World Champs Profile: Kliment Kolesnikov Returning to Worlds for First Time Since 2019
Leading into the start of the World Championships later this month, Swimming World will publish a handful of short profiles on top contenders for the podium in Singapore. Our next entry in this series features Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov, who will compete under the Neutral Athletes B banner at Worlds.
Kliment Kolesnikov
Russia (Neutral Athletes B)
Events: 50 Freestyle/50 Backstroke/100 Backstroke
The Road to Singapore
Kolesnikov has not raced at the World Championships since the 2019 edition in Gwangju, due to World Aquatics’ ban on Russian athletes for their homeland’s invasion of Ukraine. Kolesnikov was also not at the 2024 Olympic Games, but will be in action in Singapore under the Neutral Athletes B umbrella.
Kolesnikov will be favored for the podium in the 50 backstroke and 100 backstroke. The world-record holder in the 50 back, he enters action with the fastest time in the world at 23.90. His 52.04 mark from the Russian Championships is also No. 1 in the world, while he’s ranked 24th in the 50 freestyle at 21.88.
Top Career Achievement
At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Kolesnikov was te silver medalist in the 100 backstroke, going 52.00 to finish just .02 behind countryman Evgeny Rylov. While he’s the world-record holder in the 50 back, Kolesnikov is the No. 2 performer in history in the 100 backstroke, on the strength of a 51.82 performance.
Previous World Champs Hardware
The 25-year-old has won three medals at the long-course version of the World Champs, with all three podium finishes arriving at the 2019 Worlds. In addition to earning a pair of relay medals for Russia, Kolesnikov was the bronze medalist in the 50 backstroke, the event that has become his signature discipline.
Stat Fact
Kolesnikov owns nine of the 11-fastest times in history in the 50 backstroke, which explains his heavy-favorite status in the event in Singapore. His world record of 23.55 is .16 faster than the No. 2 performer of all-time, American Hunter Armstrong (23.71), a sizable gap for a 50-meter race.
World Champs Profiles
