World
World Aquatics makes history with record athlete prize money in 2024
After a golden swim in the Men’s 100m Individual Medley on night four of the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) – Budapest 2024, Switzerland’s Noe Ponti quipped to the media: “I’d like to race Gretchen’s programme.”
Moments earlier, USA’s Gretchen Walsh had won gold in the Women’s 100m Individual Medley in World Record time – her sixth World Record at that time of the Championships.
Ponti’s joking remark was based on economics: big performances at World Aquatics events can lead to big paydays.
Image Source: Regan Smith celebrates winning the Double Crown and setting the World Record in the Women’s 200m Backstroke Final in Budapest (Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics)
In a landmark moment for the sport, World Aquatics awarded a record amount of prize money to swimmers this year.
In 2024, 319 swimmers earned $7.1 million at World Aquatics events. Aquatics athletes earned $11.1 million at World Aquatics events in 2024, the most in the organisation’s 116-year history. These figures reflect the sport’s continued growth and the organisation’s pledge to reinvest in its athletes.
This unprecedented performance-based payout is a game-changing investment, and the results speak volumes: a stunning number of World Records were shattered in the pool in 2024.
The recently concluded World Aquatics Championships made history as the event with the highest number of World Records ever broken at a Championships in the 25m pool with a remarkable 30.
Athletes worldwide have hailed this move, emphasising how the increased prize money provides financial support and a source of motivation.
Image Source: Summer Mcintosh of Team Canada poses with the World Aquatics Female Swimmer of the Year Award given out on the final night of the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest (David Balogh/Getty Images)
Summer McIntosh, the Canadian star who was just yesterday named the World Aquatics Female Athlete of the Year 2024, applauded the added incentive as a way to inspire athletes and attract new audiences:
“I think it’s awesome to have that extra bit of motivation. Having that prize money is super, super cool. The more viewers of the sport, the better it is. To see the sport’s growth is amazing. I love training, racing, and watching it. The additional prize money is a great way to bump it up and keep things interesting.”
“To see the sport’s growth is amazing. I love training, racing, and watching it. The additional prize money is a great way to bump it up and keep things interesting.”
Image Source: Gretchen Walsh (centre) with USA’s Kate Douglass and France’s Beryl Gastaldello on the Women’s 100m Medley podium in Budapest (David Balogh/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, USA record-breaker Gretchen Walsh, who went to to finish World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) with a remarkable eleven (nine individual and two relay) World Records, shared her thoughts on the impact of increasing pay days:
“I’m really happy (World Aquatics) are giving back to the community, letting swimmers achieve their dreams…Whether we like it or not, prize money is totally an incentive to make people go fast.
“The sport is growing. I’m happy to be a part of that growth.”
Image Source: Noe Ponti of Switzerland celebrates after winning in Men’s 100m Butterfly Final in a World Record time in Budapest (David Balogh/Getty Images)
For Noe Ponti, the Swiss swimming star who also closes out the year with multiple World Records to his name, stated that the record-breaking prize money reflects a promising shift for the sport:
“I am happy it’s going in this direction. For us athletes, it’s motivation. It’s nice that swimming is growing, it is a very exciting time for the sport. There are lots of records being broken—and maybe even more to come.”
Image Source: Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics
Mary-Sophie Harvey, who earned a second-place finish in the women’s 200m freestyle at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m), shared her excitement about the growing potential for swimming careers.
“It’s so good, honestly. I think we can always improve, but for me, personally, it’s the first time I’m actually making money at the end of the year with swimming,” Harvey said. “This year has shown me that swimming can be my job. It’s exciting for the future, and, hopefully, this will inspire younger swimmers to see that they can make a career out of swimming too.”
Image Source: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
Meanwhile, Jordan Crooks made history at the Duna Arena, defending his world title in the men’s 50m freestyle and shattering World Records along the way not once, but twice. First, he set a new record of 20.08 seconds in the 50m free heat. He then smashed the World Record again in the semifinals, becoming the first swimmer to swim a sub-20-second 50m, finishing in 19.90 seconds.
Reflecting on swimming’s increasing global visibility and the impact of prize money, Crooks said, “Swimming as a sport is definitely growing. Everyone knows who Michael Phelps is, but it’s slowly becoming one of those sports where people who know nothing about swimming recognise the names. The financial aspect definitely helps, providing athletes with more incentive.”
With more money than ever before flowing back into the aquatics community, World Aquatics is transforming the future of the sport.
The 20 highest-earning swimmers of 2024, based solely on prize money and performance bonuses at World Aquatics events, are:
| Ranking | Swimmer | Prize Money (USD) |
| 1 | Kate DOUGLASS | $ 343,000.00 |
| 2 | Regan SMITH | $ 285,000.00 |
| 3 | Noe PONTI | $ 277,000.00 |
| 4 | Gretchen WALSH | $ 275,000.00 |
| 5 | Leon MARCHAND | $ 174,000.00 |
| 6 | Siobhan HAUGHEY | $ 132,400.00 |
| 7 | Summer MCINTOSH | $ 113,100.00 |
| 8 | Qianting TANG | $ 111,100.00 |
| 9 | Pieter COETZE | $ 75,500.00 |
| 10 | Claire CURZAN | $ 75,000.00 |
| 11 | Mary-Sophie HARVEY | $ 74,000.00 |
| 12 | Haiyang QIN | $ 72,000.00 |
| 13 | Luke HOBSON | $ 70,000.00 |
| 14 | Isaac COOPER | $ 68,400.00 |
| 15 | Duncan SCOTT | $ 67,500.00 |
| 16 | Jordan CROOKS | $ 67,000.00 |
| 17 | Alberto RAZZETTI | $ 66,900.00 |
| 18 | Zhanle PAN | $ 60,800.00 |
| 19 | Isabel GOSE | $ 57,000.00 |
| 20 | Katarzyna WASICK | $ 56,100.00 |
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