2025 World Championships
- July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
- Singapore, Singapore
- World Aquatics Championships Arena
- LCM (50m)
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The 2025 World Championships are in full swing and tonight in Singapore we saw five different nations top the podium across the men’s 200m free, women’s 1500m free, men’s 100m back, women’s 100m back and women’s 100m breast.
Hear what your favorite swimming stars had to say after the dust settled from their racing, with quotes courtesy of World Aquatics.
MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – FINAL
- World Record: 1:42.00 – Paul Biedermann, GER (2009)
- World Junior Record: 1:42.97 – David Popovici, ROU (2022)
- Championship Record: 1:42.00 – Paul Biedermann, GER (2009)
- 2023 World Champion: Matt Richards, GBR – 1:44.30
- 2024 Olympic Champion: David Popovici, ROU – 1:44.72
Final:
- David Popovici (ROU), 1:43.53
- Luke Hobson (USA), 1:43.84
- Tatsuya Murasa (JPN), 1:44.54
- Hwang Sunwoo (KOR), 1:44.72
- Kamil Sieradzki (POL), 1:45.22
- Carlos D’Ambrosio (ITA), 1:45.27
- James Guy (GBR), 1:45.28
- Gabriel Jett (USA), 1:45.92
Flash Quotes
GOLD – David POPOVICI (ROU)
On how this world title feels:
“I think even better than the Olympics, to be honest. You know why? I trained a lot for the Olympics, but this coming (in) a year, a more relaxed year, more easy-going after the Olympics… I’m very proud of myself.”
On what goes through his mind towards the end of the race:
“It’s a lot of ‘I have to do this’, a lot of self-talk. Even if not winning, I’m telling myself that I cannot let go. I cannot go easy, I have to give it my best. I owe myself at least that.”
On delaying his last spurt:
“That’s usually (the case) when I accelerate, but this time I think I cut it a little too close. But thankfully, it turned out in my favour. So even though it was a little (close), it did go according to plan.”
On why the world record has stood for so long:
“Well, firstly, because Paul BIEDERMANN was a great swimmer and a great specialist in the 200…I think all in all it’s a very hard record to beat, not impossible. One day, I’m hoping to lower it.”
SILVER – Luke HOBSON (USA)
On his feelings after the race:
“Obviously I always wanted to go for the win and I’ve been working towards it for a couple of years now, and I just gotta keep working towards it. Overall though, I was really happy with that swim. Great time. It’s great to have two people under 44 in the finals again, so hopefully many more great races to come.”
On what it takes to beat the world record:
“I think we just need to keep pushing each other and have a couple more years to keep working at it. That record is very fast, but I think it will be attainable one day if we keep working on it, you got to keep chipping away at it.”
On his plans to come back stronger:
“Just keep working hard and practise every day. That’s what it takes. I’ve made huge strides since last year and training with the group I’m with down in Texas has helped a lot. It’s a super competitive, great group of guys. So hopefully another year with that, keep improving, and that’s my favourite part of the sport is, you just keep getting better.”
BRONZE – Tatsuya MURASA (JPN)
On winning the medal:
“It’s amazing. I was aiming for it, but I honestly didn’t think I could actually get it. Having Popovici next to me helped a lot—those last moments were really tough, but I chased him down with everything I had, like my life depended on it. I think this is a medal I won through sheer grit.”
On celebrating each other with Popovici after the race:
“I couldn’t see the time on the scoreboard clearly, but he celebrated my medal with me. I felt like I finally stood at the same level with him and competed as equals.”
On his race strategy:
“I went out in 51.0 for the first half. Up until the semifinals, I had been attacking the first 50 meters, but before the final, I discussed with my coach and we decided to push from 50m to 100m, and then connect that to the 150m mark so I could lift my pace at the end. I think I was really able to raise my speed in the last 50m, so the strategy worked. I swam that last 50m faster than I expected, and I think that’s the kind of performance you can only bring out in a world championship final.
“I thought I could win a medal as long as I didn’t fall behind Popovici, so I focused on not letting him get away—in fact, I swam with the intention of overtaking him. I was able to approach the race calmly and enjoy it. I had done some tough training in Sierra Nevada, so I was confident. I believed it was important to focus on swimming my own race. Even though I was surrounded by athletes I admire in the call room, I managed to stay composed in that environment.”
WOMEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – FINAL
- World Record: 15:20.48 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2018)
- World Junior Record: 15:28.36 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2014)
- Championship Record: 15:25.48 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2015)
- 2023 World Champion: Katie Ledecky, USA – 15:26.27
- 2024 Olympic Champion: Katie Ledecky, USA – 15:30.02
Final:
- Katie Ledecky (USA), 15:26.44
- Simona Quadarella (ITA), 15:31.79
- Lani Pallister (AUS), 15:41.18
- Li Bingjie (CHN), 15:49.54
- Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (FRA), 15:57.40
- Moesha Johnson (AUS), 16:02.45
- Ching Hwee Gan (SGP), 16:03.51
- Yang Peiqi (CHN), 16:04.93
Flash Quotes
GOLD – Katie LEDECKY (USA)
On the race:
“I just wanted to try to get out fast, but comfortable enough that I can build from there. Happy with the time, happy with the swim.”
“I love this race. This race is the race where I broke my first WR in 2013, lots of great races and memories over the years. Happy to do it (again) in Singapore. Thanks to the crowd for coming out to support us swimmers tonight.”
On the challenge from other swimmers:
“That was an awesome swim from Simona. Second fastest performer ever. The distance races are really quick right now. Just good to see how much we can push the sport forward.”
“It’s great to push the sport forward all together. Simona had the second fastest performer swim of all time tonight. Lani had a great one tonight and earlier this year. All the events in the distance freestyles are moving forward, both on the women’s and men’s side. So it’s fun to be a part of.”
On racing the 1500m given her dominance:
“They’re all stressful in some ways, relaxing in some ways. I just try to enjoy each one. I certainly feel very confident in my 1500, my ability to hold a pace. So I just wanted to lock into a fast pace from the start and hold on to it.”
On being under WR pace for part of the race:
“I kind of had a sense that I was probably out pretty fast, because Lani tends to take it out fast, and just having her right by my side for such a long portion really kept me on my toes and kept me moving forward. So I was hopeful that as I kind of extended, I was able to hold that pace. I wasn’t quite sure where I was at. I was pretty confident I was in the 20s, just wasn’t sure how low into the 20s I was when I touched the wall. So I’m happy with it.”
On whether the 1500m is a lonely race for her given her dominance:
“No, it’s not lonely at all. Lani was there for a good 400m or 500m of the front part of the race, and I knew that if I started hurting at any point, somebody was going to be right there to come charging at the end. I didn’t really see Simona. I tried to just stay focused on my own race, holding my rhythm. I knew that if I could hold my rhythm, I could get my hand on the wall first.”
SILVER – Simona QUADARELLA (ITA)
On what it’s like pressuring Katie LEDECKY during the race:
“I’m really happy and emotional about my race results, and I’m very proud that I managed to get so close to Katie.”
On her strategy:
“I tried to start quite slowly, check out the other girls, then try to push up and overtake Lani in the second half of the race.”
On how she felt during the last 50m of the race:
“I was really happy, and tried to increase my speed as much as I could before the race ended.”
BRONZE – Lani PALLISTER (AUS)
On tactics:
“I only race Katie three more times in the 1500m before the LA Olympics, so for me I was just trying to stick with her for as long as I can and see how long I could hold on for. I was actually pretty worried that LI Bingjie was gonna come over the top of me like she did in the 400m. From like about 900 metres in it was just about holding on at that point.”
On how she felt during the race:
“I reckon my last 50m was like a 33, like I did not move. But you can’t wipe the smile off my face. I really had a lot of fun racing that, and any time I’m in the pool with Katie, Simona, and those girls, it’s really special. It’s back to training for that one and working on my back end for that one, but yeah, I’m really happy.”
On her thoughts on keeping up with Katie LEDECKY (USA):
“I wanted to have a look at what time I was at because it felt like an 800m, not like a 1500m whatsoever. I think any time I get to be in a pool racing like that, it’s always a bit of fun. At least I held onto her for like 600 metres. It could’ve been less, it could’ve been more.”
On how she feels after the race:
“It’s kind of funny that I didn’t throw up after that, but threw up after trials. As much as I wanted to kick my legs in that last 50m, I just couldn’t. It’s really fun being back in a world championship final, I didn’t race this in the Olympics last year, and I didn’t really know what it’d be like swimming a 1500m heat and final. I would’ve liked to have been under 15:40 again but that’s probably not gonna happen if you don’t have the back end to match it.”
7th – GAN Ching Hwee (SGP)
On the race:
“It’s always an honour to represent Singapore, especially I think this is the first final we’ve had in a really long time. Just going out there, putting myself out there, racing without really much expectations. As my coach said, this was like a bonus race, if anything. I just wanted to go there and see how I do, especially with the turnaround from yesterday morning to today, I think it’s the first time I did two 1500m races in such close succession. I’m pretty happy with it overall.
“Definitely carrying some fatigue, but that’s part and parcel of racing. I went into the race with the mindset like it’s just another training session – we don’t train fresh all the time.
“With such high level racing, it’s very high intensity day after day. And I think I put my 101 effort from like day one. So I really couldn’t have asked for anything better. If I compare it with my previous best time, I think tonight’s swim was also pretty good in relation to that. So I’m pleased.”
On making a world championship final:
“A week ago, two weeks ago, if you asked me that question, I would have definitely said no, I don’t think that was possible. But what I’ve taken away from this is really to trust my training. Sometimes things don’t always go perfectly, like even tonight’s race, I don’t think it was anywhere near perfect, but it’s always a learning journey, and that’s sports, so, yeah, just learning, growing as an athlete, is the biggest takeaway from this.”
On the home crowd support:
“I channelled that energy into my race as best as I could. It’s not easy, especially with the fatigue from yesterday and the day before. I try not to think about that too much – I did my best today.”
On breaking successive national records within days:
“It really showed me that I’m on the right track, that I should trust my training and keep pushing.”
On the final:
“This was maybe the second time I’ve been in such a fast final, and just to put myself out there, I think I should be really happy regardless of the outcome. I was really, really inspired. Being in the same race as Katie Ledecky, Lani Pallister, all these big names really gave me extra energy. The pool felt like there’s so much good energy, good vibes going on, and that really spurred me a lot.”
On racing Katie LEDECKY (USA):
“She was racing really fast, and she was passing me at the 25-metre mark. These kinds of races, I just use that as fuel to get me through the race. To know that someone as inspiring as her… she’s able to race so well with such high intensity day after day. I think it really gives me the inspiration to also keep pushing barriers.”
WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL
- World Record: 57.13 – Regan Smith, USA (2024)
- World Junior Record: 57.57 – Regan Smith, USA (2019)
Championship Record: 57.53 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2023)- 2023 World Champion: Kaylee McKeown, AUS – 57.53
- 2024 Olympic Champion: Kaylee McKeown, AUS – 57.33
Final:
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 57.16 CR
- Regan Smith (USA), 57.35
- Katharine Berkoff (USA), 58.15
- Kylie Masse (CAN), 58.42
- Peng Xuwei (CHN), 59.10
- Pauline Mahieu (FRA), 59.48
- Taylor Ruck (CAN), 59.59
- Mary-Ambre Moluh (FRA), 59.60
Flash Quotes
GOLD – Kaylee MCKEOWN (AUS)
On how she feels after the race:
“I’m really really proud. It’s a little bit emotional, I’ve worked so hard just to get myself into a happy state and it’s just what I’ve been focusing on. I think it goes to show that a happy swimmer is a fast swimmer. I have trained hard but I wasn’t expecting to make a personal best tonight.”
On beating her personal best:
“I think I just have to take it one step at a time, and I will swim fast. I’m just thankful that today I was able to get my hand on the wall (first).”
On what it means to win this medal:
“There were a lot of comments of me saying that I’m scared to lose but that’s not the case at all. If anything, I’m scared to fail myself. I’ve worked really, really hard to get up there tonight and prove to myself that I am a good athlete and swimmer. It doesn’t matter if I come first or last.”
On how she convinced herself to do this event:
“I just didn’t want to keep steering away from fear because the more that you feel fear, it becomes like a monster and you gotta chase your demons at some point. I thought it was better to start sooner rather than later.”
On issues with her shoulder:
“I’ve got a really flexible stroke and it’s my benefit when I swim my backstrokes but sometimes it can cause me to dislocate my shoulder. It’s been quite irritated but I’ve got a good medical team and physiotherapists to help me get through.”
SILVER – Regan SMITH (USA)
On the race:
“This was my third fastest swim ever, so I’m incredibly pleased with it. It was a really good execution, and at the end of the day, America as a whole had the odds stacked against us. We had a really unfortunate situation happen to us during a training camp, and I did not think I was going to go for 57.35.”
“To come up with a silver, I can’t really control the place of the medal, but what I can control is how fast I swim and how well I can do my race, and I think I did an incredible job, especially under the circumstances.”
On what she was thinking about just before the race:
“I was thinking about the start. During my semi-finals swim, my start was my weakest point. I don’t like being beaten off the start, it’s something I take a lot of pride in, so on the start, I was thinking about how I wanted my start to be and how I wanted to feel, and it worked out well, because that was one of my better starts in a while.”
On the first thing that ran through her head when she saw the scoreboard:
“I was very pleasantly surprised that it was a 57.35, and I was very surprised how fast it took to win gold. I know that the year after the Olympics, everyone is kind of doing their own thing, having fun and decompressing, so I was surprised at how quick it was to win gold, but I was also really happy with my swim.”
BRONZE – Katharine BERKOFF (USA)
On the race:
“I’m really happy with that swim. It was a really tough week, just getting so sick, and I finally feel a lot better today. So I was super excited to wake up and feel decent. And I was super happy with that time, given the whole situation.
“I was just trying to execute my own race, just get the details right. It’s been an uncertain week, and I was really happy with how I executed it.
“I like the chase, and I like the pressure of being the favourite (too). Either way for me, it’s fun.”
On racing with two athletes who are the best in the event’s history:
“It’s so special. It makes it so much more inspiring. I know every year they’re going to be ready to go really fast, have the fastest times in the world, and I want to be there too. It’s just extremely motivational, it’s really cool to be part of that backstroke history.”
On receiving her medal from IOC President Kirsty COVENTRY, who was a backstroker herself:
“It’s so cool. I love the generational stuff, so it was really special.”
MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL
- World Record: 51.60 – Thomas Ceccon, Italy (2022)
- World Junior Record: 52.08 – Miron Lifintsev, Russia (2024)
- Championship Record: 51.60 – Thomas Ceccon, Italy (2022)
- 2023 World Champion: Ryan Murphy, United States – 52.22
- 2024 Olympic Champion: Thomas Ceccon, Italy – 52.00
Final:
- Pieter Coetze (RSA), 51.85
- Thomas Ceccon (ITA), 51.90
- Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (FRA), 51.92
- Hubert Kos (HUN), 52.20
- Oliver Morgan (GBR), 52.37
- Kliment Kolesnikov (NAB), 52.38
- Miron Lifintsev (NAB), 52.51
- Apostolos Christou (GRE), 52.62
Flash Quotes
GOLD – Pieter COETZE (RSA)
On the key to his win:
“I think I was very calm and relaxed going into it. I think sometimes you can be too tense and force it, but I was just super relaxed and excited and happy to be here.”
On what the win means to him:
“It’s amazing. To call myself a world champion in a field like that. I don’t even think about my career, it’s just the feeling right now, I’m trying to soak it all in and can’t really put it into words.”
“I’m over the moon, I don’t even know what to say. To win in a field like that. KOLESNIKOV, CECCON, all those big names. And I knew it was going to be a big race.”
On whether he expected the result:
“I always believe I can win, but I don’t think I expected myself to win. That would be unrealistic because you can’t always expect yourself to win. But think you can win? Yes., I definitely thought I was capable of winning.”
On what this means for South Africa:
“It means a lot. Our country loves sports. You can see that when our rugby teams play, in cricket, soccer, football, all of that stuff. We love sports in our country, and sports really unites our people. So to do it for the country means much more than to get the win for myself.”
SILVER – Thomas CECCON (ITA)
On the race today:
“I’m feeling all right. Pretty happy with the time but not with the position. We were pretty fast, especially Yohann (NDOYE-BROUARD, FRA). Of course, Pieter (COETZE, RSA) got the first…It was a pretty fast race for everybody.”
On what he could have done better today:
“The first 50m, probably (could have gone) a little bit faster. The second 50m was really great, but the first 50m was a bit slower.”
BRONZE – Yohann NDOYE-BROUARD (FRA)
On the result:
“I knew I had this time in the heats. I didn’t swim slow, but I was not at 100%, so I knew I had the time. Tonight, I wanted to do the good things – my turns, my starts, I focused on those things, and I did it.”
“I knew that in Lane 1, nobody would see me, so it was a little bit easier. This medal means a lot. It’s been three championships where I finished not on the podium. Fourth, five, seventh at the Olympics, so I really wanted this medal so much.”
On swimming in front of Camille LACOURT (FRA):
“It means a lot. I was aiming for this time for a long time. It means a lot.”
GOLD – Anna ELENDT (GER)
On how she’s feeling right now:
“I am so speechless. When I knew I was going to start from Lane 1, I was only thinking about my coach, who always used to say, ‘If you have a lane, you have a chance’. I was following that. Just doing everything we worked on in practice, doing my underwaters. It worked out so well.”
On training for the back end of her swim:
“We’ve been putting a lot of work into my 200, which has really been helping me out in my 100 — especially in those last 50 metres to keep my stroke together.”
On her first thoughts after seeing the result:
“I was so speechless. I saw the little red light that you have at the blocks, so I knew immediately that I was either one, two or three. And then seeing the one on the scoreboard, I was so speechless, especially with the time. I’m so happy with it.”
On swimming in Lane 1:
“Honestly, I really like it. You can really focus on yourself and keep the things in your mind that you’ve practised during practices. So, I really liked it. There was no distraction. Obviously, if you’re in the middle of the pool, you can see the other ones and that might push you. But for my instance, in my situation, I really preferred being in Lane 1.”
SILVER – Kate DOUGLASS (USA)
On winning silver:
“I’m really happy with it. I think this is my first time swimming the 100m breaststroke on the international stage, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. But I didn’t think I’d be able to go the time that I did tonight, so I’m really happy with it.”
On being over taken by Anna ELENDT (GER):
“Honestly, I was just trying to swim my best race and just making it on the podium is the goal, so I’m really happy with it.”
On the event:
“This is the first time I’ve ever focused on it. This is the first year I’ve ever swam the 100m while tapered and rested at a meet. So, I’m excited to keep focusing on it in the future.”
On how she felt during the race:
“I just surprised myself, I feel like I’m still learning how to swim this race and I took a lot more strokes than usual so I think it was a learning curve for me.”
On how she feels about the other American swimmers competing tonight:
“It has been a very exciting night for us. I think the first day was a little shaky for everyone, with a few pulling out of races and such. I think we’ve done a good job of bouncing back and just kind of showing that we’re here, we’re ready to race and we’re really happy with how we’re doing.”
BRONZE – TANG Qianting (CHN)
On her race strategy:
“The first 50m has always been my strength. I went out fast because I was excited about the race. I don’t think too much about the back end. If I go out strong, it makes I build up some space for myself too. It is a fact that the latter part of the race is not my strong suit, so maybe I need to go back and do some training in the 200m, but I need to do that without sacrificing my speed.
“I’ve gained experience from this. It’s helped me see how fast I can go in the first 50m. I can know better what to do and what to tweak in my training.
“When it comes to results, I’m one to leave it to fate. It is what it is. Races and competitions are a chance for me to evaluate where I am with the training.”
On her first 50m:
“The result makes me feel very confident about the 50m race. It’s not too far from my peak.”
On her form:
“I haven’t been feeling my best in the past month. I’ve been feeling fatigued, and it’s only in the last two days that I’ve been able to recover a bit more. That said, in terms of technique and mentality, I’m still quite mature in those aspects, so those weren’t too big of an issue for me. I’ll just be me.”
Lani said she will only race Katie 3 more times in the 1500 before the Olympics, so she’s planning on doing Pan Pacs over Com Games?
She’ll probably do both
Popovici is well spoken and doesn’t hide how he feels.
I truly hope he breaks 200free WR before he’s done with swimming.
That race showed he has nerves of steel, he was content to let Hobson went out like a torpedo in the first 150 and didn’t flinch.
The race in Paris really didn’t go to plan so no surprise this one felt better even if it was still close
In Paris, DP was super sick – this was the reason for 1:44.72
Popovici made his point cuz he considered his win in Singapore an undeniable upset he successfully executed as opposed to the one in Paris deemed more or less out of a fluke by that infinitesimal hundredth secs courtesy of his long wingspan.
How was his win an upset when he was the favorite to win ?
Yes, it seems like Worlds is much more enjoyable for these swimmers than the Olympics. With the pressure, bad food and uncomfy accommodations, the Olympics kinda blow in comparison. Nice to see David enjoying himself.
Kate always keeps her interview responses short and sweet. No babbling whatsoever. Very New Yorker of her.