2025 World Championships: Day 5 Finals Live Recap

2025 World Championships

• July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
• Singapore, Singapore
• World Aquatics Championships Arena
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• How To Watch
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

DAY 5 FINALS HEAT SHEET

Event Schedule:

• Women’s 200 fly final
• Women’s 100 free semi-finals
• Men’s 200 IM final
• Men’s 100 free final
• Women’s 200 breast final
• Women’s 50 back final
• Men’s 200 breast semi-finals
• Men’s 200 back semi-finals
• Women’s 4×200 free relay final

After wowing the crowd with a stunning world record performance on Wednesday, all eyes will be on Leon Marchand tonight as the Frenchman vies to reclaim his world title in the final of the men’s 200 IM.

Marchand, who dropped the 200 breast and 200 fly from his program and thus hadn’t raced at all in Singapore until the 200 IM heats on Tuesday morning, rocketed to a time of 1:52.69 in last night’s semis, obliterating Ryan Lochte‘s world record of 1:54.00 set in 2011.

Marchand will be racing the clock in tonight’s final, while American Shaine Casas and Great Britain’s Duncan Scott have to be considered the frontrunners for the podium after both logging 1:55s in the semis, with no one else in the field sub-1:57.

The session will kick off with the final of the women’s 200 fly, where Summer McIntosh has a chance to win the world title in the event for the third time after also claiming gold in 2022 and 2023. The 18-year-old Canadian will be aiming to keep her perfect record intact at these championships, having already won gold in the 400 free and 200 IM as she pursues an unprecedented five individual titles.

Her biggest challenger figures to be American Regan Smith, who is also the top seed for the women’s 50 back final later in the session, while the number one qualifier coming into the 200 fly is Australian Elizabeth Dekkers, who was a last-minute replacement on the Aussie roster but is making the most of her opportunity.

Another headlining race on the docket this evening is the final of the men’s 100 freestyle, which surprisingly won’t include world record holder and reigning Olympic and world champion Pan Zhanle, who ended up 10th in Wednesday’s semis after seven of the eight final qualifiers came out of the second heat (and Pan was 3rd in the first heat).

Jack Alexy (46.81) broke the American Record to lead the field in the semis, while former world record holder and 2022 world champion David Popovici (46.84) was close behind to advance 2nd, and 2023 world champion Kyle Chalmers (47.36) looked smooth in winning the first semi and qualifying 4th overall.

Along with the women’s 50 back, where Smith and American teammate Katharine Berkoff are the top two favorites for gold, with Great Britain’s Lauren Cox also in the mix after a strong swim in the semis, we’ll also see the final of the women’s 4×200 free relay tonight.

The Australians have won the relay at the last two best-on-best competitions, the 2023 World Championships and 2024 Olympics, but China comes in as the defending world champions and the Americans won the world title as recently as 2022.

McIntosh is notably not slated to swim the relay for the Canadian team tonight, while the top-qualifying U.S. squad will be using Claire Weinstein, Anna Peplowski, Erin Gemmell and Katie Ledecky, while the Aussies will anchor with Mollie O’Callaghan.

• Full Relay Lineups

In addition to the five finals, we’ll also see semis in the women’s 100 free and 200 breast, and the men’s 200 back and 200 breast, in tonight’s session. Australian Olivia Wunsch scratched out of the women’s 100 free semis due to an undisclosed illness, moving in Great Britain’s Freya Anderson.

Gretchen Walsh scratched out of the women’s 100 free prior to prelims, as did Josh Matheny in the men’s 200 breast, indicating the American team is still dealing with stomach illness.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record: 2:01.81, Liu Zige (CHN) – 2009
• World Junior Record: 2:03.03, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2024
• Championship Record: 2:03.41, Jessicah Schipper (AUS) – 2009
• 2023 World Champion: Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:04.06
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:03.03

1. Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:01.99 CR
2. Regan Smith (USA), 2:04.99
3. Elizabeth Dekkers (AUS), 2:06.12
4. Yu Zidi (CHN), 2:06.43
5. Helena Rosendahl Bach (DEN), 2:07.47
6. Caroline Bricker (USA), 2:07.59
7. Emily Richards (GBR), 2:07.99
8. Ellen Walshe (IRL), 2:08.34

Despite clearly not being happy with the time, Summer McIntosh dominated the women’s 200 butterfly like we’ve never seen before.

The 18-year-old demolished the field en route to winning her third world title in the event in a time of 2:01.99, becoming the second woman in history under the 2:02 barrier and the first to do so in a textile suit.

McIntosh took down her own Commonwealth, Americas and Canadian Record of 2:02.26, set earlier this year, and lowered the super-suited Championship Record of 2:03.41 set by Jessicah Schipper in 2009.

• McIntosh’s Splits: 27.22/31.19/31.59/31.99

Despite winning gold by three seconds, the biggest margin the event has seen at the World Championships since 1973, McIntosh was disappointed she didn’t take down Liu Zige‘s vaunted world record of 2:01.81, which has been on the books since 2009 and hasn’t been challenged until McIntosh clocked 2:02.26 at the Canadian Trials in June.

Adding McIntosh’s Olympic Record of 2:03.03 from last summer to her recent 2:01.9 and 2:02.2 swims, she now holds three of the four fastest times ever.

All-Time Performances, Women’s 200 Butterfly (LCM)

1. Liu Zige (CHN), 2:01.81 – 2009
2. Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:01.99 – 2025
3. Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:02.26 – 2025
4. Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:03.03 – 2024
5. Jessicah Schipper (AUS), 2:03.41 – 2009

McIntosh has now won the 200 fly at four straight best-on-best major international meets, earning repeat world titles in 2022 and 2023, winning Olympic gold in 2024, and then reclaiming the world title here in Singapore.

American Regan Smith was a distant runner-up in 2:04.99, battling back to overtake Elizabeth Dekkers on the last 50 after Dekkers had moved into 2nd place on the third 50.

Dekkers, who was a late addition to the Aussie roster after initially missing the team, picked up the bronze medal in a time of 2:06.12, one one-hundredth quicker than she was in the semis for a new season-best.

Twelve-year-old sensation Yu Zidi continued to marvel by moving up from 8th place at the 100-meter mark to place 4th in 2:06.43, knocking four-tenths off her personal best set in May.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – SEMI-FINALS

• World Record: 51.71, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 2017
• World Junior Record: 52.70, Penny Oleksiak (CAN) – 2016
• Championship Record: 51.71, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 2017
• 2023 World Champion: Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 52.16
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 52.16

Top 8 Qualifiers: 

1. Marrit Steenbergen (NED), 52.81
2. Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 52.82
3. Daria Klepikova (NAB), 53.14
4. Torri Huske (USA), 53.21
5. Cheng Yujie (CHN), 53.34
6. Beryl Gastaldello (ITA), 53.36
7. Sara Curtis (ITA), 53.39
8. Milou Van Wijk (NED), 53.51

Marrit Steenbergen and Mollie O’Callaghan looked fully in control as both women comfortably won their respective semi-finals in the 100 freestyle, cruising into tomorrow’s final with the top two seeds.

They were the only two swimmers to break 53 seconds, with Steenbergen kicking things off with a clocking of 52.81 in the first semi, four one-hundredths shy of her season-best.

O’Callaghan followed by trumping the second heat by more than half a second in 52.82, three one-hundredths slower than the season-best she set leading off the Australian women’s 4×100 free relay on the opening night.

Neutral Athletes B swimmer Daria Klepikova logged a time of 53.14 to qualify 3rd overall and take down her Russian Record of 53.36 set last summer.

Advancing in 4th was American Torri Huske, who has been battling illness all week but came through with her best swim of the meet thus far, clocking 53.21, while Cheng Yujie (53.34) was just eight one-hundredths off her PB to move through in 5th.

MEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• World Record: 1:52.69, Leon Marchand (FRA) – 2025
• World Junior Record: 1:56.99, Hubert Kos (HUN) – 2021
• Championship Record: 1:52.69, Leon Marchand (FRA) – 2025
• 2023 World Champion: Leon Marchand (FRA), 1:54.82
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Leon Marchand (FRA), 1:54.06

1. Leon Marchand (FRA), 1:53.68
2. Shaine Casas (USA), 1:54.30
3. Hubert Kos (HUN), 1:55.34
4. Duncan Scott (GBR), 1:56.32
5. Lewis Clareburt (NZL), 1:57.06
6. Tomoyuki Matsushita (JPN), 1:57.52
7. Wang Shun (CHN), 1:57.92
8. Kosuke Makino (JPN), 1:59.25

After smashing the world record last night, Leon Marchand had a real race on his hands in tonight’s final of the men’s 200 IM, but the Frenchman ultimately came away with the gold medal for his first world title of the meet.

Marchand and Shaine Casas, now training partners at the University of Texas, locked horns early on in the final, turning just five one-hundredths apart from one another after the fly leg, and then Marchand opened up a half-second gap on backstroke, turning in 52.57 to sit just shy of his world record pace (52.50).

Despite falling off world record pace on the breaststroke leg, Marchand widened his gap on Casas, and despite being out-split by the American coming home, it was enough to claim gold with the second-fastest swim in history, clocking 1:53.68.

Split Comparison: Marchand v. Casas

In the semis, Marchand powered his way to a time of 1:52.69 to knock 1.31 seconds off Ryan Lochte‘s world record of 1:54.00 that had been on the books since 2011.

Split Comparison: Marchand’s Final v. WR

Casas incredibly put up the ninth-fastest swim in history, firing off a time of 1:54.30 to move into #4 all-time in the event, only trailing Marchand, Lochte and Michael Phelps (1:54.16).

All-Time Performances, Men’s 200 IM (LCM)

1. Leon Marchand (FRA), 1:52.69 – 2025
2. Leon Marchand (FRA), 1:53.68 – 2025
3. Ryan Lochte (USA), 1:54.00 – 2011
4. Leon Marchand (FRA), 1:54.06 – 2024
5. Ryan Lochte (USA), 1:54.10 – 2009
6. Michael Phelps (USA), 1:54.16 – 2011
7. Michael Phelps (USA), 1:54.23 – 2008
8. Michael Phelps (USA), 1:54.27 – 2012
9. Shaine Casas (USA), 1:54.30 – 2025
10. Ryan Lochte (USA), 1:54.43 – 2010

Hubert Kos made it a clean sweep for Texas-trained swimmers on the podium, as he neared Laszlo Cseh‘s Hungarian Record (1:55.18) with a personal best time of 1:55.34 to win bronze, while Duncan Scott (1:56.32) settled for 4th after clocking 1:55 in the semis.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 46.40, Pan Zhanle (CHN) – 2024
• World Junior Record: 46.86, David Popovici (ROU) – 2022
• Championship Record: 46.80, Pan Zhanle (CHN) – 2024
• 2023 World Champion: Kyle Chalmers (AUS), 47.15
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Pan Zhanle (CHN), 46.40

1. David Popovici (ROU), 46.51 CR
2. Jack Alexy (USA), 46.92
3. Kyle Chalmers (AUS), 47.17
4. Gui Caribe (BRA), 47.35
5. Egor Kornev (NAB), 47.51
6. Patrick Sammon (USA), 47.58
7. Maxime Grousset (FRA), 47.59
8. Matt Richards (GBR), 47.74

David Popovici is back on top in the men’s 100 freestyle.

After placing 6th at the 2023 World Championships and earning bronze at the Paris Olympics, the Romanian sensation reclaimed the world title he first won in 2022 on Thursday night in Singapore, doing so in style with the second-fastest swim in history.

Popovici split 22.49/24.02 en route to a final time of 46.51, knocking two-tenths off his previous best time and European and Romanian Record of 46.71 set last month, and also downing Pan Zhanle‘s Championship Record of 46.80 set last year.

The performance ranks #2 all-time behind Pan’s world record of 46.40 set at last summer’s Olympics, and gives Popovici five of the eight-fastest swims in history, having also clocked 46.84 in the semis, which now sits #6 all-time in terms of all-time performances.

All-Time Performances, Men’s 100 Freestyle (LCM)

1. Pan Zhanle (CHN), 46.40 – 2024
2. David Popovici (ROU), 46.51 – 2025
3. David Popovici (ROU), 46.71 – 2025
4. Pan Zhanle (CHN), 46.80 – 2024
5. Jack Alexy (USA), 46.81 – 2025
6. David Popovici (ROU), 46.84 – 2025
7. David Popovici (ROU), 46.86 – 2022
8. David Popovici (ROU), 46.88 – 2024
9. Cesar Cielo (BRA), 46.91 – 2009
10. Pan Zhanle (CHN), 46.92 – 2024

After breaking the American Record last night and moving up to #3 all-time with a time of 46.81, Jack Alexy backed it up by clocking 46.92 in the final, earning him the silver medal with his third career swim sub-47. The result matched the silver he won at the 2023 World Championships.

Kyle Chalmers, who won gold at the 2023 Worlds and was the silver medalist behind Pan at the Paris Olympics, picked up the bronze medal in a time of 47.17, splitting 22.64/24.53 to move up from 5th at the turn.

Brazilian Gui Caribe blitzed his way to a 4th-place finish in 47.35 after setting a career-best 47.10 earlier this year, while NAB’s Egor Kornev led the field through the 50 (22.38) but ultimately fell to 5th in 47.51, just shy of his lifetime best of 47.42.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – SEMI-FINALS

• World Record: 2:17.55, Evgeniia Chikunova (RUS) – 2023
• World Junior Record: 2:19.64, Viktoriya Zeynep Gunes (TUR) – 2015
• Championship Record: 2:19.11, Rikke Pedersen (DEN) – 2013
• 2023 World Champion: Tatjana Smith (RSA), 2:20.80
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Kate Douglass (USA), 2:19.24

Top 8 Qualifiers: 

1. Evgeniia Chikunova (NAB), 2:20.65
2. Kate Douglass (USA), 2:20.96
3. Kotryna Teterevkova (LTU), 2:22.98
4. Angharad Evans (GBR), 2:23.32
5. Alina Zmushka (NAA), 2:23.33
6. Ellie McCartney (IRL), 2:23.79
7. Kaylene Corbett (RSA), 2:23.81
8. Clara Rybak-Andersen (DEN), 2:24.10

Kate Douglass and Evgeniia Chikunova set the table for a tantalizing showdown in tomorrow night’s final of the women’s 200 breaststroke.

Racing in the first semi, Douglass was by far the fastest swimmer in the field over the first 100 (1:07.63) and then eased her way down the back half to touch first in her heat by nearly two and a half seconds in a time of 2:20.96, with Angharad Evans the next-fastest swimmer back in 2:23.32.

In the second heat, Chikunova used her otherworldly distance-per-stroke to glide away from the competition, making 2:20.65 look easy as she rolled to the top seed for tomorrow’s final, where the world record holder will have a chance to win her first LC World Championship medal.

Lithuanian veteran Kotryna Teterevkova was the only swimmer in either semi to keep all four of her 50 splits under 37 seconds, which propelled her to move up into the runner-up spot in the second semi in 2:22.98, good for 3rd overall into the final.

Evans’ 2:23.32 was good for 4th, while Alina Zmushka came within three one-hundredths of her Belarusian Record to qualify 5th in 2:23.33, while Ireland’s Ellie McCartney broke 2:24 for the first time in 2:23.79 to advance in 6th.

American Alex Walsh, who came into the meet ranked 4th in the world this year with a time of 2:22.45 from last month, ended up 12th in 2:25.16, perhaps indicating she’s suffering from the illness that’s plagued the U.S. team all week (and resulted in sister and roommate Gretchen Walsh withdrawing from the 100 free this morning).

WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 26.86, Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 2023
• World Junior Record: 27.49, Minna Atherton (AUS) – 2016
• Championship Record: 27.06, Zhao Jing (CHN) – 2009
• 2023 World Champion: Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 27.08

1. Katharine Berkoff (USA), 27.08
2. Regan Smith (USA), 27.25
3. Wan Letian (CHN), 27.30
4. Kylie Masse (CAN), 27.33
5. Lauren Cox (GBR), 27.36
6. Alina Gaifutdinova (NAB), 27.44
7. Analia Pigree (FRA), 27.47
8. Ingrid Wilm (CAN), 27.56

Katharine Berkoff claimed the first individual world title of her career in the women’s 50 backstroke, doing so in fairly decisive fashion after nearing her personal best time under pressure.

Berkoff, the silver medalist in this event at the 2022 World Championships, fired off a time of 27.08 to dust the field by nearly two-tenths of a second, only missing the super-suited Championship Record by two one-hundredths of a second as she was just 11 one-hundredths shy of her lifetime best set last month (26.97) that ranks her #2 all-time.

It was a 1-2 for the United States as Regan Smith won her second silver medal of the night and third of the meet in a time of 27.25, following up her runner-up finish in the 200 fly just one hour prior. Smith, who also won silver in the 50 back at the 2023 Worlds, also placed 2nd in the 100 back earlier in the week.

China’s Wan Letian, who put up a time of 27.09 earlier this year to rank #5 all-time (she was #4 at the time, but has since been passed by Berkoff) did enough to win bronze in 27.30, the first World Championship medal of her program and her first-ever individual medal at a major international meet.

Kylie Masse, the 2022 world champion, placed 4th in 27.33, matching her finish from 2023.

Kaylee McKeown, the world record holder and 2023 world champion, opted not to contest this event.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – SEMI-FINALS

• World Record: 2:05.48, Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 2023
• World Junior Record: 2:06.91, Shin Ohashi (JPN) – 2025
• Championship Record: 2:05.48, Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 2023
• 2023 World Champion: Qin Haiyang (CHN), 2:05.48
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Leon Marchand (FRA), 2:05.85

Top 8 Qualifiers: 

1. Ippei Watanabe (JPN), 2:08.01
2. AJ Pouch (USA), 2:08.34
3. Caspar Corbeau (NED), 2:08.44
4. Yamato Fukasawa (JPN), 2:08.45
5. Carles Coll Marti (ESP), 2:08.49
6. Aleksandr Zhigalov (NAB), 2:08.55
7. Kirill Prigoda (NAB), 2:08.91
8. Qin Haiyang (CHN), 2:09.32

A pair of tightly contested semi-final heats resulted in seven of the eight qualifiers for tomorrow’s final in the men’s 200 breaststroke being separated by just nine-tenths, led by Japan’s Ippei Watanabe.

Watanabe, the 28-year-old who won back-to-back World Championship bronze medals in this event in 2017 and 2019, clocked 2:08.01 from the first semi to lead the field into the final, within a half-second of his season-best time of 2:07.53.

The Netherlands’ Caspar Corbeau placed 2nd in the first heat in a time of 2:08.44, comfortably advancing the Olympic bronze medalist (and 2024 World silver medalist) into the final in 3rd.

Grabbing the #2 seed for the final was American AJ Pouch, who emerged in a shootout down the stretch in the second semi to touch first in 2:08.34, as he was one of just three swimmers to break 33 seconds on each of the first three 50s. Pouch was only 34 one-hundredths shy of his best time set at U.S. Nationals in early June (2:08.00).

Bunched up behind Pouch in the second semi were Japan’s Yamato Fukasawa (2:08.45), reigning SC world champion Carles Coll Marti (2:08.49) of Spain, and the Russian duo of Aleksandr Zhigalov (2:08.55) and Kirill Prigoda (2:08.91), all moving through to the final in 4th through 7th.

Coll Marti and Pouch are notably training partners at Virginia Tech University.

Qualifying 8th was world record holder and 2023 world champion Qin Haiyang, who clocked 2:09.32–nearly four seconds shy of the all-time mark he set two years ago. However, it is an improvement from the Olympics last summer when he tied for 10th in the semis (2:09.96).

The men’s 200 breaststroke field feels particularly thin this year with reigning Olympic champion Leon Marchand dropping it from his program, former world record holder and world champion Zac Stubblety-Cook missing the meet due to injury, and rising Japanese star Shin Ohashi not on the Worlds roster after producing his standout performances less than two weeks ago.

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – SEMI-FINALS

• World Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 2009
• World Junior Record: 1:55.14, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) – 2017
• Championship Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 2009
• 2023 World Champion: Hubert Kos (HUN), 1:54.14
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Hubert Kos (HUN), 1:54.26

Top 8 Qualifiers: 

1. Pieter Coetze (RSA), 1:54.22
2. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (FRA), 1:54.47
3. Hubert Kos (HUN), 1:54.64
4. Roman Mityukov (SUI), 1:54.83
5. Blake Tierney (CAN), 1:55.03
6. Apostolos Siskos (GRE), 1:55.06
7. Jan Cejka (CZE), 1:55.46
8. Luke Greenbank (GBR), 1:55.64

The men’s 200 backstroke showed perhaps the best depth we’ve ever seen in the event as four swimmers broke 1:55 and it took 1:55.64 just to make it back into tomorrow’s final, nearly a second quicker than what was required to make the final last summer in Paris (1:56.52).

Leading the charge was the red-hot South African Pieter Coetze, who followed up his gold medal victory in the 100 back by shattering the African and South African Records in a time of 1:54.22, knocking well over a second off his previous mark of 1:55.60 set at the 2024 Olympics.

Coetze, who was out in Lane 8, also cracks the top 10 all-time in the event, bumping Japan’s Kosuke Hagino (1:54.23) down into 11th.

After Coetze threw down the gauntlet in the first heat, the second semi stepped up their game and tried to match his level, with three men going 1:54.

The outside smoke continued as France’s Yohann Ndoye-Brouard snagged the heat win from Lane 1 in a time of 1:54.47, blowing past Mewen Tomac‘s French Record of 1:55.38 while downing his own personal best of 1:55.62.

Reigning Olympic and 2023 world champion Hubert Kos followed up his 200 IM bronze medal from earlier in the session with a strong 1:54.64 clocking to qualify in 3rd, just a half-second off his lifetime best, and Olympic bronze medalist Roman Mityukov chipped two one-hundredths off his Swiss Record to advance 4th in 1:54.85.

Blake Tierney, who demolished the Canadian Record by more than a second in this morning’s prelims in 1:55.17, backed that performance up with a strong outing under the lights in Lane 4, putting up a time of 1:55.03 to reset his newly-minted National Record. Tierney came into the meet with a personal best of 1:56.74, and the Canadian Record stood at 1:56.54 from Ethan Ekk prior to Tierney taking hold of it in the prelims.

Also lowering a National Record in the semis was Jan Cejka, who broke his Czech Record by more than a second in 1:55.46 to punch his ticket to the final in 7th. His previous record stood at 1:56.66.

Apostolos Siskos, who set a Greek Record of 1:54.66 earlier this year, also looked good with a 1:55.06 clocking to advance in 6th.

WOMEN’S 4X200 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL

• World Record: 7:37.50, Australia – 2023
• World Junior Record: 7:51.47, Canada – 2017
• Championship Record: 7:37.50, Australia – 2023
• 2023 World Champion: Australia, 7:37.50
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Australia, 7:38.08

1. Australia, 7:39.35
2. United States, 7:40.01
3. China, 7:42.99
4. Hungary, 7:49.66
5. Great Britain, 7:51.87
6. Canada, 7:52.52
7. Italy, 7:54.16
8. Japan, 7:58.13

The Australian women successfully reclaimed the world title that is rightfully theirs in the 4×200 freestyle relay to close out Thursday night’s session in Singapore.

It was an exciting head-to-head clash between the Aussies and the Americans throughout the 800 meters, as the two teams were virtually even at the first exchange, the U.S. inched ahead at the halfway mark, and then Australia got the better of the back half to secure victory in a time of 7:39.35, the fourth-fastest performance ever.

Lani Pallister led off Australia in a time of 1:54.77, dipping under her personal best time of 1:54.89 to give them the advantage over the U.S.’s best 200 freestyler, Claire Weinstein, who touched in 1:54.83 to produce her third sub-1:55 swim in as many nights and come within two-tenths of her personal best.

Anna Peplowski stepped up big for the Americans on the second leg, splitting a career-best 1:54.75 to give them a lead of three-tenths over the Aussies, who had Jamie Perkins split 1:55.13.

Brittany Castelluzzo put Australia back in front as she split 1:56.01 swimming third, overtaking American Erin Gemmell (1:56.75), who had an impressive swim given she failed to break 2:00 in last night’s 200 free final.

On the anchor leg, it was 200 free world and Olympic champion Mollie O’Callaghan going up against the greatest female swimmer in history, Katie Ledecky, and despite Ledecky coming within four one-hundredths of her career-best split in 1:53.71, it wasn’t enough to overtake O’Callaghan, who powered home in 1:53.44 to give the Aussies the world title.

Australia’s time of 7:39.35 has only been eclipsed by three other Aussie teams, all of which included 200 free world record holder Ariarne Titmus, who opted to sit out of the 2025 championships.

The U.S. quartet won silver in a time of 7:40.01, breaking the American Record of 7:40.73 set at the Tokyo Olympics when the Americans were the runner-ups behind the controversial Chinese team that broke the world record. With this performance, the U.S. overtakes the Chinese team in the all-time rankings, as that world record from Tokyo stood at 7:40.33.

All-Time Performances, Women’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay (LCM)

1. Australia (O’Callaghan, Jack, Throssell, Titmus), 7:37.50 – 2023
2. Australia (O’Callaghan, Pallister, Throssell, Titmus), 7:38.08 – 2024
3. Australia (Wilson, Melverton, O’Callaghan, Titmus), 7:37.50 – 2022
4. Australia (Pallister, Perkins, Castelluzzo, O’Callaghan), 7:39.35 – 2025
5. United States (Weinstein, Peplowski, Gemmell, Ledecky), 7:40.01 – 2025

The Chinese team of Liu Yaxin (1:55.94), Yang Peiqi (1:55.84), Yu Yiting (1:56.37) and Li Bingjie (1:54.84) was firmly entrenched in the bronze medal position throughout the race, ultimately placing 3rd in 7:42.99, nearly three seconds behind the U.S. but more than six and a half ahead of 4th-place Hungary.

After swimming on China’s prelim relay, 12-year-old Yu Zidi picks up a bronze medal, becoming the youngest swimmer ever to reach the podium at the World Aquatics Championships and the second-youngest ever at a major international meet. In 1936, Danish swimmer Inge Sorensen won bronze in the women’s 200 breaststroke at the Olympics in Berlin just a few weeks after her 12th birthday. Yu is 12 years and nearly 10 months old, set to turn 13 in October.

Hungary’s squad clocked 7:49.66, with Minna Abraham‘s 1:56.57 anchor leg pulling them away from Great Britain, who were less than a tenth back at the final exchange but trailed off coming home to take 5th in 7:51.87. Canada, with no Summer McIntosh, took 6th in 7:52.52. None of the teams that finished 5th through 8th had any splits under 1:57.