2024 World Swimming Championships Recap: How The U.S. Made History

The U.S. made history at the 2024 Short Course World Aquatics Swimming Championships last month by breaking the most world records at a major international competition since the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, according to USA Swimming. At the Munich Games, the U.S. set a total of 13 world records. At the recent World Championships, they surpassed that, breaking 21. They also set 28 American records, 28 championship records, two world junior records and earned 39 medals, including 18 golds, 13 silvers and eight bronzes.

The World Championships were held at the Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary, from December 15–20, with the races taking place in a short-course pool, meaning the pool length was 25 meters. This is different from the NCAA Championships and the Olympics, as the NCAA Championships are held in a 25-yard pool, while the Olympics use a long-course 50-meter pool. In total, 21 Olympians from the 2024 Paris Games were on the roster, including Gretchen Walsh, Kate Douglass, Regan Smith and Luke Hobson, all of whom set new world records in individual events at the competition.

U.S. Breaks Several World Records At Short Course Worlds

The 2024 World Championships saw not only individual world records broken by the U.S., but also relay records shattered. The U.S. women set new world records in all three relays, including the 400 freestyle relay (Kate Douglass, Katharine Berkoff, Alex Shackell and Gretchen Walsh) with a time of 3:25.01, the 800 freestyle relay (Alex Walsh, Paige Madden, Katie Grimes and Claire Weinstein) at 7:30.13 and the 400 medley relay (Regan Smith, Lily King, Gretchen Walsh and Douglass) with a time of 3:40.41.

The U.S. men also broke world records in two of the three relays: the 400 freestyle relay (Jack Alexy, Luke Hobson, Kieran Smith and Chris Guiliano) at 3:01.66 and the 800 freestyle relay (Hobson, Carson Foster, Shaine Casas and Smith) at 6:40.51.

Now, let’s take a look at the individual world records broken, starting with Gretchen Walsh, who set nine on her own.

1.Gretchen Walsh

Gretchen Walsh stole the show at the Short Course World Championships, setting 11 new world records—nine of them individually. Walsh, a senior at the University of Virginia, won seven world titles: five individual and two in relays. In fact, she broke the record for the most world records set at a single meet, surpassing Mark Spitz’s seven at the 1972 Olympics and Michael Phelps’s seven at the 2008 Olympics.

Walsh secured a gold medal in the 50 freestyle, breaking the world record twice, with her fastest time of 22.83. She also won gold in the 100 freestyle and the 50 butterfly, setting two world records in the latter with a fastest time of 23.94.

In the 100 butterfly, Walsh earned another gold and broke three world records, with her fastest time of 52.71. She claimed gold in the 100 IM as well, setting two world records with a time of 55.11.

2.Kate Douglass

It’s no surprise that Kate Douglass broke a few world records at the Championships, especially after her phenomenal performance at the Short Course World Cup, where she topped the earnings list with a total of US$184,000. This amount includes US$20,000 for breaking the 200 breaststroke world record twice during the series.

At the World Championships, Douglass captured gold in the 200 breaststroke, 200 IM and relays. She broke her own 200 breaststroke world record with a time of 2:12.50 and also shattered the world record in the 200 IM with a time of 2:01.63.

3.Regan Smith

Regan Smith also had a successful World Cup, breaking world records herself. She set three world records—two in the 100 backstroke and one in the 200 backstroke. She carried this momentum into the World Championships, where she won gold in all the backstroke events, as well as the 400 medley relay.

She broke the world record in the 50 backstroke with a time of 25.23, in the 100 backstroke as the leadoff for the 400 medley relay with a time of 54.02 and in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:58.04.

4.Luke Hobson

Luke Hobson, currently a senior at the University of Texas, earned gold in the 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay and 800 freestyle relay at the World Championships. While Hobson did not compete in the World Cup, he has had major success in short-course yards. He is a five-time national champion, winning titles in the 200 freestyle in 2023 and 2024, the 500 freestyle in 2023 and the 800 freestyle relay in 2022 and 2023.

At the Swimming World Championships, Hobson broke the world record in the 200 freestyle as the leadoff for the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 1:38.91, then lowered it further when he swam the event individually, recording a time of 1:38.61.