Chinese swimmer Qin Haiyang and Australian Kaylee McKeown were honored as the Best Male and Female Swimmer of the Year 2023 at the premises of the future headquarters of World Aquatics in Budapest, Hungary, on Monday.
In a gala ceremony, World Aquatics, the international organization representing aquatic sports, bestowed awards to the best swimmers of the year.
Qin Haiyang, a breaststroke specialist from China, dominated the men's category, while Australian backstroke specialist Kaylee McKeown excelled among the women.
Both athletes achieved remarkable success, winning all three events (50, 100, and 200 meters) in all three World Cup legs, held recently in Berlin, Athens, and Budapest this weekend.
Kaylee McKeown and Qin Haiyang (C) receive their awards of Best Swimmer of the Year in Budapest, Hungary, October 22, 2023. /CFP
At the 2023 World Aquatic Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Qin, 24, became the first swimmer in history to win all three breaststroke events at a single edition of the championships. Moreover, he won the 200-meter distance with a world record. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the men's division at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. He also won five gold medals at the Chengdu Universiade.
"The most proud thing for me this year is that I broke the record, it's a surprise for me. More importantly, I got more improvement than last year, that's really, really made me happy," said Qin.
McKeown, who made history at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka by winning three different distances in the same swimming event, reached the top step of the podium after the finals of the 50, 100, and 200 meters backstroke. The 22-year-old swimmer also set new world records in the 50 and 100 meters at the World Cup in Budapest, making her the first in the history of the sport to simultaneously hold the world record in all distances in backstroke.
The event also featured the unveiling of the emblem for the upcoming World Short Course Swimming Championships in Budapest next year, displaying the silhouette of the Hungarian capital's iconic Chain Bridge and the World Aquatics logo.
Before the awards ceremony, the plans for the future headquarters of World Aquatics were unveiled. According to the schedule, the center will be completed by the end of 2026, but the world association plans to partially move to the Hungarian capital in the second half of next year.