Manchester 2023: A Look Back at the World Championships in British waters

In 100 days from now, the Para Swimming World Championships will kick off in Manchester with more than 600 athletes from over 70 nations set to compete at the Manchester Aquatics Centre from 31 July to 6 August.

This will be the 11th edition of the Para Swimming Worlds which were first held almost three decades ago in Valletta, Malta in 1994.

It will also be the third time the competition takes place in Great Britain and here is a look back at the World Championships history in British waters.

Glasgow 2015

One of the venues of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Tollcross International Swimming Centre received 580 athletes from 70 countries to the seventh edition of the World Championships from 13 to 19 July 2015.

It was the first major international Para swimming event in Great Britain after the successful London 2012 Paralympic Games which turned local athletes such as Ellie Simmonds into household names. A total of 45 world records were broken or equalled during the seven-day event.

The host nation finished in fifth place in the medal standings with 10 gold medals, five of them coming with the help of three swimmers who will be in action at Manchester 2023: Alice Tai, Jessica-Jane Applegate and Tully Kearney.
Brazil’s Daniel Dias powered his way to seven gold medals (and one silver) in seven days as the most successful athlete in the Worlds.

Twenty-two countries picked at least one gold medal in Scotland. Italy topped the podium three times but it would be a completely different story when the World Championships returned to the country four years later.

London 2019

Purpose-built for the 2012 Paralympics, the London Aquatics Centre saw 637 swimmers from 77 countries in action during the Para Swimming World Championships which took place from 9 to 15 September 2019. 

Fifteen athletes called to the British squad for Manchester 2023 took part in the competition back in 2019. Among them was Maisie Summers-Newton who had a fairy-tale Worlds debut with a medal of each colour.

A newcomer at Glasgow 2015, Alice Tai finished as the most awarded swimmer at London 2019 with seven gold medals. They helped the hosts to finish second in the rankings. 

There were 39 world records set, 26 nations winning at least one world title and a new powerhouse nation in the pool as Italy climbed all the way to top of the medals standings. 

The Azzurri were led by Simone Barlaam and his five gold medals, including an unforgettable tie with teammate Federico Morlacchi for the men’s 100m butterfly S9 final.

The Italian defended their first place in the last World Championships in Madeira, Portugal last year.

Tickets for Manchester 2023 will go on sale very soon. More information can be found on the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and World Para Swimming channels.