Combined World Championships: Top Women’s Performances from Summer’s International Meets
Over the past several weeks, most of the world’s top swimmers have raced in their main long course competition for 2026. The Commonwealth Games came first in Glasgow, Scotland, before the European Championships in Paris and the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, Calif., took place simultaneously. While there will be a Short Course World Championships in December, the best way to determine the best long course swimmers of the year is to compare times from these three meets plus the upcoming Asian Games.
Below are the top-five times recorded in finals at the three recent international meets. Swimmers who raced at two of these competitions are considered with their fastest finals time between the two opportunities, and only the top two swimmers per country were ranked. These competitions took place under different circumstances with different event programs, but this mythical World Championships show how the swimmers stack up.
We begin with the women’s events, where Australia’s Lani Pallister each topped the standings in three individual events while Americans Gretchen Walsh and Katharine Berkoff led the way in two each. This list includes two world-record-breaking performances: the stunning 23.19 from Kate Douglass in the 50 freestyle at Pan Pacs and the 26.56 from Sara Curtis in the 50 backstroke at the European meet.
Notably, this list includes the B-final performance from Summer McIntosh in the 400 free at Pan Pacs. Additionally, Douglass clocked 51.69 in the 100 free, just one hundredth off the world record, but that time is not included since it came on a relay leadoff. Douglass would be first in that event if she was on the list.
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
50 Freestyle
- Kate Douglass (USA), 23.19 – Pan Pacs
- Gretchen Walsh (USA), 23.74 – Pan Pacs
- Kasia Wasick (POL), 23.84 – European Championships
- Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 23.86 – European Championships
- Meg Harris (AUS), 23.89 – Pan Pacs
100 Freestyle
- Marrit Steenbergen (NED), 51.90 – European Championships
- Meg Harris (AUS), 52.60 – Pan PAcs
- Milou Van Wijk (NED), 52.71 – European Championships
- Sara Curtis (ITA), 52.72 – European Championships
- Gretchen Walsh (USA), 52.78 – Pan Pacs
200 Freestyle
- Lani Pallister (AUS), 1:53.67 – Pan Pacs
- Summer McIntosh (CAN), 1:53.86 – Pan Pacs
- Barbora Seemanova (CZE), 1:54.38 – European Championships
- Marrit Steenbergen (NED), 1:54.65 – European Championships
- Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 1:54.66 – Commonwealth Games
400 Freestyle
- Lani Pallister (AUS), 3:58.42 – Pan Pacs
- Katie Ledecky (USA), 4:00.15 – Pan Pacs
- Summer McIntosh (CAN), 4:00.58 – Pan Pacs (B)
- Simona Quadarella (ITA), 4:01.34 – European Championships
- Erika Fairweather (NZL), 4:02.35 – Pan Pacs
800 Freestyle
- Lani Pallister (AUS), 8:06.10 – Pan Pacs
- Katie Ledecky (USA), 8:07.26 – Pan Pacs
- Simona Quadarella (ITA), 8:15.55 – European Championships
- Isabel Gose (GER), 8:18.44 – European Championships
- Erika Fairweather (NZL), 8:18.81 – Pan Pacs
1500 Freestyle
- Katie Ledecky (USA), 15:36.06 – Pan Pacs
- Lani Pallister (AUS), 15:38.62 – Pan Pacs
- Simona Quadarella (ITA), 15:46.22 – European Championships
- Isabel Gose (GER), 15:49.31 – European Championships
- Maya Werner (GER), 15:52.50 – European Championships
Sara Curtis — Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
50 Backstroke
- Sara Curtis (ITA), 26.56 – European Championships
- Katharine Berkoff (USA), 26.90 – Pan Pacs
- Mary-Ambre Moluh (FRA), 27.06 – European Championships
- Regan Smith (USA), 27.14 – Pan Pacs
- Lauren Cox (GBR), 27.15 – European Championships
100 Backstroke
- Katharine Berkoff (USA), 57.93 – Pan Pacs
- Mary-Ambre Moluh (FRA), 57.94 – European Championships
- Regan Smith (USA), 58.11 – Pan Pacs
- Taylor Ruck (CAN), 58.40 – Pan Pacs
- Marrit Steenbergen (NED), 58.46 – European Championships
200 Backstroke
- Regan Smith (USA), 2:05.57 – Pan Pacs
- Katie Shanahan (GBR), 2:06.13 – European Championships
- Claire Curzan (USA), 2:06.44 – Pan Pacs
- Peng Xuwei (CHN), 2:07.45 – Pan Pacs
- Camila Rebelo (POR), 2:07.62 – European Championships
50 Breaststroke
- Tang Qianting (CHN), 29.67 – Pan Pacs
- McKenzie Siroky (USA), 29.70 – Pan Pacs
- Skyler Smith (USA), 29.90 – Pan Pacs
- Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 29.93 – European Championships
- Benedetta Pilato (ITA), 29.94 – European Championships
100 Breaststroke
- Angharad Evans (GBR), 1:04.87 – European Championships
- McKenzie Siroky (USA), 1:05.32 – Pan Pacs
- Mona McSharry (IRL), 1:05.41 – European Championships
- Tang Qianting (CHN), 1:05.46 – Pan Pacs
- Satomi Suzuki (JPN), 1:05.65 – Pan Pacs
200 Breaststroke
- Evgeniia Chikunova (RUS), 2:19.32 – European Championships
- Angharad Evans (GBR), 2:21.21 – European Championships
- Alexanne Lepage (CAN), 2:21.73 – Pan Pacs
- Mona McSharry (IRL), 2:22.43 – European Championships
- Kate Douglass (USA), 2:22.57 – Pan Pacs
Gretchen Walsh — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
50 Butterfly
- Gretchen Walsh (USA), 24.65 – Pan Pacs
- Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 25.05 – European Championships
- Kate Douglass (USA), 25.06 – Pan Pacs
- Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL), 25.12 – European Championships
- Taylor Ruck (CAN), 25.23 – Pan Pacs
100 Butterfly
- Gretchen Walsh (USA), 55.15 – Pan Pacs
- Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL), 56.08 – European Championships
- Alex Perkins (AUS), 56.38 – Pan Pacs
- Angelina Kohler (GER), 56.39 – European Championships
- Daria Klepikova (RUS), 56.76 – European Championships
200 Butterfly
- Keanna Macinnes (GBR), 2:05.90 – European Championships
- Helena Rosendahl Bach (DEN), 2:06.14 – European Championships
- Brittany Castelluzzo (AUS), 2:06.24 – Pan Pacs
- Elizabeth Dekkers (AUS), 2:06.46 – Pan Pacs
- Laura Cabanes (ESP), 2:07.21 – European Championships
200 IM
- Yu Yiting (CHN), 2:07.45 – Pan Pacs
- Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2:07.47 – Pan Pacs
- Alex Walsh (USA), 2:07.66 – Pan Pacs
- Jenna Forrester (AUS), 2:09.24 – Commonwealth Games
- Regan Smith (USA) – 2:09.26 – Pan Pacs
400 IM
- Summer McIntosh (CAN), 4:28.01 – Pan Pacs
- Jenna Forrester (AUS), 4:31.19 – Commonwealth Games
- Agostina Hein (ARG), 4:32.53 – Pan Pacs
- Yu Yiting (CHN), 4:33.09 – Pan Pacs
- Amalie Smith (ENG/GBR), 4:33.70 – Commonwealth Games
400 Freestyle Relay
- United States (Douglass, Walsh, Huske, Manuel), 3:29.31 – Pan Pacs
- Australia (Harris, Perkins, Jansen, Wunsch), 3:31.11 – Pan Pacs
- Netherlands (van Wijk, de Jong, van Kalmthout, Steenbergen), 3:31.89 – European Championships
- Italy (Menicucci, Curtis, Tarantino, Mao), 3:33.19 – European Championships
- Russia (Klepikova, Kuznetsova, Gaifuntdinova, Manokhina), 3:33.69 – European Championships
800 Freestyle Relay
- Australia (Miller, Pallister, Casey, Jansen), 7:42.40 – Pan Pacs
- United States (Gemmell, Peplowski, Erisman, Ledecky), 7:43.10 – Pan Pacs
- Great Britain (Colbert, Wood, Schlosshan, Anderson), 7:45.93 – European Championships
- Hungary (Padar, Abraham, Kesely, Ugrai), 7:49.09 – European Championships
- Russia (Misharina, Diakova, Surushkina, Klepikova), 7:49.13 – European Championships
400 Medley Relay
- United States (Berkoff, Siroky, Walsh, Douglass), 3:50.43 – Pan Pacs
- Great Britain (Cox, Evans, MacInnes, Colbert), 3:53.50 – European Championships
- Italy (Curtis, Pilato, Gastaldi, Menicucci) – 3:53.60 – European Championships
- Russia (Gaitutdinova, Chikunova, Klepikova, Manokhina), 3:53.79 – European Championships
- Australia (Anderson, Toohey, Perkins, Harris), 3:54.25 – Commonwealth Games
Mixed 400 Medley Relay
- United States (Modglin, Mathias, Walsh, Douglass), 3:36.70 – Pan Pacs
- Australia (Anderson, Williamson, Temple, Harris), 3:39.30 – Pan Pacs
- France (Moluh, Aitkaci, Grousset, Wattel), 3:39.64 – European Championships
- Russia (Kolesnikov, Prigoda, Klepikova, Kuznetsova), 3:41.52 – European Championships
- Great Britain (Morgan, Ramsay-Peaty, Macinnes, Anderson) , 3:41.71 – European Championships
