A Wild Day of Gold at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships
The 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore have delivered one of the most unpredictable and thrilling days of competition so far — and Friday was a standout. With some of the sport’s biggest names, like Léon Marchand of France and Canada’s Summer McIntosh, sitting out of the finals, the podiums saw a refreshing shake-up. Five different countries claimed gold medals across various swimming events, making it a truly global and wide-open day at the pool.
Marchand, who had already broken the 200m individual medley world record earlier in the meet, was resting up for Sunday’s big finale where he’s eyeing another record in the 400 IM. McIntosh, meanwhile, was gearing up for her highly anticipated 800-meter freestyle clash with American legend Katie Ledecky on Saturday — a race many are calling the crown jewel of this year’s championship.
With those two out of the water Friday, the spotlight turned elsewhere — and it was shared generously.
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The Netherlands celebrated a huge win in the women’s 100-meter freestyle, thanks to Marrit Steenbergen. She powered through the final 50 meters to touch first at 52.55 seconds. Considering this was a stacked field including Olympic champions like Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan and America’s Torri Huske, Steenbergen’s win was even more impressive. She had previously won this event at the less-attended 2024 Worlds in Doha, but doing it here left her thrilled and stunned. “I don’t know what to feel,” she said after her victory. “I’m just so happy.”
China’s Qin Haiyang proved again why he’s the man to beat in breaststroke, taking gold in the 200m after already winning the 100m earlier in the week. What made it even more dramatic? He swam from Lane 8 — an outside lane rarely seen as an advantage — and still came out on top, calling the win “a miracle.”
Hungary’s Hubert Kós repeated his Olympic success in the 200m backstroke, while American swimmer Kate Douglass dominated the women’s 200m breaststroke, clocking the second-fastest time ever. Her gold brought Team USA’s total to five — the same as Australia — despite many of their swimmers having battled a nasty bout of gastroenteritis picked up at a pre-meet training camp in Thailand.
And in an inspiring twist, China’s 12-year-old Yu Zidi earned a bronze medal — not in the finals, but by swimming in the prelims of the 4x200 relay. Her achievement has sparked a new conversation around age limits in elite swimming.
All in all, Friday was a celebration of depth, talent, and unpredictability. With two more days to go, including the McIntosh-Ledecky showdown and Marchand’s final event, the best may still be ahead. But one thing’s for sure — no one can predict who will finish on top.
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