How Many Swimmers Have Reclaimed A World Record?

In 2023, two swimmers managed to reclaim world records that had previously been theirs.

During the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Australia’s Ariarne Titmus won the women’s 400 freestyle in 3:55.38. In the process, she got back the world record she had lost four months earlier to Canada’s Summer McIntosh.

Also in Fukuoka, Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte set the women’s 50 breaststroke world record in  a time of 29.16. She was the world record holder in the event from 2013 to 2017, then she was surpassed by American Lilly King, and from 2021 onwards the world record was held by Italian Benedetta Pilato. Meilutyte reclaimed her record after six years.

If it happened twice this year, is reclaiming world records a common occurrence in swimming?

At least in recent years, it has not been frequent. In long course meters, before 2023, the last occasion had occurred in 2015, when South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh equaled Great Britain’s Adam Peaty‘s world record in the heats of the men’s 50 breaststroke at the World Championships in Gwangju, getting back the mark that had been his from 2009 to 2014.

But in the history of swimming, reclaiming world records is more frequent than perhaps one would suppose. Since World Aquatics was founded in 1908, there have been 153 occasions on which world record reclaimings have occurred in long course meters.

The first time was in 1924, when German Erich Rademacher set the men’s 200 breaststroke world record with 2:50.4, getting back the record he had lost two weeks earlier to American Bob Skelton.

In this century (since 2001), there have been 42 long course world records reclaimed by swimmers. Obviously, the 2008-2009 biennium, in the era of the supersuits, featured the majority of these occasions: 28 world records were reclaimed in those two years.

In the last 20 years, Aaron Peirsol and Kosuke Kitajima have managed to reclaim their records three times. Peirsol did it twice in the men’s 200 backstroke and once in the 100 backstroke. Kitajima, twice in the men’s 200 breaststroke and once in the 100 breaststroke.

Ruta Meilutyte is not the only one who has gotten back a world record after six years. Michael Phelps did it too, in the 100 butterfly. He had broken the world record in the semi-final of the 2003 World Championships, and lost it to Ian Crocker the following day, in the final. Phelps would only reclaim his record at the U.S. National Championships in 2009.

Swimmers who have gotten back their world records (LCM)

Since 2001