How Many Records Will Fall in the Pool This Summer?
by Alison Brown
The greatest swimmers and divers from around the world will gather in Singapore this month at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships. Athletes will compete in water polo, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming, and swimming. Competition kicks off on July 11 and runs through August 3.
World Aquatics will allow swimmers from Russia and Belarus to compete at the event, though only as neutral individuals. Russian and Belarussian teams will continue to be barred from water polo and team artistic swimming. The World Aquatics Championships was originally to be held in Kazan, Russia, but was relocated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Water Polo
The American women’s water polo team, including our friends Ashleigh Johnson and Maggie Steffens, missed the podium at the Paris 2024 Olympics in a shocking defeat. Team USA has only lost one world championship since 2015, to Netherlands, who also defeated the team in the bronze medal match at last summer’s Olympics, and the Americans have struggled throughout this season’s World Cup events. Also look for strong performances from Olympic champion Spain and silver medalists Australia.
Men’s water polo looks to be a clash between perennial powerhouses Serbia, Croatia, and Hungary. Captain Ben Hallock leads the American men looking to better their bronze medal from the Paris Olympics. Italy finished a disappointing 7th at the Olympics and hopes to get back on the road to glory.
Host country Singapore is making its World Aquatics Championships debut in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Pool play starts in Singapore on July 11. Gold medal matches take place on July 24.
Diving
The question is not whether Chinese divers will win gold medals at the World Championships, the question is whether divers from any other country will win any. China won every diving gold medal at Paris 2024. British diver Tom Daley has retired, but Team GB will be sending six other divers who claimed Olympic medals in Paris to Singapore, including veteran Jack Laugher. Team USA has not named their divers heading to the World Championships yet, but expect some new names like Anna Kwong and Sophie Verzyl.
The Olympics do not include high diving events, so this is your chance to see some insane dives. Ten meter platform not scary enough for you? Women high divers throw themselves off a 20-meter platform while men climb to the top of a 27-meter (almost 90 feet) platform. This is as terrifying as it sounds.
Catch diving events on July 23-28.
Artistic Swimming
As happens with most judged sports, World Aquatics issued new scoring criteria for artistic swimming for the new Olympic cycle. Critics complained that the judging system led to boring and repetitive routines in Paris. (We talked about this and all things artistic swimming with author Vicki Valosik.) The new system should allow for more variety and place greater emphasis on technical precision and synchronicity.
These changes have been no problem for Olympic champions China in team competitions, where they have dominated the World Cup this season. Unlike the Olympics, the World Championships include men’s solo and mixed duet competitions, so fans get a chance to see more men in the artistic swimming pool. As always, expect some wild themes for these routines, like Insanity (Spain), the Geometry of Magic (Ukraine) Peacocks (USA), Demons (Japan), and Insect World (Switzerland).
Many duets and members of the Olympic medal winning teams are not competing this year, so expect some surprises on the podium. Former guest of the podcast Danielle Ramirez will join Team USA at the World Championships.
Artistic swimming events run from July 17 to July 25.
Open Water Swimming
The open water swimming events at the 2024 Paris Olympics were plagued with issues of water quality in the Seine River. The site for the events at the World Aquatics Championships, the Palawan at Sentosa, should not have those issues. The beach is a popular tourist destination with calm, turquoise waters.
On the men’s side, Kristof Rasovzsky (HUN), Marc-Antoine Olivier (FRA), Andrea Filadelli and David Betlehem (ITA), and Florian Wellbrock (GER) expect to factor in the medals. Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA), Moesha Johnson (AUS), Ichika Kajimoto (JPN), and Angela Martinez Guillen (ESP) have been successful on the women’s side this season.
Open water races run between July 14 and July 19.
Swimming
As always happens after an Olympic year, swimming has seen some shake-ups at the top.
Can anyone beat Katie Ledecky in the 800m? In May, Katie Ledecky beat the 800m world record she set in Rio 2016. Australian Ariarne Titmus, Olympic silver medalist, and American Paige Madden, bronze medalist in Paris, have opted out of competing, but Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh has added the 800m to her schedule. She set a new Canadian record at the Canadian National Championships last month. McIntosh will pose the strongest challenge Ledecky has faced in this distance for a long time.
Speaking of Summer McIntosh, she put on a master class at the Canadian National Championships. She set new world records in the 200m individual medley, 400m IM, and 400m freestyle and a national record for the 200m butterfly. Joining her on the Canadian team is Penny Oleksiak. Oleksiak is Canada’s most decorated Olympian, but missed out on the Olympics last summer. She’s back in full force, having won the 2025 national championship in the 50m and 100m freestyle.
And more good news for Oleksiak, the Olympic gold medalist in those two races, Sarah Sjostrom from Sweden, is not competing this year. Americans Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske will be in the mix for both races, as will Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan.
The women’s 200m backstroke looks to be a rematch between the 2024 Olympic medalists: Kaylee McKeown (AUS), Regan Smith (USA), and Kylie Masse (CAN). Watch them in the 100m back as well.
On the men’s side, American Bobby Finke qualified for three events but has opted to focus on the distance freestyle races. Italian men made a big splash at the Paris 2024 and keep an eye on Olympic medalists Thomas Ceccon (50m and 100m backstroke), and Nicolo Martingenghi (100m breaststroke). Expect both to play a role in the medley relay. Australia is sending Olympians Kyle Chalmers, Cameron McEvoy, and Zac Stubblety-Cook (best name in swimming!) to add to their world championship medal collection. Don’t forget about the Brits! Adam Peaty is sitting out this year, but watch for Duncan Scott, Ben Proud, and Matt Richards in the shorter freestyle events.
Not competing is Kristof Milak, butterfly specialist and 4-time Olympic medalist from Hungary. Milak cited physical and mental fatigue for his decision.
We can’t talk about swimming without the French hero from Paris 2024, Leon Marchand. Marchand pulled out of the short course season before returning to racing this spring. Marchand has not announced his program for the World Aquatics Championships yet, but he could race in the 50m, 100m, 200m, and 400m in freestyle, breaststroke, and IM. Or not. Marchand may not make his final decision on which races he will enter until he gets to Singapore. Whatever he races, we can’t wait to watch.
Swimming starts on July 26 and ends on August 3.
How to Watch
How can you tune in to the World Aquatics Championships? Viewers in the US can watch on NBC and Peacock. Canadians can catch events on the CBC. The Nine Network will carry coverage in Australia. A host of broadcasters will be providing national countries throughout Europe, the Americas, and Asia.