World Championships, Day 8 Finals: Ruta Meilutyte Dominates 50 Breast for Fourth Consecutive Title
No one can stop Ruta Meilutyte in the 50 breaststroke. The Lithuanian swimmer, now 28, returned to the sport in 2022 after a multi-year retirement, and she has now captured gold in the breaststroke sprint at the World Championships for four consecutive years. This one was never close.
Meilutyte had been the top qualifier after the prelims and semifinals, going under 30 seconds in each round while no one else had managed a mark that fast in Singapore. In the final, Meilutyte exploded off the blocks to a significant lead right away and never looked back, leaving the remaining competitors to sort out silver and bronze.
Meilutyte finished in 29.55, almost a half-second clear of the field. She now owns nine of the 15 quickest performances in history, with all but one of those times achieved since her comeback to the sport. Of her world-title wins in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, her fastest performance came in Fukuoka two years ago when she achieved a world record of 29.16.
“I got emotional singing the national anthem, it means a lot to me, as well as for my country, and I love my country, and I’m just really grateful to be able to do it at this level,” Meilutyte said. “It’s hard to say, or explain this, but I enjoy this very much, and so long as I enjoy it, as long as it’s meaningful, I can continue.”
The swimmers contending for spots on the podium included two-time world champion and former world-record holder Lilly King, who was competing in her final race prior to retirement. King had a strong start, but winning a medal was always going to be a longshot here, particularly as favorites Tang Qianting of China and Benedetta Pilato of Italy, swimming on either side of Meilutyte, came through the field.
In the end, Tang touched for silver in 30.03, adding to the bronze she won earlier in the meet in the 100 breast, while Meilutyte took bronze in 30.14. The podium was an exact repeat of the results from last February’s World Championships in Doha, a meet that may of the world’s top swimmers did not attend.
“Today’s showing was within expectations. All the mental pressure and fatigue really accumulated over the meet, I felt very tired, not as excited or well-motivated as I was earlier in the meet. But I didn’t want to leave any regrets in Singapore,” Tang said.
“It’s my fifth podium in the 50-meter race,” Pilato said. “I’m very happy with my performance. This year has been very difficult for me so today has been very good.”
Another Italian, Anita Bottazzo, placed third in 30.14 while King’s last race resulted in a fifth-place finish in a time of 30.21.
