2025 World Championships
- July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
- Singapore, Singapore
- World Aquatics Championships Arena
- LCM (50m)
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The 2025 Singapore World Championships could be considered nothing short of a success for the continent of Africa. The 2nd largest continent by both landmass and population, Africa, for reasons of infrastructure, politics, culture, violence, wealth inequality, or geography, has struggled to develop itself as a powerhouse in any sport, but especially in swimming, a sport which has an extremely high barrier of entry.
However, perhaps the continent’s performance this past week may lead to more development of the sport, which has its foundations in preventing drowning, and continue the positive trend seen in Singapore. In the swimming medal table, Tunisia tied for 8th with two gold medals, and South Africa was 11th in the rankings, collecting four medals: one gold, two silvers, and a bronze.
African Nation Medals
- South Africa
- Gold: Men’s 100 Back
- Silver: Men’s 50 and 200 Back
- Bronze: Women’s 200 Breast
- Tunisia
- Gold: Men’s 800 and 1500 Free
2025 and its six medals were the most collected by the continent since 2009, when in the supersuited era, the nations of Tunisia (1 Gold, 2 Silvers), Zimbabwe (1 Gold and 1 Silver), and South Africa (1 Gold, 2 Bronzes) combined for eight medals.
It’s not just the medals, however, that make it an impressive week. Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi joined his compatriots Ous Melloui (2009) and Ahmed Hafnaoui (2023) as champions in the 1500 free. While Grant Hackett and Gregorio Paltrinieri have won the event three times each, no nation has had three different champions in the event, let alone two.
Jaoudi also completed the distance double, winning the 800 and 1500 freestyles, the former in a new textile World best and the latter not only doubling up with his 1500 win at Short Course Worlds, but both races were against the World Record holder. Such is the strength of the Tunisian distance free records, that his incredible swims did not even reset the national record board, let alone the continental board.
That’s okay, though, because Pieter Coetze of South Africa ended the week with three medals, a World title and three new African records as he rewrote the 50/100/200 back records, with the 100 back record of 51.85 of particular note as not only did it win his first gold medal, but was one of the fastest performances ever.
Coetze was not the lone swimmer from South Africa to rewrite the Continental record books as the quartet of Olivia Nel, Rebecca Meder, Erin Gallagher, and Aimee Canny broke the three-year-old Women’s 4×100 Medley Record by .16.
Other Day 6 Continental News
- As mentioned above, South Africa’s Women’s Medley team of Nel, Meder, Gallagher, and Canny posted a new National and Continental record of 3:59.47 in the prelims. The foursome came with .11 of tying for 8th with the Neutral Athlete B Team.
- Ahmed Jaouadi completed the distance double, two years after compatriot Ahmed Hafnaoui did, as the Tunisian won the 1500 on the final night of competition. His time of 14:34.41 jumped him up to 6th all-time among performers and 10th among performances.
- Pieter Coetze earned his third medal, a silver in the 50 back, and joined Qin Haiyang and Regan Smith as the only athletes to medal across all three distances of a stroke (Katie Ledecky did medal in the 400/800/1500 free).
Continental Medal Table
| Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | |
| South Africa | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Tunisia | 2 | 2 |
Continental Records
- Men’s 100 Back: Pieter Coetze – 51.85
- Men’s 200 Back: Pieter Coetze – 1:54.22
- Men’s 50 Back: Pieter Coezte – 24.17
- Women’s 4×100 Medley: South Africa – 3:59.47
National Records
- Benin
- Alexis Kpade: Men’s 100 Back – 57.25
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Leo Nzimbi: Men’s 50 Free – 26.23
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Jehu Matondo Bosange Zozo: Men’s 50 Free – 28.15
- Djibouti
- Houmed Barkat: Men’s 100 Free – 56.22
- Ghana
- Joselle Mensah: Women’s 100 Free – 58.98
- Joselle Mensah: Women’s 50 Free – 26.48
- Guinea
- Elhadj N’Gnane Diallo: Men’s 50 Free – 26.13
- Guinea-Bissau
- Pedro Rogery: Men’s 50 Free – 28.14
- Kenya
- Haniel Kudwoli: Men’s 100 Breast– 1:04.92
- Thorpe, Kudwoli, Nyoike, Mose: Mixed Medley Relay – 4:07.72
- Libya
- Anas Ganedi: Men’s 100 Breast– 1:09.89
- Anas Ganedi: Men’s 50 Breast– 31.14
- Mauritania
- Camil Doua: Men’s 50 Free – 25.76
- Mauritius
- Victor Ah Yong: Men’s 100 Fly – 55.76
- Maldives
- Amna Thazkiyah Mirsaad: Women’s 100 Back – 1:13.49
- Meral Ayn Latheef: Women’s 200 IM – 2:44.34
- Mohamed Rihan Shiham: Men’s 200 Fly – 2:25.20
- Mohamed Aan Hussain: Men’s 100 Free – 53.80
- Mirsaad, Hussain, Shiham, Latheef: Mixed Medley Relay – 4:40.23
- Mohamed Aan Hussain: Men’s 50 Free – 23.81
- Morocco
- Samy Boutouil: Men’s 50 Breast – 27.78
- Marwane Sebbata: Men’s 100 Free – 50.04
- Imane El Barodi: Women’s 50 Fly – 27.47
- Marwane Sebbata: Men’s 50 Free – 22.73
- Mozambique
- Kaio Faftine: Men’s 200 IM – 2:10.48
- Namibia
- Ronan Wantenaar: Men’s 50 Breast – 26.85
- Nigeria
- Timipame-ere Akiayefa: Women’s 50 Fly – 28.21
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Adam Moncherry: Men’s 50 Fly – 24.84
- Adam Moncherry: Men’s 50 Free – 23.88
- South Africa
- Pieter Coetze: Men’s 100 Back – 51.85
- Pieter Coetze: Men’s 200 Back- 1:54.22
- Pieter Coetze: Men’s 50 Back- 24.17
- Erin Gallagher: Women’s 50 Fly – 25.39
- Nel, Meder, Gallagher, Canny: Women’s Medley Relay – 3:59.47
- Tanzania
- Collins Saliboko: Men’s 100 Free – 53.10
- The Gambia
- Ousman Jobe: Men’s 50 Free – 26.72
- Uganda
- Jesse Ssengonzi: Men’s 50 Fly – 24.32
- Namutebi, Mukalazi, Ssengonzi, Muzito: Mixed Medley Relay – 4:07.72
- Jesse Ssengonzi: Men’s 100 Fly – 53.32
- Zambia
Wow, I wasn’t even aware of all the African participation; congratulations on all the records! I wouldn’t say, however, that Africa “has struggled to develop itself as a powerhouse in any sport” … I think it’s safe to say that the African continent is a powerhouse in distance running.
South Africa are four times world rugby champions and recently won back to world world cups are currently the number 1 ranked team in the world. They have the most world of any country. That’s a super power there.