Diving The diving program consisted of 10 events (5 male and 5 female). Diving was contested at the
Shanghai Oriental Sports Center from July 16–24. China came out on top in the gold medal count in the diving swimming competition with ten golds, winning all events. On the first day of competition on July 16, host nation China won the first gold medal of the meet in the
women's 3 m synchro springboard. The duo of
Wu Minxia and
He Zi had a score of 356.40 to win by more than 40 points ahead of Canadians
Émilie Heymans and
Jennifer Abel. On the second day of competition, the Chinese duo of
Qiu Bo and
Huo Liang won gold in the
men's 10 m synchro platform with a score of 480.03. On the third day of competition, two finals were held. In the
men's 1 m springboard, China continued its strong performance with a 1-2 finish, with
Li Shixin winning the gold and
He Min winning the silver. In the
women's 10 m synchro platform, the Chinese duo of
Wang Hao and
Chen Ruolin won gold with a score of 362.58 points. On the fourth day of competition, two finals were held and China continued its dominance. In the
women's 1 m springboard, China finished 1-2 with
Shi Tingmao winning the gold and
Wang Han taking the silver. In the
men's 3 m synchro springboard, the Chinese duo of
Qin Kai and
Luo Yutong won the gold with a score of 463.98. On the fifth day of competition, China swept the
women's 10 m platform, with
Chen Ruolin winning the gold and
Hu Yadan winning the silver. On the sixth day of competition, China won gold in the
men's 3 m springboard. However, it was the first individual event in the diving competition in which China did not go 1-2, with Russian diver
Ilya Zakharov taking the silver. On the seventh day of competition, China won gold in the
women's 3 m springboard with
Wu Minxia taking the gold and
He Zi winning the silver. On the eight and last day of competition, China won gold in the
men's 10 m platform. In winning this event, China won all the possible golds in the diving competition.
Open water swimming was the most decorated open water swimmer with three medals.|150px The open water swimming competition featured 7 events (3 male, 3 female, and a mixed team competition). The open water swimming competition was contested at the Jinshan City Beach from July 19–23. Germany came out on top in the gold medal count in the open water swimming competition with one gold, two silvers, and one bronze. On the first day of competition on July 19, British
Keri-Anne Payne won the first gold of the open water competition in the
women's 10 km. On the second day of competition, Greek
Spyridon Gianniotis won the gold in the
men's 10 km, finishing ahead of German
Thomas Lurz. On the third day of competition, the American threesome of
Andrew Gemmell,
Ashley Twichell and
Sean Ryan won gold in the
5 km team event in a tallied time of 57:00.6. On the fourth day of competition, two events were held, the women's and men's 5 km. In the
women's 5 km, Swiss
Swann Oberson won the gold in a time of 1:00:39.7. In the
men's 5 km, German
Thomas Lurz won gold in a time of 56:16.2. On the fifth and last day of competition, two events were held, the men's and women's 25 km. In the
men's 25 km, Bulgarian
Petar Stoychev won the gold in a time of 5:10:39.8. In the
women's 25 km, Brazilian
Ana Marcela Cunha won the gold in a time of 5:29:22.9. Four women and 10 men who started the 25 km competition did not complete the race because water temperatures reached what FINA says is an unsafe level for competition.
Swimming The swimming competition featured races in a
long course (50 m) pool in 40 events (20 for males, 20 for females; 17 individual events and 3 relays for each gender). The events were held at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center from July 24–31. The United States lead the gold medal count in the swimming competition with sixteen golds. Overall, the United States came out on top in the swimming competition with twenty-nine medals. A total of two
world records were set during the swimming competition. Just two years ago, at the
2009 World Aquatics Championships in
Rome, 43 world records were set. This is attributed to high-tech bodysuits being banned in January 2010. American
Ryan Lochte won the most gold medals among the male competitors with five and was named the best male swimmer of the championships. American
Rebecca Soni won a total of three golds and one bronze medal and was named the best female swimmer of the championships. American
Michael Phelps had the most overall medals in the competition with seven (four golds, two silvers, one bronze).
Day one had a 52.46 split to overcome to Americans in the 4×100 m freestyle relay on day one.|150px On the first day of competition on July 24, four finals were contested, the women's and men's 400 m freestyle and women's and men's 4×100 m freestyle relay. In the
women's 400 m freestyle, Italian
Federica Pellegrini successfully defended her 2009 crown and crushed the field to win gold in a time of 4:01.97, over two seconds ahead of British
Rebecca Adlington. In the
men's 400 m freestyle, Korean
Park Tae-Hwan won the gold in a time of 3:42.04, over one second ahead of second-place finisher Chinese
Sun Yang. After the 400 m freestyle event was the women's and men's 4×100 m freestyle relay. In the
women's 4×100 m freestyle relay, the Dutch team of
Inge Dekker,
Ranomi Kromowidjojo,
Marleen Veldhuis, and
Femke Heemskerk finished ahead of the United States 3:33.96 to 3:34.47. Because of Heemskerk's 100 m split of 52.46, the Dutch were able to overcome the United States on the final leg. Next in the
men's 4×100 m freestyle relay, the Australian team of
James Magnussen,
Matthew Targett,
Matthew Abood, and
Eamon Sullivan won the gold in a time of 3:11.00. Magnussen jolted the Australians ahead in the first leg with a split of 47.49. American
Michael Phelps (whose team finished third) had the second-best start with a 48.08. After the race, Phelps said of Magnussen, "He's talented, he's young. I think it's going to make it exciting for the sport and add something else to that relay, that's for sure." No new world or competition records were set during day one.
Day two won gold in the 50 m butterfly on day two.|200px On the second day of competition on July 25, four finals were contested, the women's 100 m butterfly, men's 50 m butterfly, women's 200 m individual medley, and the men's 100 m breaststroke. In the first final of day two, the
women's 100 m butterfly, American
Dana Vollmer won the gold after posting the top times in the heats and semifinals. Vollmer's winning time of 56.87 was slower than her semifinal time of 56.47 but was still good enough for gold. In the
men's 50 m butterfly, Brazilian
César Cielo, just recently cleared to compete after failing a drug test, won in a time of 23.10. Cielo was very emotional after the race and sobbed uncontrollably. After he said, "This gold medal has a different feel from the other ones. This one was the hardest of my life." In the
women's 200 m individual medley, fifteen-year-old Chinese
Ye Shiwen won the gold in a time of 2:08.90 to give host nation China its first gold in the swimming competition. At the 150 mark, Ye was in fifth place but covered the last 50 metres in 29.42 to surge ahead of American
Ariana Kukors and Australian
Alicia Coutts for the win. In the
men's 100 m breaststroke Norwegian
Alexander Dale Oen won the gold in a time of 58.71. After the race, he pointed to the Norwegian flag on his swimming cap in reference to the
2011 Norway attacks. No new world or competition records were set during day two.
Day three On the third day of competition on July 26, five finals were contested, the men's 200 m freestyle, women's 100 m backstroke, women's 1500 m freestyle, men's 100 m backstroke, and the women's 100 m breaststroke. In the first final of day three, the
men's 200 m freestyle, American
Ryan Lochte won gold in a time of 1:44.44. Fellow American
Michael Phelps won the silver with a time of 1:44.79, his second consecutive silver in the event at a World Aquatics Championships. In the
women's 100 m backstroke, Chinese
Zhao Jing won the gold in a time of 59.05, just 1/100 of a second ahead of Russian
Anastasia Zuyeva. In the
women's 1500 m freestyle, Dane
Lotte Friis won the gold in 15:55.60, improving on her second-place finish in the event two year ago. In the
men's 100 m backstroke, Frenchmen
Camille Lacourt and
Jérémy Stravius had matching times of 52.76 to win gold. In the
women's 100 m breaststroke, American
Rebecca Soni dominated the field to win in a time of 1:05.05, over a second ahead of second-place finisher
Leisel Jones. No new world or competition records were set during day three.
Day four won her second individual gold medal in the 200 m freestyle on day four.|150px On the fourth day of competition on July 27, four finals were contested, the men's 200 m butterfly, women's 200 m freestyle, men's 800 m freestyle, and the men's 50 m breaststroke. In the first final of day four, the
men's 200 m butterfly, American
Michael Phelps won the gold with a time of 1:53.34, becoming the first swimmer to win five gold medals in one discipline at the World Aquatics Championships. In the
women's 200 m freestyle, Italian
Federica Pellegrini won her second gold medal of the meet and successfully defended her 2009 crown. In the
men's 800 m freestyle, Chinese
Sun Yang won his first ever world title with a time of 7:38.57. In the
men's 50 m breaststroke, Brazilian
Felipe França Silva won the gold in a time of 27.01. However, it was not without controversy as video showed Silva performed an illegal dolphin kick at the finish of the race. No new world or competition records were set during day four.
Day five set the first world record in the competition on day five.|150px On the fifth day of competition on July 28, five finals were contested, the men's 200 m individual medley, men's 100 m freestyle, women's 200 m butterfly, women's 50 m backstroke, and the women's 4×200 m freestyle relay. In the first final of day five, the
men's 200 m individual medley, American
Ryan Lochte set the first world record of the competition en route to winning gold with a time of 1:54.00 and successfully defended his 2009 title. After the race, Lochte said, "All I can say is summed up in one word ... Jeah! That's really all." American
Michael Phelps finished second in 1:54.16. In the
men's 100 m freestyle, Australian
James Magnussen continued his strong performance with gold in a time of 47.63, becoming the first Australian man to win the event. After the race, Magnussen said, "When I get back to Australia, I will be relaxing with my friends, and it will sound amazing to be called a world champion. It has been six weeks since I have gotten a good night's sleep. No Australian has won this race at the world championships before, so it is good to be in the same club as the legends of this sport." Defending champion
César Cielo finished in fourth place after fading badly the last 15 meters with a time of 48.01. In the
women's 200 m butterfly, Chinese
Jiao Liuyang won her first individual world title with a time of 2:05.55, just holding off Brit
Ellen Gandy who finished second in 2:05.59. In the
women's 50 m backstroke, Russian
Anastasia Zuyeva won the gold in a time of 27.79. In the
women's 4×200 m freestyle relay, the American team of
Missy Franklin,
Dagny Knutson,
Katie Hoff, and
Allison Schmitt won the gold with a time of 7:46.14. Leading off the relay, the sixteen-year-old Franklin recorded a time of 1:55.06, which was fast enough to win the individual 200 m freestyle (won in 1:55.58). One world record, set by Lochte in the 200 m individual medley, was set during day five.
Day six won her second individual gold medal in the 200 m breaststroke on day six.|140px On the sixth day of competition on July 29, five finals were contested, the women's 100 m freestyle, men's 200 m backstroke, women's 200 m breaststroke, men's 200 m breaststroke, and the men's 4×200 m freestyle relay. In the first final of day six, the
women's 100 m freestyle, Dane
Jeanette Ottesen and Belarusian
Aleksandra Gerasimenya tied for the gold medal with a time of 53.45. For Ottesen and Gerasimenya, it is the first ever individual world titles for them. In the
men's 200 m backstroke, American
Ryan Lochte continued his strong performance with a winning time of 1:52.96. Japanese
Ryosuke Irie finished second in 1:54.11. In the
women's 200 m breaststroke, American
Rebecca Soni won her second gold medal of the meet with a time of 2:21.47, slower than her semifinal time of 2:21.03, but still comfortably ahead of Russian
Yuliya Yefimova who finished in 2:22.22. In the
men's 200 m breaststroke, Hungarian
Dániel Gyurta successfully defended his 2009 title with a time of 2:08.41. Throughout the race, Japanese
Kosuke Kitajima lead the way and at 150 metre mark was leading Gyurta 1:34.22 to 1:34.71. However, Gyurta had superior comeback in the final 50 metres to overtake Kitajima for the win. Kitajima ended up second with a time of 2:08.63. In the final event of day six, the
men's 4×200 m freestyle relay, the American team of
Michael Phelps,
Peter Vanderkaay,
Ricky Berens, and
Ryan Lochte won the gold with a time of 7:02.67. At the 600 metre mark, the American team was trailing France 5:18.11 to 5:17.46. However, Lochte had a split of 1:44.56 to win it for the Americans. France's last leg,
Fabien Gilot could not keep up with Lochte and recorded a time of 1:47.35. France's final time was 7:04.81. Notably, China's relay team finished in third place with a time of 7:05.67, its first ever medal in the event. No new world or competition records were set during day six.
Day seven won the women's 50 m butterfly on day seven.|150px On the seventh day of competition on July 30, six finals were contested, the women's 50 m butterfly, men's 50 m freestyle, women's 200 m backstroke, men's 100 m butterfly, women's 800 m freestyle, and the women's 4×100 m medley relay. In the first final of day seven, the
women's 50 m butterfly, Dutch swimmer
Inge Dekker pulled an upset and won the gold ahead world record holder
Therese Alshammar 25.71 to 25.76. In the
men's 50 m freestyle, Brazilian
César Cielo successfully defended his 2009 title with a win in a time of 21.52. In the
women's 200 m backstroke, American
Missy Franklin dominated the competition with a
national record time of 2:05.10, almost a second ahead of second-place finisher
Belinda Hocking and nearly breaking the world record set in 2009. Franklin's time of 2:05.10 is the third-fastest ever in the event. In the
men's 100 m butterfly, American
Michael Phelps won the expected gold in a time of 50.71, his third consecutive title in the event (also winning in 2007 and 2009) and second individual title of the meet. In the
women's 800 m freestyle, Brit
Rebecca Adlington was able to hold off Dane
Lotte Friis for the win with a time of 8:17.51. Friis finished second with a time of 8:18.20. In the final event of day seven, the
women's 4×100 m medley relay, the American team of
Natalie Coughlin,
Rebecca Soni,
Dana Vollmer, and
Missy Franklin won the gold with a time of 3:52.36, over three seconds ahead of second-place finisher China. Their time was the second-fastest of all time and was just outside the Chinese owned world record of 3:52.19 from 2009. It was the first title for the American team since 1998. Notably, Franklin, who had just completed the 200 m backstroke, completed the freestyle leg in the medley relay in 52.79, the fastest freestyle leg in the field. No new world or competition records were set during day seven.
Day eight On the eighth day of competition on July 31, seven finals were contested, the women's 50 m breaststroke, men's 400 m individual medley, women's 50 m freestyle, men's 50 m backstroke, men's 1500 m freestyle, women's 400 m individual medley, and the men's 4×100 m medley relay. In the first final of day eight, the
women's 50 m breaststroke, American
Jessica Hardy outtouched Russian
Yuliya Yefimova for the gold medal 30.19 to 30.49. American
Rebecca Soni finished third in the race with a time of 30.58. In the
men's 400 m individual medley, American
Ryan Lochte won by over four seconds with a time of 4:07.13. It was Lochte's sixth medal of the competition and his fifth gold. After the race, Lochte said, "I'm so glad this meet is over ... It has been a long, long eight days. For the most part, I'm not really happy. I mean, it's definitely great to have won five golds, but I know I can go a lot faster." American
Tyler Clary earned a silver behind Lochte, repeating his 2009 result. In the
women's 50 m freestyle, Swede
Therese Alshammar won the gold in a time of 24.14. Dutch swimmers
Ranomi Kromowidjojo (24.27) and
Marleen Veldhuis (24.49) finished third and fourth, respectively. At 33, Alshammar is the oldest female world champion in history. In the
men's 50 m backstroke, Brit
Liam Tancock successfully defended his 2009 title with a time of 24.50. Tancock was pleased with the result but second-place finisher
Camille Lacourt of France said, "I'm not happy with the result ... That was a good chance for me to grab a gold. I will work hard to prepare for next year's Olympics." In the
men's 1500 m freestyle, Chinese
Sun Yang set the second world record of the competition en route to winning gold with a time of 14:34.14, improving Australian
Grant Hackett's 2001 record of 14:34.56 and improving on the bronze medal he got two years ago. After the race, Sun said, "With the London Games a year out, I will have to be more strict with myself and start back at zero. Hopefully, I can create miracles at the Olympics." Prior to this, Hackett's record was the longest standing record unbroken even with the "supersuits" of 2009. In the
women's 400 m individual medley, American
Elizabeth Beisel won her first ever world championship gold with a time of 4:31.78. Second-place finisher Brit
Hannah Miley finished over two seconds behind with a time of 4:34.22. In the final event of day eight, the
men's 4×100 m medley relay, the American team of
Nick Thoman,
Mark Gangloff,
Michael Phelps, and
Nathan Adrian won the gold with a time of 3:32.06. At the 300 metre mark, the Australian team was in fourth place but
James Magnussen has a split of 47.00 to get his team second place in 3:32.26. One world record, set by Sun in the 1500 m freestyle, was set during day eight.
World records The following
world records were established during the competition:
Synchronised swimming The synchronised swimming events were held at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center from July 17–23. Russia came out on top in the gold medal count in the synchronised swimming competition with seven golds, winning all events. On the first day of the synchronised swimming competition on July 17, Russia took the first gold in the
solo technical routine, with
Natalia Ishchenko winning with a score of 98.300. On the second day of competition, Russia picked up its second gold in the
duet technical routine, with Natalia Ishchenko and
Svetlana Romashina winning gold with a score of 98.200. On day three of the synchronised swimming competition, Russia continued its strong performance with gold in the
team technical routine with 98.300 points. On the fourth day of competition, Russia continued its dominance with Natalia Ishchenko picking up her third gold medal in the
solo free routine. On the fifth day of competition, Russia won its fifth gold in the
free routine combination and Natalia Ishchenko won her fourth individual gold, while Canada won its first medal. On the sixth day of competition, Russian
Natalia Ishchenko and
Svetlana Romashina won gold in the
duet free routine. Also, Ishchenko won her fifth individual gold of the competition. On the seventh and last day of competition, Russia won gold in the
team free routine with a score of 98.620 and Ishchenko won her sixth individual gold.
Water polo The water polo events were held at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center from July 17–30. In the
men's tournament, Italy upset the defending champions Serbia for the gold. In the
women's tournament, Greece won the gold over China. ==Participating nations==