How Russia defied odds to defeat US and France at this place?

The men’s 400m medley relay at the 2025 World Aquatic Championships in Singapore delivered a historic result, as the Neutral Athletes B squad - representing Russia under a neutral banner due to the ongoing IOC ban - captured the gold medal in stunning fashion. While officially competing without national symbols, the Russian swimmers made a powerful statement in the pool, defeating traditional powerhouses United States and France to claim the top spot.

Though Russian swimmers competed under a neutral flag, this triumph with a European record will be remembered not just as a medal win, but as a symbolic moment of sporting defiance on the world stage. Whether one agrees with their participation or not, the Russian athletes made the most of their invitation, wrapping up the meet with an impressive haul of eight medals: three golds, four silvers, and one bronze.



The Russian Olympic Committee was banned for breaching the Olympic Charter following Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, sports like swimming have gradually begun reintegrating Russian athletes, allowing them to compete under a neutral status.

The Russian relay team - featuring Miron Lifintsev, Kirill Prigoda, Andrei Minakov, and Egor Kornev - delivered a stunning performance, setting a European record of 3:26.93 in the men’s 400m medley relay. Their blistering time stands as the second-fastest in history, narrowly missing the United States’ world record of 3:26.78.

Competing under the Neutral Athletes B banner, the Russian quartet surged past their rivals to claim gold, outpacing France, who finished second in 3:27.96. Team USA rounded out the podium with a time of 3:28.62, taking home the bronze.

"This win particularly means a step forward towards our goal, towards 2028 (Los Angeles Olympics) and this is another milestone," Russian swimmer Minakov said after the event.

"We're happy to win. Unfortunately we missed the world record by just a tiny bit but, you know, I'm happy with our group and where we're at. I'm sure that we'll grow."

Another Russian swimmer Kliment Kolesnikov’s gold in the men’s 50m backstroke stood out as one of the event’s defining moments. Competing in his first long course World Championships since 2019 in Gwangju, the 25-year-old world record holder made a triumphant return.


Kolesnikov powered to victory in 23.68 seconds - just 0.13 shy of his own world record - edging out fellow Russian Pavel Samusenko and South Africa’s Pieter Coetze.

Notably, no Russian athletes competed at the previous year’s World Championships in Doha, making Kolesnikov’s performance a powerful statement in his long-awaited comeback on the world stage.