It was 17 days of aquatics competition with world records, dramatic finals, Paris 2024 qualifiers and many other exciting moments in the beautiful city of Qatar. More than 2,600 athletes from 204 countries, including the Refugee Swimming World Team, competed in six sports over two weeks on Qatari soil. 

With 75 medal events contested at the 21st edition of the world's premier aquatic event, the Asian giant showed dominance in events such as diving and high diving, as well as a significant growth in artistic swimming. China also won the 4x100m freestyle relay.

China's performance in the Olympic year was extraordinary. With 33 medals, including 23 golds (plus 8 silvers and 2 bronzes) across the three venues in Doha, it was a remarkable year for Asian aquatics. 

In the flagship event, a young Chinese athlete stole the spotlight. Nineteen-year-old Pan Zhanle shattered records to become the new champion and world record holder in the 100m freestyle (46.80 seconds). He also led China's 4x100m freestyle relay team to gold.

In diving, China continued its dominance by winning gold in nine of the 13 events on offer in Doha, where athletes from 55 nations completed more than 3,100 dives over the nine days of competition and also secured places for Paris 2024.

China also made its mark in artistic swimming. In the absence of strong rivals such as Russia, China seized the opportunity and secured seven gold medals out of a possible 11, one less than the total for all previous editions combined.

However, it was American swimmer Claire Curzan who was the tournament's standout performer, winning four gold medals, three of them in the women's 50, 100 and 200 backstroke. She saved her country's honour as the United States finished a distant second with 9 gold medals out of 23.

Another aquatic powerhouse, Australia, finished third with fewer golds than the United States, although they won one more medal overall (seven golds, 12 silvers, five bronzes) for a total of 24.

The Netherlands (five golds, four silvers), Great Britain (four golds, five silvers, nine bronzes) and Italy (three golds, ten silvers, six bronzes) led the way in Europe, finishing fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, while Mexico (one gold, one silver, four bronzes) was the best Latin American country, finishing 16th overall. Egypt, with two bronze medals, was the best African nation, tying with the Neutral Independent Athletes.

Notable athletes and teams:

As well as Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle and American swimmer Claire Curzan, there were other outstanding performances in Doha. Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffan won two gold medals for his country. In the 400m freestyle, 20-year-old Erika Fairweather won New Zealand's first ever World Championship medal.

Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjostrom secured her sixth consecutive world title in the 50m butterfly, while Dutch swimmer Sharon van Rouwendaal, Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist, won a double gold in the 10km and 5km open water swimming events.

In the team event, the US women's water polo team, winners of five of the last six editions, demonstrated their dominance with a narrow 10-9 victory over Hungary in the final. In the mixed 4x1500m open water relay, Australia's Kyle Lee triumphed over Italy in a thrilling photo finish. 

In high diving, Great Britain's Aidan Heslop staged a comeback on day two to win gold in the men's 27m platform. Meanwhile, Australia's Rhiannan Iffland reaffirmed her dominance of the women's platform diving competition by winning her fourth consecutive world title on the 20m platform.

It's been a fantastic tournament in Qatar, right in the Olympic year. The next one will be in Singapore in 2025, but not before experiencing water sports and new emotions from Saturday 27 July, when the world's best athletes will dive into the waters of Paris.