The 2023 World Aquatic Championships ended on July 30 after 17 days of heart-pounding performances from the top swimmers from around the world. A total number of 2,361 athletes from 191 nationalities took part in the 2023 World Swimming Championships. They had traveled to Fukuoka, Japan, with the single goal of winning a medal for their countries. Each of the swimmers tried to give their best performance and push their bodies to their limits.

Japan hosted the World Aquatic Championships after 22 years. They had been preparing for months in order to organize the greatest international competition in swimming. The 2023 World Aquatic Championships saw 75 events played out across six disciplines. This included diving, artistic swimming, open-water racing, water polo, and many more. Many veterans and swimming legends participated in the events held at Fukuoka. Among them were a few athletes who shined brighter than the rest. Given below are four such male swimmers who proved their worth in the 2023 Fukuoka Swimming World Championships.

Leon Marchand

The real excitement at the 2023 Fukuoka began when Leon Marchan shattered the long-standing record made by Michael Phelps. The French ace swimmer broke Phelps’ men’s 400 IM record. He finished the race in 4:02.50, which was 1.34 seconds quicker than Michael Phelps. Marchand won two more gold medals in Japan, solidifying his status as one of the top swimmers in the world. His impressive performances in the 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley events will remain as major highlights of the competition.

Marchand has been training under Bob Bowman to prepare for the 2023 World Championships. Bowman is a legendary swimming coach who has been credited with making the careers of many great swimmers, including Michael Phelps. Under Bowman’s tutelage, Marchand has been honing his skills. The 21-year-old French swimmer, although pleased with the results, still believes “there is always room for improvement”. With the three individual gold medals earned, Leon Marchand claimed the best male swimmer title at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.

Qin Haiyang

Qin Haiyang’s stellar performance in Japan has earned him the title “the Chinese firecracker.” He played a huge role in China’s dominance in the World Championships 2023. Haiyang won the gold in the 200m breaststroke event and shattered a world record in the process. He finished the race in 2:05.48, breaking the old record made by Australian legend Zac Stubblety-Cook. Haiyang maintained a lead from the very start and did not allow his competitors to close in on him. The 24-year-old swimmer was not nervous about swimming against the previous record holder. Stubblety-Cook came in second with a time of 2:06.40 and took home the silver medal. Haiyang was later asked by Olympics.com how he felt about destroying the old record. He said, “(It’s) not my dream. I dream of a 100 world record”.

Qin Haiyang also won the 50m and 100m breaststroke event in 2023 Fukuoka. This made him the first male swimmer to boast of a sweeping victory in the breaststroke events. Cook welcomed Haiyang into the elusive 2:05 club. He believes that Haiyang will be a force to match at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Qin Haiyang is not one to be satisfied with the past. He said, “When I take off the gold medals, it’s a new beginning”. The Chinese superstar is getting ready to make a splash yet again in Paris next year.

Bobby Finke

While all the swimming events give the athletes an opportunity to show their talent in the pool, none comes close to the 1500m freestyle. It is the hardest event and demands a lot of stamina from the swimmers. Bobby Finke was USA’s best swimmer in this category and has held the American record for the last three years. No American swimmer has been able to come close to his performance in the 800m and 1500m freestyle events. His competitors fear him for his impeccable strides in the end zone of the pool. Finke picks up his speed in the last 50 meters of the race and stuns his opponents.

Bobby Finke ended his races in Japan with a silver medal won in the 1500m race and a bronze medal in the 800m race. He was disappointed with his performance, although he had managed to post a personal best. He touched the wall at 14:31.54 after a close battle with Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui. Bobby Finke’s old record was 14:36.70, which he had created in 2022 at the World Championships. This new record made him the second-fastest swimmer of all time, closely followed by Hafnaoui.

Ahmed Hafnaoui

Ahmed Hafnaoui became part of history by winning the men‘s 1,500m freestyle final. Hafnaoui ended the final race in 14 minutes and 31.54 seconds. He was competing against America’s fastest swimmer, Bobby Finke. Hafnaoui knew about Finke’s strategy to pick up his pace in the last 50 meters. He did not lose sight of his goal and gave Finke great competition.

The American superstar reached the end at 14:31.59, just 0.05 seconds after the Tunisian legend. Sam Short came up behind Finke at 14:37.28 and earned the bronze for Australia. Meanwhile, Hafnaoui won the second gold medal for Tunisia. According to the National News, “Hafnaoui’s time was less than a second off the world record of 14:31.02 set by China’s Sun Yang in 2012”.

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Hafnaoui was happy with his victory. He said that his hard work had finally borne fruit. The Tunisian ace gave thanks to Bobby Finke for pushing him this hard. His sportsmanship has won the hearts of all swimming fans.

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