Lithuanian swimmer Rūta Meilutytė captured gold in the women’s 50-meter breaststroke at the World Aquatics Championships on Sunday, finishing with a time of 29.55 seconds.
The 28-year-old from Kaunas dominated the event from the preliminaries through the final, earning her fourth world title in this discipline – a rare feat in elite swimming.
Meilutytė was followed by China’s Qianting Tang, who took silver in 30.03 seconds, and Italy’s Benedetta Pilato, who earned bronze in 30.14.
Beaming after her race, Meilutytė kept her comments characteristically understated. “I don’t need to talk about emotions – I think everything shows,” she told reporters with a wide smile.
Asked to describe how she felt, she laughed: “No one else will feel it. It’s a personal experience. It’s visible. People can interpret it how they want. But it feels good.”
Though she had kept her media interactions minimal earlier in the competition, the champion opened up slightly more after her win.
“There were moments of fatigue and dips, which is normal. There were also adaptation periods, ups and downs. All of that is part of the experience,” she said.
Despite the mental toll this championship took on many athletes, Meilutytė said she approached the final with calm confidence.
“I was calm – I think that was obvious. I enjoyed it a lot. I was fully in the moment,” she said.
The four-time world champion emphasised that her success was not driven by a specific goal to repeat the feat.
“It just happens. That it’s happened so many times is amazing and surprising to me. I didn’t expect it or aim for it. I’m just grateful I get to do this and enjoy it,” she said.
Meilutytė also praised her competitors, especially American swimmer Lilly King, who finished fifth in what was her final appearance at a world championship.
“They’re all great girls – Lilly and the rest. I really support Lilly and wish her all the best in the next chapter,” she said.
Following her gold-medal performance, Meilutytė said she looked forward to 10 days of vacation in Bali, calling it a chance to rest both physically and mentally.
She previously won world championship gold in the 50m breaststroke in Budapest (2022), Fukuoka (2023), and Doha (2024). Meilutytė still holds the world record in the event with a time of 29.16 seconds.
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