of the Year:
Performers (in global championship waters)
World Junior Championships, Otopeni, Romania
Girls
Individual events:
- Yang Peiqi (CHN) 4 golds (200, CR, 400, CR, 800 and 1500 free)
- Audrey Deriveaux (USA) 3 golds (200 back, 200 'fly, 200IM), 1 silver (100 back)
- Rylee Erismann (USA) 2 golds (50, 100 free) 1 silver (200 free)
Including relays:
- Rylee Erismann (USA) 5 golds (50, 100 free, 4x100 free - WR; 4x100 medley, 4x100 mixed medley) 3 silvers (200 free, 4x200 free; 4x100 mixed medley) - 8 medals. Championship records: 100m free, faster each round - 53.17, 53.09, and 52.79 for gold in the first sub-53 at World junior titles + WR in the 4x100m freestyle with USA teammates
- Yang Peiqi (CHN) 5, golds (200, 400, CR, 800 and 1500 free, 4x200 free) 1 silver (4x100 medley); 1 bronze (4x100 free) - 7 medals. Championship records: 200m free, 1:56.25; 400m free, 4:05.38
- Audrey Deriveaux (USA) 4 golds (200 back, 200 'fly, 200IM, 4x100 medley), 1 silver (100 back) - 5 medals. Championship record: 200m back, 2:06.99
Boys
Individual events:
- = Carlos D’Ambrosio (ITA) 2 golds (100 and 200m freestyle), 1 bronze Championship record: 200m free, 1:45.15 ; and John Shortt (IRL) 2 golds (100m and 200m back), 1 bronze (50m back).
3= Filip Nowacki (GBR) 2 golds (100m and 200m breaststroke), Kuzey Tunçelli (TUR) 2 golds (800m and 1500m free)
Including relays:
- Carlos D’Ambrosio (ITA) 2 golds (100 and 200m freestyle), 1 silver (4x100 free), 4 bronze (50m free, 4x200 free, 4x100 medley, mixed 4x100 free) - 7 medals - Championship record: 200m free, 1:45.15
- Filip Nowacki (GBR) 2 golds (100m and 200m breaststroke), 1 silver 4x100 medley), 1 bronze (4x100m mixed medley) - 4 medals. Championship record: 200m breaststroke, 2:07.32
- Raito Numata (JPN) 2 golds (400 medley, 4x100 medley), 1 silver (4x200 free)
Performances
Rylee Erisman, Liberty Clark, Julie Mishler, Lily King (USA)
- 4×100m free - 3:35.53 WJR - Erisman (53.41) Clark (53.85) Mishler (54.65) King (53.62) USA 2025 World Junior Championships, Otopeni, Romania
Shin Ohashi (JPN)
- WJRs - Kinki High School Championships Kusatsu, Japan
- 100m breaststroke 58.94
- 200m breaststroke 2:06.91
