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Europe Is The Epicenter Of Fast Open Water Swimmers

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The world’s best aquatics athletes compete in the World Aquatics Championships, formerly known as the FINA World Championships, in six aquatic disciplines: swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo.  The Championships started in 1973 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, but it was in Perth, Australia when the first open water events were added to the schedule.

Over the years, the 5 km race, 10 km race, 25 km race, 5 km 3-person mixed relay, 5 km 4-person mixed relay, and the 4 x 1.5 km mixed relay events have been held.

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)

Europe is the epicenter of the world’s fastest open water swimmers, based on the results between 1991 and 2024 at the World Championships.

These results are limited to the World Championships. The historical results of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim are analyzed here. We thought it was more fair and objective to review the results of the World Championships (where countries send their best swimmers) rather than the World Cup events (where budgetary limitations often reduce the number of participating athletes).

Greatest Number of Podium Finishes (by Country)

  1. Germany – 51 podium finishes
  2. Italy – 43 podium finishes
  3. Russia – 31 podium finishes
  4. USA – 26 podium finishes
  5. France – 21 podium finishes
  6. Netherlands – 20 podium finishes
  7. Brazil – 19 podium finishes
  8. Australia – 17 podium finishes
  9. Hungary – 10 podium finishes
  10. Greece – 9 podium finishes
  11. Spain and Great Britain – 5 podium finishes
  12. Bulgaria – 4 podium finishes
  13. Canada – 3 podium finishes
  14. South Africa and Tunisia – 2 podium finishes
  15. Argentina, Czech Republic, Egypt, Switzerland, Belgium, Ecuador, China, Ukraine, Portugal – 1 podium finish

Swimmers from 25 different countries have medaled at the World Championships since 1991.

Greatest Number of Podium Finishes (by Continent)

  1. Europe – 204 podium finishes
  2. Americas – 50 podium finishes
  3. Oceania – 17 podium finishes
  4. Africa – 5 podium finishes
  5. Asia – 1 podium finish

Podium Finishes by Distance by Country

  1. Germany – 51 medals: 19 in 5 km + 18 in 10 km + 14 in 25 km
  2. Italy – 43 medals: 19 in 5 km + 8 in 10 km + 16 in 25 km
  3. Russia – 31 medals: 10 in 5 km + 10 in 10 km + 11 in 25 km
  4. USA – 26 medals: 13 in 5 km + 6 in 10 km + 7 in 25 km
  5. France – 21 medals: 11 in 5 km + 4 in 10 km + 6 in 25 km
  6. Netherlands – 20 medals: 5 in 5 km + 7 in 10 km + 8 in 25 km
  7. Brazil – 19 medals: 9 in 5 km + 4 in 10 km + 6 in 25 km
  8. Australia – 17 medals: 8 in 5 km + 2 in 10 km + 7 in 25 km
  9. Hungary – 10 medals: 4 in 5 km + 3 in 10 km + 3 in 25 km
  10. Greece – 9 medals: 5 in 5 km + 4 in 10 km
  11. Spain – 5 medals: 2 in 10 km + 3 in 25 km
  12. Great Britain – 5 medals: 1 in 5 km + 4 in 10 km
  13. Bulgaria – 4 medals: 1 in 10 km + 3 in 25 km
  14. Canada – 3 medals: 2 in 5 km + 1 in 25 km
  15. South Africa – 2 medals in 5 km
  16. Tunisia – 2 medals: 1 in 5 km + 1 in 10 km
  17. Argentina – 1 medal in 25 km
  18. Czech Republic – 1 medal in 5 km
  19. Egypt – 1 medal in 25 km
  20. Switzerland – 1 medal in 5 km
  21. Belgium – 1 medal in 25 km
  22. Ecuador – 1 medal in 10 km
  23. China – 1 medal in 10 km
  24. Ukraine – 1 medal in 5 km
  25. Portugal – 1 medal in 10 km

Similarities to the Past – Implications for the Future

The dominance of the Europeans in open water swimming at the World Aquatics Championships is mirrored over the last five Olympic Games where 23 out of 30 marathon swimming medals (77% of the total) have been awarded to Europeans:

  1. Europe – 23 Olympic medals
  2. Americas – 3 Olympic medals
  3. Oceania – 2 Olympic medals
  4. Africa – 1 Olympic medalists
  5. Asia – 0 Olympic medalists
  • Netherlands: 5 medals, 4 gold + 1 silver
  • Hungary: 4 medals: 2 gold + 1 silver + 1 bronze
  • Germany: 4 medals, 1 gold + 2 silver + 1 bronze
  • Italy: 4 medals, 2 silver + 2 bronze
  • Great Britain: 3 medals, 2 silver + 1 bronze
  • Brazil: 2 medals, 1 gold + 1 bronze
  • Australia: 2 medals, 1 silver + 1 bronze
  • Russia: 1 gold
  • Tunisia: 1 gold
  • Greece: 1 silver
  • USA: 1 silver
  • France: 1 bronze
  • Canada: 1 bronze

With such a strong long-standing tradition in the sport, we fully expect European countries to continue sending athletes with the following characteristics to the World Championships and Olympic Games:

  • A deep passion and joy for competitive open water swimming
  • A thorough knowledge of racing strategies
  • Years of experience of high-level racing tactics
  • Supportive and knowledgeable coaching and support staff
  • Training geared at enhancing performances in various bodies of water and in various conditions

1991 – 2024 World Championship Results

Below is a summary of the World Championship medalists from 1991 to the present.

The 1991 World Aquatics Championships were held in Perth, Western Australia in January with the Swam River as site of the open water races.

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Shelley Taylor-Smith, Australia [shown above]
  2. Martha Jahn, USA
  3. Karen Burton, USA

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Chad Hundeby, USA
  2. Sergio Chariandini, Italy
  3. David O’Brien, Australia

The 1994 FINA World Aquatics Championships were held in Rome, Italy in September with San Felice Circeo-Terracina as site of the open water races.

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Melissa Cunningham, Australia [shown above]
  2. Rita Kovács, Hungary
  3. Shelley Taylor-Smith, Australia

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Greg Streppel, Canada
  2. David Bates, Australia
  3. Aleksey Akatyev, Russia

The 1998 FINA World Aquatics Championships were held in January in Perth, Western Australia with Swan River as site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Erica Rose, USA
  2. Edith van Dijk, Netherlands
  3. Peggy Büschse, Germany

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Tobie Smith, USA
  2. Peggy Büchse, Germany
  3. Edith van Dijk, Netherlands

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Aleksey Akatyev, Russia
  2. Ky Hurst, Australia
  3. Luca Baldini, Italy

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Aleksey Akatyev, Russia
  2. David Meda, Spain
  3. Gabriel Chaillou, Argentina

The 2001 World Aquatics Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan in July with the Seaside Momochi Beach Park as site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium FInishers

  1. Violla Valli, Italy
  2. Peggy Büchse, Germany
  3. Hayley Lewis, Australia

10 km Women’s Podium FInishers

  1. Peggy Büchse, Germany
  2. Irina Abysova, Russia
  3. Edith van Dijk, Netherlands

25 km Women’s Podium FInishers

  1. Violla Valli, Italy
  2. Edith van Dijk, Netherlands
  3. Angela Maurer, Germany

5 km Men’s Podium FInishers

  1. Luca Baldini, Italy
  2. Yevgeny Bezruchenko, Russia
  3. Marco Formentini, Italy

10 km Men’s Podium FInishers

  1. Yevgeny Bezruchenko, Russia
  2. Vladimir Dyatchin, Russia
  3. Fabio Venturini, Italy

25 km Men’s Podium FInishers

  1. Yuri Kudinov, Russia
  2. Stéphane Gomez, France
  3. Stéphane Lecat, France

The 2003 FINA World Aquatics Championships were held in July in Barcelona, Spain with Port Olímpic as site of the open water races. 

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Violla Valli, Italy
  2. Jana Pechanová, Czech Republic
  3. Britta Kamrau, Germany

10 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Violla Valli, Italy
  2. Angela Maurer, Germany
  3. Edith van Dijk, Netherlands

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Edith van Dijk, Netherlands
  2. Britta Kamrau, Germany
  3. Angela Maurer, Germany

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Evgeni Kochkarov, Russia
  2. Christian Hein, Germany
  3. Vladimir Dyatchin, Russia

10 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Vladimir Dyatchin, Russia
  2. Christian Hein, Germany
  3. David Meca, Spain

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Yuri Kudinov, Russia
  2. David Meca, Spain
  3. Petar Stoychev, Bulgaria

The 2005 World Aquatics Championships were held in Montreal, Québec, Canada in July with the Montreal Olympic Rowing Basin on Notre Dame Island as the site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Larisa Ilchenko, Russia
  2. Margy Keefe, USA
  3. Edith van Dijk, Netherlands

10 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Edith van Dijk, Netherlands
  2. Federica Vitale, Italy
  3. Britta Kamrau, Germany

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Edith van Dijk, Netherlands
  2. Britta Kamrau, Germany
  3. Laura la Piana, Italy

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Thomas Lurz, Germany
  2. Chip Peterson, USA
  3. Simone Ercoli, Italy

10 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Chip Peterson, USA
  2. Thomas Lurz, Germany
  3. Petar Stoychev, Bulgaria

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. David Meca, Spain
  2. Brendan Capell, Australia
  3. Petar Stoychev, Bulgaria

The 2007 World Aquatics Championships were held in Melbourne, Australia in March with St. Kilda Beach as site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Larisa Ilchenko, Russia
  2. Ekaterina Seliverstova, Russia
  3. Kate Brookes-Peterson, Australia

10 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Larisa Ilchenko, Russia
  2. Cassandra Patten, Great Britain
  3. Kate Brookes-Peterson, Australia

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Britta Kamrau, Germany
  2. Kalyn Keller, USA
  3. Ksenia Popova, Russia

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Thomas Lurz, Germany
  2. Evgeny Drattsev, Russia
  3. Spyridon Gianniotis, Greece

10 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Vladimir Dyatchin, Russia
  2. Thomas Lurz, Germany
  3. Evgeny Drattsev, Russia

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Yuri Kudinov, Russia
  2. Marco Formentini, Italy
  3. Mohamed Zanaty, Egypt

The 2009 World Aquatics Championships were held in Rome, Italy in July with the beach of Ostia as site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Melissa Gorman, Australia
  2. Larisa Ilchenko, Russia
  3. Poliana Okimoto, Brazil

10 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Keri-Anne Payne, Great Britain
  2. Ekatarina Seliverstova, Russia
  3. Martina Grimaldi, Italy

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Angela Maurer, Germany
  2. Anna Uvarova, Russia
  3. Federica Vitale, Italy

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Thomas Lurz, Germany
  2. Spyridon Gianniotis, Greece
  3. Chad Ho, South Africa

10 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Thomas Lurz, Germany
  2. Andrew Gemmell, USA
  3. Fran Crippen, USA

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Valerio Cleri, Italy
  2. Trent Grimsey, Australia
  3. Vladimir Dyatchin, Russia

The 2011 FINA World Championships were held in July in Shanghai, China with Jinshan City Beach as site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Swann Oberson, Switzerland
  2. Aurélie Muller, France
  3. Ashley Twichell, USA

10 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Keri-Anne Payne, Great Britain
  2. Martina Grimaldi, Italy
  3. Marianna Lymperta, Greece

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil
  2. Angela Maurer, Germany
  3. Alice Franco, Italy

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Thomas Lurz, Germany
  2. Spyridon Gianniotis, Greece
  3. Evgeny Drattsev, Russia

10 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Spyridon Gianniotis, Greece
  2. Thomas Lurz, Germany
  3. Sergey Volshakov, Russia

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Petar Stoychev, Bulgaria
  2. Vladimir Dyatchin, Russia
  3. Csaba Gercsák, Hungary

5 km 3-person Mixed Relay

  1. USA
  2. Australia
  3. Germany

The 15th FINA World Championships were held in July in Barcelona, Spain with Moll de la Fusta as site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Haley Anderson, USA
  2. Poliana Okimoto, Brazil
  3. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil

10 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Poliana Okimoto, Brazil
  2. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil
  3. Angela Maurer, Germany

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Martina Grimaldi, Italy
  2. Angela Maurer, Germany
  3. Eva Fabian, USA

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Oussama Mellouli, Tunisia
  2. Eric Hedlin, Canada
  3. Thomas Lurz, Germany

10 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Spyridon Gianniotis, Greece
  2. Thomas Lurz, Germany
  3. Oussama Mellouli, Tunisia

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Thomas Lurz, Germany
  2. Brian Ryckeman, Belgium
  3. Evgeny Drattsev, Russia

5 km 3-person Mixed Relay

  1. Germany
  2. Greece
  3. Brazil

The 2015 FINA World Championships were held in Kazan, Russia in July with the Kazanka River as site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Haley Anderson, USA
  2. Kalliopi Araouzou, Greece
  3. Finnia Wunram, Germany

10 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Aurélie Muller, France
  2. Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands
  3. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil
  2. Anna Olasz, Hungary
  3. Angela Maurer, Germany

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Chad Ho, South Africa
  2. Rob Muffels, Germany
  3. Matteo Furlan, Italy

10 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Jordan Wilimovsky, USA
  2. Ferry Weertman, Netherlands
  3. Spyridon Gianniotis, Greece

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Simone Ruffini, Italy
  2. Alex Meyer, USA
  3. Matteo Furlan, Italy

4 x 1.25 km Mixed Relay

  1. France
  2. USA
  3. Italy

The 2017 FINA World Championships were held in Budapest, Hungary in July 2017 with Lake Balaton as the site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Ashley Twichell, USA
  2. Aurélie Muller, France
  3. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil

10 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Aurélie Muller, France
  2. Samantha Arévalo, Ecuador
  3. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil
  2. Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands
  3. Arianna Bridi, Italy

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Marc-Antoine Olivier, France
  2. Mario Sanzullo, Italy
  3. Timothy Shuttleworth, Great Britain

10 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Ferry Weertman, Netherlands
  2. Jordan Wilimovsky, USA
  3. Marc-Antoine Olivier, France

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Axel Reymond, France
  2. Matteo Furlan, Italy
  3. Evgeny Drattsev, Russia

4 x 1.5 km Mixed Relay

  1. France
  2. USA
  3. Italy

The 2019 World Aquatics Championships were held in Gwangju, South Korea in July with Yeosu Expo Ocean Park as site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazi
  2. Aurélie Muller, France
  3. Hannah Moore, USA and Leonie Beck, Germany

10 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Xin Xin, China
  2. Haley Anderson, USA
  3. Rachele Bruni, Italy

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil
  2. Finnia Wunram, Germany
  3. Lara Grangeon, France

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Kristóf Rasovszky, Hungary
  2. Logan Fontaine, France
  3. Eric Hedlin, Canada

10 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Florian Wellbrock, Germany
  2. Marc-Antoine Olivier, France
  3. Rob Muffels, Germany

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Axel Reymond, France
  2. Kirill Belyaev, Russia
  3. Alessio Occhipinti, Italy

4 x 1.25 km Mixed Relay

  1. Germany
  2. Italy
  3. USA

The 2022 World Aquatics Championships were held in Budapest, Hungary in June with Lake Lupa as site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil
  2. Aurélie Muller, France
  3. Giulia Gabbrielleschi, Italy

10 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands
  2. Leonie Beck, Germany
  3. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil

25 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil
  2. Lea Boy, Germany
  3. Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Florian Wellbrock, Germany
  2. Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy
  3. Mykhailo Romanchuk, Ukraine

10 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Gregoria Paltrinieri, Italy
  2. Domenico Acerenza, Italy
  3. Florian Wellbrock, Germany

25 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Dario Verani, Italy
  2. Axel Reymond, France
  3. Péter Gálicz, Hungary

4 x 1.5 km Mixed Relay

  1. Germany
  2. Hungary
  3. Italy

The 2023 World Aquatics Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan in July with Seaside Momochi Beach Park as site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Leonie Beck, Germany
  2. Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands
  3. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil

10 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Leonie Beck, Germany
  2. Chelsea Gubecka, Australia
  3. Katie Grimes, USA

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Florian Wellbrock, Germany
  2. Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy
  3. Domenico Acerenza, Italy

10 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Florian Wellbrock, Germany
  2. Kristóf Rasovszky, Hungary
  3. Oliver Klemet, Germany

4 x 1.5 km Mixed Relay

  1. Italy
  2. Hungary
  3. Australia

The 2024 World Aquatics Championships were held in Doha, Qatar in February with the Doha Old Port as site of the open water races.

5 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands
  2. Chelsea Gubecka, Australia
  3. Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil

10 km Women’s Podium Finishers

  1. Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands
  2. María de Valdés, Spain
  3. Angêlica André, Portugal

5 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Logan Fontaine, France
  2. Marc-Antoine Olivier, France
  3. Domenico Acerenza, Italy

10 km Men’s Podium Finishers

  1. Kristóf Rasovszky, Hungary
  2. Marc-Antoine Olivier, France
  3. Hector Pardoe, Great Britain

4 x 1.5 km Mixed Relay

  1. Australia
  2. Italy
  3. Hungary

The 2025 World Aquatics Championships will be held in Singapore this July that will include both traditional and new open water swimming events between July 15th – 20th.

The races start at 8:00 am on Palawan Beach on Sentosa is an island resort off Singapore’s southern coast. Spectators can get to the island from the city via road, cable car, pedestrian boardwalk and monorail.

World Championship Schedule

  • July 15th: women’s 10 km race
  • July 16th: men’s 10 km race
  • July 17th: rest day
  • July 18th: women’s 5 km and men’s 5 km races
  • July 19th: men’s 3 km Knockout Sprints and women’s 3 km Knockout Sprints
  • July 20th: mixed 4x1500m relay

3 km Knockout Sprints

The cancellation of the traditional 25 km marathon swim – that started at the 1991 World Championships in Perth, Australia as the sole open water event, created a vacuum in the open water schedule. Originally discussed for many years within FINA and World Aquatics Technical Open Water Swimming Committee members, the new event was first tested at the 2024 World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships in Sardinia, Alghero, Italy to great success and fanfare.

The 3 km Knockout Sprints are a series of 3 races of decreasing distances held over a short time period where the top finishers advance to the semifinal and final rounds. In that World Aquatics test event in Sardinia, Kaito Tsujimori of Japan and Claire Weinstein of the USA finished first in Round 3 to win gold.

Similar to the 5 km and 10 km races, each country may enter a maximum of 2 males and 2 females in the Knockout Sprints.

For Round 1, the entry list will be published in advance of the Team Leaders Meeting. The number of heats to be swum in Round 1 and Round 2 is determined after all the entries have been received and announced at the Team Leaders Meeting. For Round 2, there is a maximum of 2 heats.

In Round 1, each swimmer swim 1.5 km. The swimmers who advance to Round 2 swim 1 km. The swimmers who advance to Round 3 swim 500 meters.

The top 10 finishers from each heat in Round 1 advance to Round 2 – or 2 heats based on the decisions made at the Team Leaders Meeting. If there is 1 heat in Round 2, the top 10 swimmers from Round 2 advance to the Round 3 final. If there are 2 heats in Round 2, the top 10 finishers from each heat will advance to the Round 3 final.

Interestingly and appropriately (in our opinion), if a swimmer receives a 1st infringement during Rounds 1 or Round 2, then this penalty remains in place as the swimmer advances forward in any Rounds. If the swimmer is disqualified or withdraws from Round 2 or Round 3, the position that the swimmer would have finished is awarded to the next competitor and all the lower placing swimmers are advanced one place in the Round 2 semifinal or the Round 3 final.

The podium finishers (gold + silver + bronze medalists) are the top 3 swimmers in Round 3.

© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“

A World Open Water Swimming Federation project.

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