2024 CSIM WORLD MILITARY CHAMPIONSHIPS
- December 10-12, 2024
- Warendorf, Germany
- LCM (50 meters)
- Results (PDF)
Serving members of their respective armed forces took to the pool in mid-December to contest the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) World Military Championships in swimming, with a total of 134 swimmers racing in Warendorf, Germany.
CSIM rules dictate that only serving members of the armed forces (in participating nations) are eligible to compete.
Brazil topped the medal table with 19 gold and 31 total medals, while host Germany had the second-most medals with 22, while Ukraine officially ranked 2nd on the medal table with six gold and 10 total medals.
WOMEN’S RECAP
Brazil only had four female swimmers in the field but they dominated the competition (which only included 34 female swimmers total), winning 10 individual gold medals to go along with two gold and one silver in the relays.
Leading the way for the team were Gabrielle Assis da Silva and Maria Luiza Pessanha, who won four individual titles apiece.
Assis, a 25-year-old who was a finalist at the 2024 World Championships in the women’s 200 breast, won the women’s 50 breast (32.04), 100 breast (1:09.46), 200 breast (2:25.46) and 200 IM (2:20.48), with her time in the 50 marking a new best time and her 200 breast swim narrowly missing her Brazilian Record set in 2023 (2:25.18).
Pessanha, also 25, topped the women’s 50 back (29.19), 100 back (1:04.12), 100 fly (1:01.34) and 200 fly (2:14.75), and added a silver medal in the 200 back (2:16.09). Her swim in the 50 back represented a new best time.
Also winning for the Brazilian women was Lorrane Ferreira in the 50 free (25.25), and Aline Rodrigues in the 100 free (56.03).
The other nation that had multiple notable performances on the women’s side was Germany, having sent a much larger contingent of female swimmers (eight).
Maya Werner, 19, won the women’s 200 free (2:00.77), 400 free (4:11.31) and 200 back (2:14.35), while finishing as the runner-up to teammate Jeanette Spiwoks (8:37.98) in the 800 free (8:43.05).
Werner competed at the European Championships last year in Belgrade, placing as high as 5th in the 400 free.
In the women’s 4×200 free relay, Werner anchored in 2:01.66 to lead Germany to a big win in 8:15.39, while Brazil cruised to wins in the 4×100 free (3:50.86) and 4×100 medley relays (4:15.48).
In the mixed 4×100 medley relay, Brazil’s Pessanha and Assis swam the first two legs as they cruised to a five-second win in 3:54.74.
The other wins came from Poland, with Anna Dowgiert topping the 50 fly (26.72) and Paula Zukowska claiming the 400 IM (5:08.92) in a two-swimmer field where the other athlete was disqualified.
MEN’S RECAP
Reigning world champion Vladyslav Bukhov was one of three Ukrainian male swimmers to secure wins at the championships, with the 22-year-old flexing his sprinting ability in the 50 free and 50 fly.
Bukhov, who won the 2024 world title in the 50 free, topped that event in a time of 21.97, with his lifetime best sitting at 21.38 from Worlds last February.
He also claimed the 50 fly in 23.43, within three tenths of his lifetime best set in January 2020 (23.14).
Denys Kesil, a two-time Ukrainian Olympian, swept the men’s 100 fly (53.48) and 200 fly (1:56.83), and he also placed 4th in a competitive 200 IM final, posting a time of 2:01.73.
The other win for the Ukrainian men came from Maksym Ovchininkov in the 100 breast (1:01.68).
The top individual performer on the men’s side was Brazilian Stephan Steverink, a 20-year-old who won the 2022 World Junior title in the 400 free.
Steverink set a new PB en route to winning the 200 free (1:47.18), and added wins in the 400 free (3:49.10) and 400 IM (4:14.97) while finishing as the runner-up to Switzerland’s Gian-Luca Gartmann (1:59.90) in the 200 IM (2:00.11).
Brazil’s Victor Aleara featured prominently in the sprints, winning the 100 free in a blazing time of 48.99, while he was the silver medalist to Bukhov in the 50 free, clocking 22.55.
Korean Olympian Won Young-jun was another top performer as he swept the men’s 50 back (25.40), 100 back (55.45) and 200 back (2:01.00).
The Korean men also had wins from Oh Se-beom in the 1500 free (15:42.30) and Yang Sug-hyun in the 200 breast (2:11.56).
One notable name in the field we’ve yet to mention is Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Fernando Scheffer, who was the runner-up to Steverink in both the 200 free (1:49.67) and 400 free (3:57.60).
Scheffer did walk away with a pair of gold medals, however, leading off the victorious Brazilian men’s 4×100 free relay (3:22.51) in 50.37, and in the 4×200 free relay, he split 1:50.82 swimming third as they won gold in 7:28.75.
The 4×100 medley relay was dominated by Switzerland, with 200 IM winner Gartmann providing a key 1:01.80 split on breast as they finished in 3:42.05.
The other win on the day came from Greece’s Spyridon Gkikopoulous in the 50 breast (28.37).
