2025 World Championships
- July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
- Singapore, Singapore
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- LCM (50m)
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200 Breaststroke–By the Numbers:
- World Record: 2:17.55- Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia (2023)
- World Junior Record: 2:19.64- Viktoriya Zeynep Gunes, Turkey (2015)
- Championship Record: 2:19.11- Rikke Pedersen, Denmark (2013)
- 2023 World Champion: Tatjana Smith (RSA), 2:20.80
- 2024 Olympic Champion: Kate Douglass (USA), 2:19.24
Returning Olympic Finalists
- Gold Medal- Kate Douglass (USA), 4th- Satomi Suzuki (JPN), 5th- Kotryna Teterevkova (LTU), 7th- Kaylene Corbett (RSA)
The women’s 200 breaststroke is shaping up to be one of the closest races on the women’s side of the meet. Olympic Champion Kate Douglass and World Record holder Evgeniia Chikunova will be going head-to-head for the first time in the long course edition of the race, and it truly could go either way.
The Two On Top
Evgeniia Chikunova, from Russia, has the fastest time in history in the women’s 200 breaststroke, standing at 2:17.55 from 2023. She also has the fastest time in the world this season, coming in at 2:20.36 from the Russian National Championships in April. The fastest she has been since setting that record is 2:18.98 last July.
Evgeniia Chikunova (photo: Jack Spitser)
American Kate Douglass is the reigning Olympic Champion in the event with the 2:19.24 she went to set the American Record. She sits just behind Chikunova in the world rankings with the 2:20.78 she swam in May at the Tyr Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale.
Due to Chikunova’s status as a Russian athlete, she elected to forgo the 2024 Olympics rather than compete as a neutral athlete. She also did not compete at the 2023 or 2024 long course World Championships, and Douglass won the silver medal in the 200 breaststroke at both.
The two athletes have never raced a 200 breaststroke long course. They did race each other at the Short Course World Championships in December, with Douglass ultimately coming out on top with a new World Record and the win by two-and-a-half seconds.
Both women will be fighting for the place at the top of the podium, and with their season-best times coming in only four tenths apart, we are gearing up for an incredibly exciting race between them.
The Returning Olympic Finalists
Douglass is the only Olympic medalist returning to the event later this month with Tatjana Smith retiring and Tes Schouten taking the summer off due to health concerns.
There are a few other Olympic finalists who will be competing in the field though, starting with Japan’s Satomi Suzuki. Suzuki finished 4th at the Games in 2:22.54, but she has a best time of 2:20.72 from the 2012 Olympics. She has been 2:23.98 this season, which she did at the Japanese Nationals in March. Her time from Paris will likely make the final, and could be in contention for the final spot on the podium.
Kotryna Teterevkova from Lithuania touched 5th in Paris, more than a second behind Suzuki at 2:23.75, which was about a second off her best of 2:22.86 from 2023. She currently sits in 17th in the World thanks to the 2:24.16 she swam at the Stockholm Open in April. She is a potential finals swimmer, but she will likely need to be closer to her 2:22 than to the time she swam in the Paris final if she wants to make it.
Kotryna Teterevkova (photo: Jack Spitser)
The final returning Olympian is South African swimmer Kaylene Corbett. South Africa recently lost their star breaststroker Tatjana Smith, but Corbett is a solid breaststroker for them, especially in the 200. In Paris, she finished 6th overall, swimming 2:24.46 in the final. While this swim will probably not qualify her for the final in Singapore, her lifetime best stands at 2:22.06 which could challenge for the bronze medal if she is able to repeat that performance.
“Newcomers”
Many of the top breaststrokers in the world this year were not competing for the Olympic title for one reason or another.
Great Britain’s Angharad Evans has been having an exceptional season, coming in as the top seed in the 100 breast and the 3rd seed in the 200 breast. Last year, she dropped massive time in her breaststroke events and this year she is seeing even more improvement.
She came into 2025 at 2:25.41 from last May, a time she has been faster than six times this season, the fastest of which was the 2:21.86 she swam at the Great Britain Swimming Championships in April. After not qualifying for the Olympic team in the event last year due to finishing 4th at Trials, Evans is one of the favorites to win a medal at Worlds just 12 months later.
Alex Walsh, from the United States, also did not make the Olympic team in the event last year, finishing 3rd at U.S. Trials. This year, she is coming in as the 4th fastest swimmer in the world with the 2:22.45 she swam at U.S. Nationals. She is the only athlete coming in seeded in the 2:22 range, and she will likely be challenging Evans for the bronze.
Alex Walsh (photo: Jack Spitser)
After Walsh, there are 14 swimmers who are separated by less than a second, six of whom come in between 2:23.30 and 2:23.67. Belarusian athlete Alina Zmushka leads the pack with the 2:23.30 she swam at the Barcelona leg of the Mare Nostrum.
She is followed by Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey (2:23.40), Germany’s Anna Elendt (2:23.54), South Africa’s Rebecca Meder (2:23.61), and a tie between Francesca Fangio of Italy and Clara Rybak-Andersen from Denmark (2:23.67).
These are personal best times for all but Francesca Fangio, who swam 2:23.06 in June of 2021.
When looking at personal best times among the pack, Ella Ramsay from Australia sticks out, having swum 2:22.87 at last summer’s Australian Olympic Trials. She currently sits 13th in the world with the 2:23.92 she went at this summer’s Australian Trials, but 2:22 is a solid bet to qualify for the final.
The Picks
It feels like there are three distinct groups in the 200 breast so far this season. We have the two at the top who are leading the way and the heavy favorites for the gold, Evgeniia Chikunova and Kate Douglass.
Then, we have the “chasers” in Angharad Evans and Alex Walsh, who would both need monster drops to challenge for the title, but are close enough to each other that they will be competing against each other for the final podium spot.
Finally, there is the “pack” equivalent to the peloton in a bike race. The swimmers from 5th-18th are so close in times this season, especially in a 200, that the other four finals spots look like they will be hotly contested, and it will be a matter of who can perform when it matters.
When it comes to making decisions about precise finish order, there is no clear winner, but Kate Douglass earns the nod for the gold. Short course and long course swimming are very different, but the two-and-a-half seconds that separated her and Chikunova at the Short Course Worlds in December is nothing to sneeze at in any course.
| Place | Name | Nation | Season Best | Lifetime Best |
| 1 | Kate Douglass | United States | 2:20.78 | 2:19.24 |
| 2 | Evgeniia Chikunova | Russia | 2:20.36 | 2:17.55 |
| 3 | Angharad Evans | Great Britain | 2:21.86 | 2:21.86 |
| 4 | Alex Walsh | United States | 2:22.45 | 2:22.38 |
| 5 | Satomi Suzuki | Japan | 2:23.98 | 2:20.72 |
| 6 | Alina Zmushka | Belarus | 2:23.30 | 2:23.30 |
| 7 | Ella Ramsay | Australia | 2:23.92 | 2:22.87 |
| 8 | Mary-Sophie Harvey | Canada | 2:23.40 | 2:23.40 |
Dark Horse: Mona McSharry (Ireland)— McSharry has one of the fastest lifetime bests in the field, coming in at 2:22.49 from last June, but she has only been 2:25.05 this year. At the Olympics last summer, she finished 11th in the semi-final. If she is able to tap into her speed from last June though, she could contend for the final.
it’s foolish to bet against Kate. Some of you still haven’t learned.
I mean she’s a great racer, but she’s not invincible or something. Some people talk like she’s undefeated. I think she probably expected to qualify in the 50 and 100 free and she didn’t pull that off so… every swimmer has limits. I feel like it does her a disservice to build up her expectations and pressure so much. Chikunova’s WR is insanely fast, she’s on another level.
If it’s one on one, always bet on Chikunova. She beat Douglass’s time last year
As much as I want KD to win there is no way she’s the favorite. You can’t just ignore Chikunova’s lifetime best (over a second and a half faster than KD). And yes, SC and LC are wildly different and KDs turns are lethal. This is a much different race than at SC worlds.
Douglass has the slower season best and a slower lifetime best by almost 2 seconds, crazy work to call her the favorite. Watching the Olympic race her advantage is so clear on the walls, which makes using her SC as a justification for this pick a little shortsighted. I mean it could happen, if she has the race of her life AND Chikunova is at least a second off her best but what are the chances of that?
Douglass doesn’t like to lose. I don’t see her letting that happen.
I mean, Summer beat Douglas in Paris.
No swimmer likes to lose, until reality bites.
Are you also saying Douglas will 100 br in Singapore just because she does not like to lose?
*Douglass
Douglass did won against Smith in a very close race at Paris which could very well happened at Singapore.
No one likes to lose but they all have limits
The winners probably gonna be between these top two so I’m not mad at all about these prediction
Haha that’s a cop out and also not even relevant. The article didn’t say “one of these two will win”… Lisa’s gonna Lisa tho
Why are you have to roll your eyes so so hard for these prediction and it’s clearly a battle for the win between Douglass and Chikunova for 200 breast and even though the gap of their PB is almost 2 second, their season best is four tenth between both of them.
The whole point of making predictions is to argue about them, that’s the fun of it. Calling someone who has been slower this year and much slower overall the favorite is something I disagree with. Kate is a great racer but it’s not like she’s undefeated or something. And her form at trials seemed a bit off so… just don’t think it’s doing any favors to build up the expectations this much.
I’m not saying she’s undefeated but we seen her races before and Douglass season best is only four tenth slower than Chikunova and she’s gonna have a lot of time to improve till world championship this month.
SC and LC are not the same. Then predicts Douglass to win? Huh?
Chikunova is definitely the favourite.
This prediction made me roll my eyes so hard and I say this as a huge fan of Kate Douglass
imo msh is underrated again. her, moc, and yu yiting are among the biggest names on the womens side to have not shown their cards yet
yeah she said after this race at trials that she was untapered and excited to see how fast she can go in this, so if she’s able to drop more time I think she can challenge Walsh and Evans
Walsh has got a huge drop in her – wouldn’t count her out for Bronze at all
She definitely has the drop in her. I think continued recovery lost knee surgery should help. I also think she’s still learning how to swim the race, so we’ll see her times keep dropping incrementally.