World Aquatics released its updated competition regulations last month, and one notable change relates to mixed relays.
Lead-off legs from mixed relays are now eligible to break world records and World Junior Records, which was previously not the case.
Although the rules don’t flat-out say that mixed relay lead-offs are record eligible, they don’t distinguish the fact that they’re not, which was done previously.
World Aquatics 2026 Competition Regulations – 12.3.4
An Athlete competing in a relay race is not eligible to set an individual World Record or World Junior Record, except for the Athlete who swims the first quarter of the total race distance in a relay. If the Athlete themselves is not disqualified but the relay team of that Athlete is disqualified for any reason that occurs or is identified after completion of the Athlete’s performance, the Athlete’s performance will be eligible for a World Record or World Junior Record.
Previously, the regulations specified that any lead-off leg from a mixed relay was ineligible to break records.
World Aquatics 2025 Competition Regulations – 12.12
The first swimmer in a relay, except in mixed relays, may apply for a World Record or a World Junior Record. Should the first swimmer in a relay team complete his/her distance in record time in accordance with the provisions of this subsection, his/her performance shall not be nullified by any subsequent disqualification of his/her relay team for violations occurring after his/her distance has been completed.
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The lone swimmer who has gone under the existing world record in a mixed relay lead-off leg in a long course event is Australian sprinter Libby Trickett.
Prior to mixed relays being added to the World Championships in 2015, Trickett led off the Australian mixed 400 free relay at the 2007 Duel In The Pool in a time of 52.99, which was 31 one-hundredths under Britta Steffen‘s world record of 53.30 set the year prior, but it was not ratified as a new mark.
Two years later, at the 2009 Duel In The Pool, Tricket led off the same relay in 52.89, one one-hundredth shy of the world record she set at the 2008 Olympics (52.88).
In the short course pool, Regan Smith led off the U.S. mixed 4×100 medley relay at the 2024 SC World Championships in a time of 54.19, which was under her world record of 54.27 in the individual race set just over a month prior.
No man has ever broken the existing world record on a mixed relay lead-off, but a few have come close.
At the 2025 World Championships, Russia’s Miron Lifintsev clocked 51.78 on the opening leg of the team’s mixed 400 medley relay, marking the second-fastest 100 backstroke performance in history, only trailing Thomas Ceccon‘s world record of 51.60.
Six years prior at the 2019 World Championships, fellow Russian Evgeny Rylov put up a time of 51.97 leading off the mixed medley relay, which at the time was faster than the existing European Record and marked the sixth-fastest swim ever.
At the 2015 edition in Kazan, when the mixed medley relays made their World Championship debut, Ryan Murphy led off the American mixed medley relay in the prelims in a time of 52.18. That swim was under the existing World Championship Record of 52.19, set by Aaron Peirsol in 2009, and marked the fifth-fastest performance ever, but it was not recognized as a new CR.
The most notable lead-off leg we’ve seen from the mixed 400 free relay—which was recently removed from the World Championship schedule—was probably Jack Alexy‘s 46.91 that set the table for the U.S. team to win gold and set a new world record at the 2025 World Championships. The swim is tied for the ninth-fastest performance ever.
It’s much more common for teams to put two men on the front-end of their mixed relays—it’s almost always the case in the mixed free relay, and is usually the route teams take in the medley, unless they have a star female backstroker or breaststroker.
Because of that, we haven’t seen as many notable female lead-offs in mixed events. The fastest women’s 100 back lead-off time from a mixed relay was the 57.64 that Smith produced for the American team in the prelims at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, which was the fifth-fastest performance ever at the time.
Although mixed relay lead-offs are eligible for World Aquatics records, whether or not they’ll be eligible for other marks will be up to the individual governing bodies, such as European Aquatics for European Records and USA Swimming for American Records.
Some of the other notable changes made in World Aquatics competition regulations include adding lap counters and bell laps for the 400 free, and dropping the mixed 400 free relay from the World Championships.
Swimmers can also now be fully submerged at the finish in freestyle and butterfly, and the time cut-off was reduced to 10 minutes per 5km in open water events.
somewhat ironic that this only comes when world aquatics removes the mixed free relay from the wc program
As well as not counting for records, mixed relay leadoffs currently don’t seem to be even counted as official times and don’t appear in WA’s database at all. It seems odd that they wouldn’t explicitly state they’re now being acknowledged.
I wonder if they will do any kind of retroactive acknowledgement? Because there are a lot of top times that just won’t appear in their database. You think WA would want a comprehensive and complete database
if the world junior record situation is anything to go by, unlikely. the only exception they’ve made was quietly ratifying meilutyte’s 100 breast in 2023
I think it’s because Meilutyte’s time was set as the bench mark when world junior records were firstly introduced?
the standard times were the championship records from junior worlds, so ruta’s 1:06.61 from the 2013 edition was the mark world aquatics initially recognised. her world record of 1:04.35 was set at senior worlds before the establishment of world junior records, so it wasn’t ratified as a world junior record until much later.
Here are w100 breast results from 2015 junior worlds, note the disparity between the world (and junior) records: https://www.omegatiming.com/File/00010F020E01021E02FFFFFFFFFFFF02.pdf
three things. .(1) the lead off for any relay should have always been counted as their official time and ANY records. .so it should be retroactivated (it´s not the swimmer´s fault bcuz the committee is extremely SLOW to approve it). .(2) what does that last sentence in the article mean, being allowed to be fully submerged on fly and free at the end. .please clarify. .(3) could someone show the allowable turns between the back to breast in the IM. .I´ve seen a flip turn after the back turned onto his stomach and flipped into the breaststroke (luka mijatovic). .we´ve all also seen DQs at OG too on ´illegal´ turns. . need VISUALS please and not just verbally explaining it.
You will not be DQd if none of your parts are above the waterline when you finish
Regan was also faster than the WR @ SC Worlds in mixed medley
At the recent China Open, blocks featured integrated digital timers that displayed swimmers’ times, which is very helpful for swimmers who can’t read the scoreboard.
I hope World Aquatics introduces this technology in their events ( World Cup / World Champs / OGs …)
Maybe @Braden Keith can ask WA about this matter.
It’s worth mentioning that Brent Nowicki and Dale Neuburger were present at the meet.
Wonder if they’ll also put the place they touch in their heat as well?
I saw this as well and thought it was a good initiative…my mind went back to Maggie’s Tokyo gold medal swim, she was finding it difficult to read the scoreboard.
So will they add the previous swims to the all-time lists?
im confused jack alexys pb is a 46.81 so why is the 46.91 so significant if it wouldnt even be a pb
It’s not super significant, just mentioned as the most notable/fastest lead-off we’ve seen in the mixed 400 free relay.
It’s useful when you count the times of sub-47
Lifintsev should have the Russian record then at 51.78 from his lead off. Unless they will be implemented at future competitions.