Women's 5km

Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA)

Ana Marcela Cunha won the women's 5km and 10km events at the FINA World Championships in 2019. She took bronze in this event in 2013 and 2015 and can become the first woman to win four medals in the women's 5km.

Cunha has won five gold medals in individual events at the FINA World Championships, only one behind record-holder Thomas Lurz (GER, 6).

Lurz (11) is also the only open water swimmer to have won as many medals in individual events at the FINA World Championships as Cunha (10).


Aurélie Muller (FRA)

Aurélie Muller finished second in the women's 5km event at three world aquatics championships (2011, 2017, 2019). It is the most medals for an open water swimmer in a specific event without having won gold at the world aquatics championships.

Only Thomas Lurz took more silver medals in a specific event on more occasions: G1-S4-B0 in the men's 10km.

Muller (G2-S1-B0) was the most successful athlete at the world aquatics championships in Budapest in 2017.


Other contenders

Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED) won the women's 5km event at the last two European championships, including at Budapest's Lupa Lake in 2021.

Van Rouwendaal can become the first Dutch woman to win a gold medal in the 5km at the world aquatics championships.

Mira Szimcsák (HUN) could win the first gold medal for Hungary in a women's event in open water swimming at the world aquatics championships.

United States has won a record four gold medals and seven total medals in the women's 5km event at the world aquatics championships.

Only Brazil (4 in women's 25km) won as many gold medals in a specific women's event as USA (4) in the women's 5km. Only Germany (11 in women's 25km) won as many total medals in a specific women's event as USA (7) in the women's 5km.

Germany (G0-S1-B4) won five medals in the women's 5km event, but it has yet to win gold in this event. Germany has won gold in all other open water swimming events at the world aquatics championships: the women's 10km and 25km, the men's 5km, 10km an 25km and the mixed team event.

Italy hopes to win its first medal in the women's 5km event at the world aquatics championships since Viola Valli (ITA) won the country's only two medals in this event: gold in 2001 and 2003.

 

Men's 5km

Florian Wellbrock (GER)

Florian Wellbrock can become the second German winner in the men's 5km at the world aquatics championships, after Thomas Lurz (GER, 4). Plus, the 1500m short course world champion and world record holder has a turn of pace that none of the other main contenders can match. Oh, he's also an Olympic champion in open water. 

Kristóf Rasovszky (HUN)

Kristóf Rasovszky won the men's 5km at the world aquatics championships in 2019. Thomas Lurz (GER, 4) is the only man to win this event at multiple world aquatics championships.

Rasovszky can join Shelley Taylor-Smith (AUS, women's 25km) in Perth in 1991 and Valerio Cleri (ITA, men's 25km) in Rome in 2009 as open water swimmers to have won gold in home water at the world aquatics championships.

Only Germany (4) and Russia (2) have won multiple gold medals in the men's 5km at the world aquatics championships.


Marc-Antoine Olivier (FRA)

Marc-Antoine Olivier (FRA) won the men's 5km at the world championships in Budapest in 2017. He can join Thomas Lurz (GER, 4) as only men to win this event at multiple world aquatics championships.

Prior to these world aquatics championships, there had been seven athletes - in swimming, diving and water polo - to have won gold in the same host city at different world aquatics championships, in Perth (1991 and 1998) and in Barcelona (2003 and 2013). This has never been achieved in open water swimming at the world aquatics championships.


Other contenders

Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR) could win the first medal for Ukraine in open water swimming at the world aquatics championships.

Eric Hedlin (CAN, G0-S1-B1) can join Lurz (5) and Spyridon Gianniotis (GRE, 3) in winning at least three medals in the men's 5km event at the world aquatics championships.

Only Germany (7) and Russia (6) have won as many medals in the men's 5km event at the world aquatics championships as Italy (G1-S1-B4). Italy won its gold medal in this event in 2001.

Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) won the men's 5km and 10km events held at Lake Lupa at the European championships in Budapest in 2021.

Until 2022, Paltrinieri had won seven medals in swimming at the world aquatics championships (men's 800m and 1500m events), and one in open water swimming (silver in mixed team relay in 2019).

Paltrinieri claimed medals in swimming and open water swimming at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He could become the second man, after Wellbrock, to achieve this feat at the world aquatics championships.

Logan Fontaine (FRA) took silver in the men's 5km event at the world aquatics championships in 2019. Gianniotis is the only swimmer who finished second in this event on two occasions.