By Daniel Takata on SwimSwam
During the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, only three world records were broken: the men’s 200 IM (by France’s Leon Marchand), the mixed 4×100 freestyle relay, and the women’s 4×100 medley relay (both by the United States).
This marks one of the lowest tallies of world records ever. Out of 22 editions, only the 1998 Worlds (0), 2011 (2), and 2024 (1) had fewer.
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Was this truly one of the slowest Worlds of all time?
In terms of world records, yes. However, when examining the depth of competition, the picture changes.
Considering the 16th-fastest time in prelims (which qualifies for the semifinals) and the 8th-fastest time in semis (which qualifies for finals), several events were remarkably fast.
(In events like the 400, 800, and 1500, which lack semifinals, the 8th-fastest time from the prelims was used as the qualifier for finals.)
In Singapore, the 16th time in prelims was the fastest ever recorded in 11 events, and the 8th time in semis/finals qualification was the strongest ever in 12 events.
Fastest 16th qualifier ever before 2025 vs. 16th qualifier at 2025 Worlds (in bold, the faster)
| Gender | Event | Meet | 16th | 16th in 2025 |
| Women | 50 free | 2024 Olympics | 24.72 | 24.89 |
| Women | 100 free | 2021 Olympics | 53.71 | 54.38 |
| Women | 200 free | 2016 Olympics | 1:57.74 | 1:58.28 |
| Women | 400 free | 2021 Olympics | 4:08.27 | 4:10.37 |
| Women | 800 free | 2021 Olympics | 8:28.90 | 8:35.94 |
| Women | 1500 free | 2021 Olympics | 16:12.55 | 16:28.10 |
| Women | 50 fly | 2023 Worlds | 26.23 | 25.97 |
| Women | 100 fly | 2024 Olympics | 57.90 | 58.31 |
| Women | 200 fly | 2009 Worlds | 2:08.63 | 2:10.17 |
| Women | 50 back | 2017 Worlds | 28.22 | 27.97 |
| Women | 100 back | 2021 Olympics | 1:00.04 | 1:00.56 |
| Women | 200 back | 2024 Olympics | 2:10.51 | 2:10.35 |
| Women | 50 breast | 2023 Worlds | 30.75 | 30.76 |
| Women | 100 breast | 2023 Worlds | 1:06.87 | 1:06.96 |
| Women | 200 breast | 2021 Olympics | 2:24.27 | 2:26.82 |
| Women | 200 IM | 2024 Olympics | 2:11.96 | 2:12.29 |
| Women | 400 IM | 2008 Olympics | 4:38.90 | 4:49.50 |
| Men | 50 free | 2024 Olympics | 21.94 | 21.91 |
| Men | 100 free | 2023 Worlds | 48.34 | 48.33 |
| Men | 200 free | 2021 Olympics | 1:46.67 | 1:46.67 |
| Men | 400 free | 2009 Worlds | 3:47.05 | 3:47.57 |
| Men | 800 free | 2023 Worlds | 7:48.66 | 7:54.83 |
| Men | 1500 free | 2023 Worlds | 15:01.89 | 15:30.66 |
| Men | 50 fly | 2023 Worlds | 23.36 | 23.28 |
| Men | 100 fly | 2024 Olympics | 51.62 | 51.58 |
| Men | 200 fly | 2021 Olympics | 1:55.96 | 1:56.35 |
| Men | 50 back | 2009 Worlds | 25.01 | 24.89 |
| Men | 100 back | 2021 Olympics | 53.77 | 53.78 |
| Men | 200 back | 2016 Olympics | 1:57.58 | 1:57.11 |
| Men | 50 breast | 2019 Worlds | 27.33 | 27.20 |
| Men | 100 breast | 2021 Olympics | 59.68 | 59.98 |
| Men | 200 breast | 2021 Olympics | 2:09.70 | 2:11.34 |
| Men | 200 IM | 2021 Olympics | 1:58.15 | 1:59.50 |
| Men | 400 IM | 2021 Olympics | 4:15.76 | 4:16.91 |
Fastest 8th qualifier ever before 2025 vs. 8th qualifier at 2025 Worlds (in bold, the faster)
| Gender | Event | Meet | 8th | 8th in 2025 |
| Women | 50 free | 2021 Olympics | 24.32 | 24.45 |
| Women | 100 free | 2021 Olympics | 53.11 | 53.51 |
| Women | 200 free | 2017 Worlds | 1:56.34 | 1:56.03 |
| Women | 400 free | 2024 Olympics | 4:03.83 | 4:06.75 |
| Women | 800 free | 2021 Olympics | 8:20.58 | 8:27.51 |
| Women | 1500 free | 2021 Olympics | 15:58.96 | 16:08.19 |
| Women | 50 fly | 2017 Worlds | 25.73 | 25.62 |
| Women | 100 fly | 2024 Olympics | 56.93 | 57.11 |
| Women | 200 fly | 2009 Worlds | 2:06.85 | 2:07.95 |
| Women | 50 back | 2017 Worlds | 27.60 | 27.57 |
| Women | 100 back | 2021 Olympics | 59.30 | 59.56 |
| Women | 200 back | 2017 Worlds | 2:07.64 | 2:09.09 |
| Women | 50 breast | 2023 Worlds | 30.33 | 30.37 |
| Women | 100 breast | 2024 Olympics | 1:06.23 | 1:06.17 |
| Women | 200 breast | 2016 Olympics | 2:22.87 | 2:24.10 |
| Women | 200 IM | 2009 Worlds | 2:10.08 | 2:10.49 |
| Women | 400 IM | 2012 Olympics | 4:36.09 | 4:38.31 |
| Men | 50 free | 2024 Olympics | 21.64 | 21.77 |
| Men | 100 free | 2021 Olympics | 47.82 | 47.64 |
| Men | 200 free | 2021 Olympics | 1:45.71 | 1:45.60 |
| Men | 400 free | 2008 Olympics | 3:44.82 | 3:45.88 |
| Men | 800 free | 2024 Olympics | 7:44.59 | 7:46.36 |
| Men | 1500 free | 2024 Olympics | 14:45.59 | 14:51.06 |
| Men | 50 fly | 2022 Worlds | 23.04 | 22.91 |
| Men | 100 fly | 2009 Worlds | 51.07 | 50.88 |
| Men | 200 fly | 2024 Olympics | 1:54.62 | 1:54.94 |
| Men | 50 back | 2022 Worlds | 24.61 | 24.53 |
| Men | 100 back | 2024 Olympics | 52.95 | 52.57 |
| Men | 200 back | 2009 Worlds | 1:55.78 | 1:55.64 |
| Men | 50 breast | 2017 Worlds | 26.96 | 26.93 |
| Men | 100 breast | 2021 Olympics | 59.18 | 59.36 |
| Men | 200 breast | 2016 Olympics | 2:08.20 | 2:09.32 |
| Men | 200 IM | 2023 Worlds | 1:57.23 | 1:57.49 |
| Men | 400 IM | 2021 Olympics | 4:10.20 | 4:13.59 |
Standout performances include:
- 52.57 being the 8th-fastest semifinal time in the men’s 100 backstroke, which was 0.7% faster than the 52.95 recorded at the 2024 Olympic Games.
- The cut-off for the men’s 50 fly into the final being 22.91, marking the first time a sub-23 was required to make the top eight.
- Sub-28 and sub-27 required to reach the semis in the women’s 50 backstroke and 50 butterfly, respectively, for the first time ever.
Notably, in all 50s of stroke (except the women’s 50 breaststroke), qualification times for both semifinals and finals in Singapore were the fastest in history. Could this already reflect the inclusion of these events in the Olympic program?
In comparison:
- The 16th-fastest prelim time is the fastest ever seen in 13 events at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, followed by 11 in Singapore.
- For the 8th-fastest time (finals qualifiers), the 2025 Worlds lead with 12, followed by 7 at the Tokyo Olympics.
- Curiously, the Paris Olympics falls behind on both counts (3 and 6, respectively), echoing complaints about the “slow pool.”
There may have been a few world records in Singapore. However, in terms of event depth—especially regarding qualification for finals—there are strong arguments that this World Championships was the fastest meet ever, particularly when looking at how the cutoff times stacked up.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Depth Over Records: Why Singapore 2025 Might Be the Fastest World Championship Ever
