Men's 50m Butterfly

Caeleb Dressel (USA)

Coming into these FINA World Championships, Caeleb Dressel had won 13 gold medals at the world aquatics championships, fourth-most all-time, after Michael Phelps (26), Ryan Lochte (18) and Katie Ledecky (15).

Dressel won the men's 50m butterfly at the world aquatics championships in 2019, ahead of Oleg Kostin (RUS) and Nicholas Santos (BRA).

Two men won this event multiple times at the world aquatics championships: Roland Schoeman (RSA, 2005 and 2007) and Cesar Cielo (BRA, 2011 and 2013).

Nicholas Santos (BRA)

Nicholas Santos, 42 years old, can become the first swimmer to claim a medal at the world aquatics championships after his 40th birthday.

Santos is already the oldest swimmer to grab a medal at the world aquatics championships, as he took bronze in this event in 2019 at age 39.

Santos also claimed two silver medals in this event at the world aquatics championships (2015, 2017). Santos (G0-S2-B1) and Ian Crocker (USA, G0-S3-B0) share the record for most medals claimed in the men's 50m butterfly at the world aquatics championships.

Santos can become the fifth swimmer representing Brazil to win a gold medal at the world aquatics championships and the first since Etiene Medeiros in the women's 50m backstroke in 2017.

At the Abu Dhabi 2021 FINA World Championships Short Course, Santos won the gold medal in the men's 50m butterfly.


Other contenders

Benjamin Proud (GBR) won this event at the world aquatics championships in Budapest in 2017.

Szebasztián Szabó (HUN) can join László Cseh (HUN) as medal winner for Hungary in the men's 50m butterfly at the world aquatics championships. Cseh took bronze in this event in 2015.

Australia has won the men's 50m butterfly two times, in 2001 and 2003. It claimed its last medal in this event in 2011 (silver and bronze).

Tzen Wei Teong (SGP) could become the second swimmer to win a medal for Singapore at the world aquatics championships, after Joseph Schooling (G0-S0-B2).

Men's 100m Breaststroke

Arno Kamminga (NED)

The 17 fastest times in the men's 100m breaststroke (long course) are all held by Adam Peaty (GBR), who will not compete at the 2022 FINA World Championships due to injury.

Arno Kamminga is next on the list with the 18th fastest time: 57.80 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (silver behind Peaty). No other swimmer has joined the sub-58 club.

Peaty claimed the gold medal in the men's 100m breaststroke at the last three world aquatics championships (2015-2019) as well as the two most recent Olympic Games (2016, 2020).

The last male swimmer other than Peaty to win the 100m breaststroke at the world aquatics championships was Christian Sprenger (AUS) in 2013.

The only Dutch swimmers - male or female - to win a gold medal in a breaststroke event at the Olympic Games or world aquatics championships are Nel van Vliet (London 1948 Olympic Games) and Petra van Staveren (Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games).

Wijda Mazereeuw (NED) is the only Dutch swimmer - male or female - to claim a medal in the 100m breaststroke at the world aquatics championships. She won silver at the 1975 FINA World Championships in Cali.

The last Dutch male swimmer to compete in the final of the men's 100m breaststroke at the world aquatics championships was Ron Dekker in 1991 (8th in Perth).


Michael Andrew (USA)

Michael Andrew is the third-fastest man all-time in the men's 100m breaststroke (long course), behind Peaty and Kamminga. He set a personal record of 58.14 at the US Olympic Team Trials in June 2021 (26th-fastest time in history).

Andrew came fourth in the men's 100m breaststroke at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Andrew (58.84) fell 0.51 seconds short of a medal.

United States has won the men's 100m breaststroke a joint-record four times at the world aquatics championships (Great Britain also 4 times), but not since Brendan Hansen in 2005 and 2007.

The only medal for a US male swimmer in the men's 100m breaststroke at the at the world aquatics championships since Hansen's second world title is a silver medal by Kevin Cordes in Budapest in 2017.

Other contenders

Nicolò Martinenghi (ITA) was the bronze medallist in this event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on 26 July 2021.

Martinenghi could hand Italy (G0-S3-B1) its first gold medal in the men's 100m breaststroke at the world aquatics championships. Italy's most recent medal in this event was a bronze by Fabio Scozzoli in 2011.

James Wilby (GBR) finished second behind Adam Peaty in the men's 100m breaststroke at the world aquatics championships in 2019. Great Britain has only won the men's 50m breaststroke as many times (4) as the men's 100m breaststroke (4) in all sports at the world aquatics championships.

Yan Zibei (CHN) took bronze in the men's 100m breaststroke at the world aquatics championships in 2019. He could become the first Chinese man to win gold in a breaststroke event at the world aquatics championships.

Kosuke Kitajima (JPN, 2003) is the only swimmer representing an Asian country to have won the men's 100m breaststroke at the world aquatics championships.

Nic Fink (USA, 28 years old) set the fastest time of the year (58.37) at the US trials on 29 April. The oldest man to win gold in the men's 100m breaststroke at the world aquatics championships was Christian Sprenger (27 years) in 2013.