This is an overview of the women's swimming champions in individual events at the Olympics and the World Aquatics Championships. These tournaments are the only global long course (50 meter pool) swimming championships organized by world swimming federation FINA. This list gives an overview of the dominant swimmers throughout the history of swimming.
Currently, the Olympic program includes 14 individual events, and the World Championships program 17. These numbers were lower in the past, as shown in the table.
Asterisks (*) link to the event article. Use the sort function in the left-hand column to separate Olympics and World Championships.
YearFreestyleBackstrokeBreaststrokeButterflyIndividual medley 50 m 100 m 200 m 400 m 800 m 1500 m 50 m 100 m 200 m 50 m 100 m 200 m 50 m 100 m 200 m 200 m 400 mOG 1912–Durack*–––––––––––––––OG 1920–Bleibtrey*–Bleibtrey* –––––––––––––OG 1924–Lackie*–Norelius*–––Bauer*–––Morton*–––––OG 1928–Osipowich*–Norelius*–––Braun*–––Schrader*–––––OG 1932–Madison*–Madison*–––Holm*–––Dennis*–––––OG 1936–Mastenbroek*–Mastenbroek*–––Senff*–––Maehata*–––––OG 1948–Andersen*–Curtis*–––Harup*–––van Vliet*–––––OG 1952–Szőke*–Gyenge*–––Harrison*–––Székely*–––––OG 1956–Fraser*–Crapp*–––Grinham*–––Happe*–Mann*–––OG 1960–Fraser*–von Saltza*–––Burke*–––Lonsbrough*–Schuler*–––OG 1964–Fraser*–Duenkel*–––Ferguson*–––Prozumensh-chikova*–Stouder*––de Varona*OG 1968–Henne*Meyer*Meyer*Meyer*––Hall*Watson*–Bjedov*Wichman*–McClements*Kok*Kolb*Kolb*OG 1972–Neilson*Gould*Gould*Rothhammer*––Belote*Belote *–Carr*Whitfield*–Aoki*Moe*Gould*Neall*WC 1973–Ender*Rothhammer*Greenwood*Calligaris*––Richter*Belote*–Vogel*Vogel*–Ender*Kother*Hübner*Wegner*WC 1975–Ender*Babashoff*Babashoff*Turrall*––Richter*Treiber*–Anke*Anke*–Ender*Kother*Heddy*Tauber*OG 1976–Ender*Ender*Thümer*Thümer*––Richter*Richter*–Anke*Kosheveya*–Ender*Pollack*–Tauber*WC 1978–Krause*Woodhead*Wickham*Wickham*––Jezek*Jezek*–Bogdanova*Kačiušytė*–Pennington*Caulkins*Caulkins*Caulkins*OG 1980–Krause*Krause*Diers*Ford*––Reinisch*Reinisch*–Geweniger*Kačiušytė*–Metschuck*Geissler*–Schneider*WC 1982–Meineke*Verstappen*Schmidt*Linehan*––Otto*Sirch*–Geweniger*Varganova*–Meagher*Geissler*Schneider*Schneider*OG 1984–Steinseifer & Hogshead*Wayte*Cohen*Cohen*––Andrews*de Rover*–van Staveren*Ottenbrite*–Meagher*Meagher*Caulkins *Caulkins *WC 1986Costache*Otto*Friedrich * Friedrich *Strauss*––Mitchell*Sirch*–Gerasch*Hörner*–Gressler*Meagher*Otto*Nord*OG 1988Otto*Otto*Friedrich*Evans*Evans*––Otto*Egerszegi*–Danga-lakova*Hörner*–Otto*Nord*Hunger*Evans*WC 1991Zhuang*Haislett*Lewis*Evans*Evans*––Egerszegi*Egerszegi*–Frame*Volkova*–Qian*Sanders*Lin*Lin*OG 1992Yang*Zhuang*Haislett*Hase*Evans*––Egerszegi*Egerszegi*–Rudkov-skaya*Iwasaki*–Hong*Sanders*Lin*Egerszegi*WC 1994Le*Le*van Almsick*Yang*Evans*––He*He*–Riley*Riley*–Liu*Liu*Lü*Dai*OG 1996Van Dyken*Le*Poll*Smith*Bennett*––Botsford*Egerszegi*–Heyns*Heyns*–Van Dyken*O'Neill*Smith*Smith*WC 1998Van Dyken*Thompson*Poll*Chen*Bennett*––Loveless-Maurer*Maracineanu*–Kowal*Kovács*–Thompson*O'Neill*Wu*Chen*OG 2000de Bruijn*de Bruijn*O'Neill*Bennett*Bennett*––Mocanu*Mocanu*–Quann*Kovács*–de Bruijn*Hyman*Klochkova*Klochkova*WC 2001de Bruijn*de Bruijn*Rooney*Klochkova*Stockbauer*Stockbauer*Cope*Coughlin*Mocanu*Luo*Luo*Kovács*de Bruijn*Thomas*Thomas*Bowen*Klochkova*WC 2003de Bruijn*Seppälä*Popchanka*Stockbauer*Stockbauer*Stockbauer*Zhivan-evskaya*Busch-schulte*Sexton*Luo*Luo*Beard*de Bruijn*Thompson*Jędrzejczak*Klochkova*Klochkova*OG 2004de Bruijn*Henry*Potec*Manaudou*Shibata*––Coughlin*Coventry*–Luo*Beard*–Thomas*Jędrzejczak*Klochkova*Klochkova*WC 2005Lenton*Henry*Figuès*Manaudou*Ziegler*Ziegler*Rooney*Coventry*Coventry*Edmistone*Jones*Jones*Miatke*Schipper*Jędrzejczak*Hoff*Hoff*WC 2007Lenton*Lenton*Manaudou*Manaudou*Ziegler*Ziegler*Vaziri*Coughlin*Hoelzer*Hardy*Jones*Jones*Alshammar*Lenton*Schipper*Hoff*Hoff*OG 2008Steffen*Steffen*Pellegrini*Adlington*Adlington*––Coughlin*Coventry*–Jones*Soni*–Trickett*Liu*Rice*Rice*WC 2009Steffen*Steffen*Pellegrini*Pellegrini*Friis*Filippi*Zhao*Spofforth*Coventry*Yefimova*Soni*Higl*Guehrer*Sjöström*Schipper*Kukors*Hosszú*WC 2011Alshammar*Ottesen & Gerasimenya*Pellegrini*Pellegrini*Adlington*Friis*Zuyeva*Zhao*Franklin*Hardy*Soni*Soni*Dekker*Vollmer*Jiao*Ye*Beisel*OG 2012Kromo-widjojo*Kromo-widjojo*Schmitt*Muffat*Ledecky*––Franklin*Franklin*–Meilutytė*Soni*–Vollmer*Jiao*Ye*Ye*WC 2013Kromo-widjojo*C.Campbell*Franklin*Ledecky*Ledecky*Ledecky*Zhao*Franklin*Franklin*Yefimova*Meilutytė*Yefimova*Ottesen*Sjöström*Liu*Hosszú*Hosszú*WC 2015B.Campbell*B.Campbell*Ledecky*Ledecky*Ledecky*Ledecky*Fu*Seebohm*Seebohm*Johansson*Yefimova*Watanabe*Sjöström*Sjöström*Hoshi*Hosszú*Hosszú*OG 2016Blume*Manuel & Oleksiak*Ledecky*Ledecky*Ledecky*––Hosszú*DiRado*–King*Kaneto*–Sjöström*Belmonte*Hosszú*Hosszú*WC 2017Sjöström*Manuel*Pellegrini*Ledecky*Ledecky*Ledecky*Medeiros*Masse*Seebohm*King*King*Yefimova*Sjöström*Sjöström*Belmonte*Hosszú*Hosszú*WC 2019Manuel*Manuel*Pellegrini*Titmus*Ledecky*Quadarella*Smoliga*Masse*Smith*King*King*Yefimova*Sjöström*MacNeil*Kapás*Hosszú*Hosszú *OG 2020McKeon*McKeon*Titmus*Titmus*Ledecky*Ledecky*–McKeown*McKeown*–Jacoby*Schoenmaker*–MacNeil*Zhang*Ohashi*Ohashi*WC 2022Sjöström*O'Callaghan*Yang*Ledecky*Ledecky*Ledecky*Masse*Smith*McKeown*Meilutytė*Pilato*King*Sjöström*Huske*McIntosh*A Walsh*McIntosh*WC 2023Sjöström*O'Callaghan*O'Callaghan*Titmus*Ledecky*Ledecky*McKeown*McKeown*McKeown*Meilutytė*Meilutytė*Schoenmaker*Sjöström*Zhang*McIntosh*Douglass*McIntosh*WC 2024Sjöström*Steenbergen*Haughey*Fairweather*Quadarella*Quadarella*Curzan*Curzan*Curzan*Meilutytė*Tang*Schouten*Sjöström*Köhler*Stephens*Douglass*Colbert*OG 2024Sjöström*Sjöström*O'Callaghan*Titmus*Ledecky*Ledecky*–McKeown*McKeown*–Smith*Douglass*–Huske*McIntosh*McIntosh*McIntosh*WC 2025Harris*Steenbergen*O'Callaghan*McIntosh*Ledecky*Ledecky*Berkoff*McKeown*McKeown*Meilutytė*Elendt*Douglass*G Walsh*G Walsh*McIntosh*McIntosh*McIntosh*
Note: Only events that are presently contested have their own column in the above table. At the 1920 Olympics, a 300-meter freestyle event was held. The champion in this event has been placed in the 400-meter freestyle column.
Title leaders The leaders in these events are listed below. All swimmers with at least three individual titles are included. Note that this list favors more recent swimmers due to the increasing number of events held, and the introduction and increasing frequency of the World Championships.
Asterisks (*) and bold denote active swimmers Rank Name Yearof birth Totaltitles OlympicGames WorldChampionships Time span 1. Katie Ledecky* 1997 26 8 18 2012–2025 (14) 2. Sarah Sjöström* 1993 17 3 14 2009–2024 (16) 3. Katinka Hosszú 1989 12 3 9 2009–2019 (11) 4. Summer McIntosh* 2006 11 3 8 2022–2025 (4) 5. Kaylee McKeown*200110462021–2025 (5)6. Inge de Bruijn 1973 9 4 5 2000–2004 (5) 7. Yana Klochkova 1982 8 4 4 2000–2004 (5)8. Krisztina Egerszegi 1974 7 5 2 1988–1996 (9) Janet Evans 1971 7 4 3 1988–1994 (7) Kristin Otto 1966 7 4 3 1982–1988 (7) Kornelia Ender 1958 7 3 4 1973–1976 (4) Federica Pellegrini 1988 7 1 6 2008–2019 (12) Rūta Meilutytė* 1997 7 1 6 2012–2025 (14)14. Missy Franklin 1995 6 2 4 2011–2013 (3) Lilly King 1997 6 1 5 2016–2022 (7) Yuliya Yefimova* 1992 6 0 6 2009–2019 (11)17. Ariarne Titmus 2000 5 3 2 2019–2024 (6) Tracy Caulkins 1963 5 2 3 1978–1984 (7) Kirsty Coventry 1983 5 2 3 2004–2009 (6) Rebecca Soni 1987 5 2 3 2008–2012 (5) Luo Xuejuan 1984 5 1 4 2001–2004 (4) Leisel Jones 1985 5 1 4 2005–2008 (4) Libby Trickett (Lenton) 1985 5 1 4 2005–2008 (4) Mollie O'Callaghan* 2004 5 1 4 2022–2025 (4) Hannah Stockbauer 1982 5 0 5 2001–2003 (3)26. Brooke Bennett 1980 4 3 1 1996–2000 (5) Ulrike Richter 1959 4 2 2 1973–1976 (4) Mary T. Meagher 1964 4 2 2 1982–1986 (5) Natalie Coughlin 1982 4 2 2 2001–2008 (8) Britta Steffen 1983 4 2 2 2008–2009 (2) Laure Manaudou 1986 4 1 3 2004–2007 (4) Simone Manuel* 1996 4 1 3 2016–2019 (4) Kate Douglass* 2001 4 1 3 2023–2025 (3) Kate Ziegler 1988 4 0 4 2005–2007 (3) Katie Hoff 1989 4 0 4 2005–2007 (3)36. Dawn Fraser 1937 3 3 0 1956–1964 (9) Debbie Meyer 1952 3 3 0 1968 (1) Shane Gould 1956 3 3 0 1972 (1) Michelle Smith 1969 3 3 0 1996 (1) Melissa Belote 1956 3 2 1 1972–1973 (2) Barbara Krause 1959 3 2 1 1978–1980 (3) Amy Van Dyken 1973 3 2 1 1996–1998 (3) Susie O'Neill 1973 3 2 1 1996–2000 (5) Diana Mocanu 1984 3 2 1 2000–2001 (2) Rebecca Adlington 1989 3 2 1 2008–2011 (4) Ranomi Kromowidjojo 1990 3 2 1 2012–2013 (2) Ye Shiwen* 1996 3 2 1 2011–2012 (2) Tatjana Smith 1997 3 2 1 2021–2024 (4) Hannelore Anke 1957 3 1 2 1975–1976 (2) Petra Schneider 1963 3 1 2 1980–1982 (3) Heike Friedrich 1970 3 1 2 1986–1988 (3) Lin Li 1970 3 1 2 1991–1992 (2) Petria Thomas 1975 3 1 2 2001–2004 (4) Ágnes Kovács 1981 3 1 2 1998–2001 (4) Otylia Jędrzejczak 1983 3 1 2 2003–2005 (3) Jenny Thompson 1973 3 0 3 1998–2003 (6) Jessicah Schipper 1986 3 0 3 2005–2009 (5) Zhao Jing 1990 3 0 3 2009–2013 (5) Emily Seebohm 1992 3 0 3 2015–2017 (3) Kylie Masse* 1996 3 0 3 2017–2022 (6) Simona Quadarella* 1998 3 0 3 2019–2024 (6) Claire Curzan* 2004 3 0 3 2024 (1)
See also List of individual gold medalists in swimming at the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships (men) List of gold medalist relay teams in swimming at the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women) List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women) List of top Olympic gold medalists in swimming
References HistoFINA Swimming Medallists And Statistics At Olympic Games, January 31, 2015 HistoFINA Swimming Medallists And Statistics At FINA World Championships (50m), December 3, 2015 Sports-reference Olympic medalists