By Daniel Takata on SwimSwam
We are approaching the end of 2025. While the college season is about to kick off in the United States with several noteworthy meets, the international calendar also brings the World Cup in short course meters in October. This raises the question: What has been the frequency of world records in the final months of the year?
So far in 2025, we’ve seen 10 world records, all of them in long course. How many more can we expect before the year is over?
View this post on Instagram
Looking back at the 25 years between 2000 and 2024, some years saw a flurry of world records in the last quarter, while others barely registered any.
Naturally, years with a Short Course World Championship held in December saw an increase in records during the final three months. That was the case in 2021, 2022, and 2024 — and every two years since 2010, with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, 2020 still produced a high number of world records in November and December thanks to the International Swimming League (ISL) in SCM.
Overall, odd-numbered years tend to be quieter for world records late in the season. In 2023, there were three world records: two from Kaylee McKeown in LCM during the World Cup, and one from Daniel Wiffen at the European Short Course Championships. In 2019, there were five, all in SCM. A standout year was 2013, which saw 23 short course world records in the final months despite no Short Course Worlds being held. That was the year World Aquatics began recognizing mixed relay records — and no fewer than 12 mixed relay world records were established in the last quarter alone.
(Of course, not much explanation is needed for the 59 world records set in the final quarter of 2009, at the peak of the supersuit era.)
This year, the strongest opportunities for multiple world records come at the World Cup — held in North America in October — and the European Short Course Championships in December in Lublin, Poland.
But what about long course? History shows the odds are slim. Since 2000, only eight long course world records have been set in the last quarter of the year. Two of them, both from 2009 during the supersuit era, are still standing: Liu Zige in the women’s 200 butterfly and Cesar Cielo in the men’s 50 freestyle.
WORLD RECORDS SET IN THE FINAL QUARTER OF THE YEAR IN LONG COURSE (SINCE 2000)
| Year | Athlete | Event | Time | Meet | City |
| 2002, Oct. 2 | Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) | Men’s 200 breast | 2:09.97 | Asian Games | Busan |
| 2007, Oct. 19 | Li Yang (CHN) | Women’s 50 back | 28.09 | World Military Games | Hyderabad |
| 2008, Dec. 5 | Randall Bal (USA) | Men’s 50 back | 24.33 | Eindhoven Cup | Eindhoven |
| 2009, Oct. 21 | Liu Zige (CHN) | Women’s 200 fly | 2:01.81 | CHN National Games | Jinan |
| 2009, Dec. 18 | Cesar Cielo (BRA) | Men’s 50 free | 20.91 | Brazil Open | Sao Paulo |
| 2020, Oct. 1 | China | Mixed 4×100 medley | 3:38.41 | CHN Nationals | Qingdao |
| 2023, Oct. 20 | Kaylee McKeown (AUS) | Women’s 50 back | 26.86 | World Cup | Budapest |
| 2023, Oct. 21 | Kaylee McKeown (AUS) | Women’s 100 back | 57.33 | World Cup | Budapest |
Read the full story on SwimSwam: How Many World Records Will Be Broken In The Last Quarter of 2025?
