The 2025 Russian Swimming Championships are nearly upon us, with the action kicking off Sunday, April 13th from Kazan.
The meet will serve as the sole selection opportunity for the Russian team for the World Championships in Singapore this July. Swimmers must place 1st or 2nd in the ‘A’ final and achieve a qualifying time to be considered for selection.
The team will be formed based on the head coach’s recommendation, taking into account the athletes’ performances. The final decision will be made by the Presidium of the Russian Federation of Aquatic Sports.
Although the Russian and Belarusian federations remain officially suspended due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian sporting organizations, Russian athletes will still be permitted to compete under a neutral flag at the World Championships in Singapore—just as they did at the Short Course Worlds in December—provided they meet the established guidelines for athlete participation during times of conflict.
Russia’s World Championship Qualifying Times:
Event
Men’s Time
Women’s Time
50m Freestyle
21.94
24.72
100m Freestyle
48.18
54.25
200m Freestyle
1:46.30
1:57.03
400m Freestyle
3:47.23
4:08.67
800m Freestyle
7:47.02
8:31.72
1500m Freestyle
14:57.50
16:15.77
50m Backstroke
24.95
28.01
100m Backstroke
53.46
59.89
200m Backstroke
1:58.04
2:11.08
50m Breaststroke
27.23
30.45
100m Breaststroke
59.69
1:06.69
200m Breaststroke
2:10.32
2:25.56
50m Butterfly
23.23
25.98
100m Butterfly
51.51
57.97
200m Butterfly
1:55.61
2:09.21
200m Individual Medley
1:58.01
2:11.26
400m Individual Medley
4:16.00
4:41.87
The six-day competition showcases Russia’s top swimming talent, ranging from seasoned stars like Kliment Kolesnikov, Evgeny Rylov, and Yuliya Efimova to rising young standouts such as Miron Lifintsev and Evgeniia Chikunova.
Backstroke ace Rylov, the 28-year-old two-time Olympic champion from Tokyo 2020, is slated to compete in the 50, 100, and 200 backstroke events.
Versatile sprinter Kolesnikov is expected to tackle a busy schedule that includes the 50 and 100 back, along with the 50 and 100 freestyle. He earned silver behind Rylov in the 100 back at the Tokyo Olympics and added a bronze in the 100 free.
The men’s 100 back could be the race of the meet, featuring Russia’s all-time top trio: Kolesnikov—the national record holder, Rylov—an Olympic gold medalist, and Lifintsev—the junior world record holder and the fastest Russian over the past year.
Lifintsev made waves last July with a blistering 52.08 to break the World Junior Record. He carried that momentum into the World Short Course Championships in Budapest this past December, where he claimed five gold medals. He swept the sprint backstroke events—the 50 and 100—and helped Team Russia, competing under the “Neutral Athletes B” designation, win three medley relay titles.
Russia’s Top Men’s 100m Backstroke Performers Of All-Time:
Kliment Kolesnikov – 51.82, 2023
Evgeny Rylov – 51.97, 2019
Miron Lifinsev – 52.08, 2024
Arkady Vyatchanin – 52.57, 2009
Dmitrii Savenko – 52.90, 2024
Oleg Kostin, Ilya Borodin, Andrei Minakov, and Kirill Prigoda are also key male athletes to watch as the meet progresses.
One of the most notable absences from the meet’s entry sheet is 26-year-old Evgenii Somov, best known for his 58.72 in the 100 breast at the 2024 Atlantic Classic. He was one of the few Russians granted neutral status for the Paris Olympics, where he finished 13th with a time of 1:00.00.
On the women’s side, three-time Olympic medalist Yuliya Efimova will compete in her usual trio of breaststroke events, alongside 200m breast world record holder Evgeniia Chikunova.
At last July’s Russian Cup, 20-year-old Chikunova posted a time of 1:05.26 in the women’s 100 breast, which was 0.02 seconds faster than the gold medal-winning time of South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker in Paris. Chikunova’s 200 breast time of 2:18.98 was also faster than the winning time in Paris, which was 2:19.24 by American Kate Douglass.
Key Entries:
Miron Lifintsev – 50 Back, 100 Back
Kliment Kolesnikov – 50 Free, 100 Free, 50 Back, 100 Back
Andrei Minakov – 50 Free, 100 Free, 50 Fly, 100 Fly
Evgeny Rylov – 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Back
Evgeniia Chikunova – 50 Breast, 100 Breast, 200 Breast
Kirill Prigoda – 50 Breast, 100 Breast, 200 Breast
Yuliya Efimova – 50 Breast, 100 Breast, 200 Breast
Egor Kornev – 50 Free, 100 Free, 50 Fly
Vladislav Grinev – 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free
Ilya Borodin – 200 Free, 200 IM, 400 IM
Oleg Kostin – 100 Breast, 50 Fly
Ivan Girev – 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free
Danil Semyaninov – 50 Breast, 100 Breast, 200 Breast
Ilya Khomenko – 50 Breast, 100 Breast, 200 Breast
Alexey Tkachev – 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Back
Ivan Kozhakin – 50 Breast, 100 Breast, 50 Fly
Kirill Martynychev – 800 Free, 1500 Free
Maxim Stupin – 200 Fly, 200 IM, 400 IM
Mikhail Dorinov – 50 Breast, 100 Breast, 200 Breast
Pavel Samusenko – 50 Free, 100 Free, 50 Back, 100 Back
Petr Zhikharev – 50 Fly, 100 Fly
Roman Shevliakov – 50 Fly, 100 Fly, 200 Fly
Arina Surkova – 50 Free, 100 Free, 50 Fly, 100 Fly
Daria Klepikova – 100 Free, 200 Free, 100 Fly
Daria Ustinova – 50 Free, 100 Free, 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Back
Nika Godun – 50 Breast, 100 Breast
Svetlana Chimrova – 50 Fly, 100 Fly, 200 Fly
Vitalina Simonova – 100 Breast, 200 Breast