Top 5 most successful US swimmers at World Aquatics Championships ft Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky

The United States has been one of the most successful teams when it comes to the World Aquatics Championships. With 738 laurels to their name, the USA sits convincingly at the top of the medal tally in this competition; China in second place is 311 medals short of the USA's tally.

Several top swimmers, such as Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky, have been a major force behind the US Swimming national team's dominant position in this competition.

With the 2025 World Aquatics Championships expected to captivate swimming fans in Singapore, let's know the top five US swimmers who have won the most medals in the history of this competition.

Top 5 US Swimmers with the most medals at the World Aquatics Championships

Ryan Lochte, Caeleb Dressel, and Simone Manuel (Image via: All Getty)

#5. Simone Manuel

Manuel is the fifth player on this list with 16 medals to her name in this competition (per worldaquatics.com). Her tally includes 11 gold medals, including three individual laurels, 50m freestyle in 2019 and 100m freestyle in 2017 and 2019. Besides the individual events, Manuel has also been highly successful in relay events, especially in the 4x100 freestyle and 4x100m medley.

#4. Caeleb Dressel

Dressel, a 10-time Olympic champ, also has a pretty notable record in the competition. The 28-year-old has won 17 medals so far (per worldaquatics.com), including 15 gold. His performances in the 2017 and 2019 editions were his most successful campaigns, which saw him clinch back-to-back top-podium finishes in the 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle among other events.

#3. Katie Ledecky

One of the most charismatic female swimmers of all time, Ledecky is in third position. Having debuted in the competition during the 2013 event in Barcelona, the 28-year-old has won 26 medals, including 21 gold and five silver (per worldaquatics.com). She has been a dominant force in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle events and has clinched medals in these events across multiple editions of the World Aquatics Championships she has competed.

#2. Ryan Lochte

Across his long career, Lochte has competed in several World Aquatics Championships and has amassed a tally of 27 medals (per worldaquatics.com). This includes 18 gold, five silver, and four bronze medals. Lochte's major successes in this competition came in the 200m medley event, in which the Rochester native has won four gold medals. Notably, he has also been part of six 4x200m freestyle teams that have won top podium finishes in this event.

#1. Michael Phelps

Phelps, with a staggering 33 medals to his name, takes up the top spot in this list. The most successful American swimmer of all time, Phelps has won 26 gold, six silver, and a bronze medal (per worldaquatics.com) during his time at the World Aquatics Championships. The 2007 event in Melbourne was one of the finest performances delivered by him, where he bagged seven gold medals, including five in individual events.

Edited by Rupesh