3 km Knockout Sprints

21-year-old Ichika Kajimoto of Japan winning the 3 km Knockout Sprint at the 2025 World Aquatics World Championships on Sentosa Island in Singapore as her swim cap was falling off

noun - The 3 km Knockout Sprint is a series of 3 races of decreasing distance held over a short time period that are conducted and governed by World Aquatics.

Distances

• First Round is 1.5 km in distance.
• Second Round is 1.0 km in distance.
• Final Round is 0.5 km in distance.

Regulations

• For the First Round, the entry list is published in advance of the Team Leaders Meeting.
• The number of heats to be swum in the First Round and the Second Round is determined after all the entries have been received and announced at the Team Leaders Meeting.
• For the Second Round, there is a maximum of 2 heats.
• In the First Round, each swimmer swim 1.5 km. The swimmers who advance to the Second Round swim 1 km. The swimmers who advance to Final Round swim 500 meters.
• The top 10 finishers from each heat in the First Round advance to the Second Round - or 2 heats based on the decisions made at the Team Leaders Meeting.
• If there is 1 heat in the Second Round, the top 10 swimmers from the Second Round advance to the Final Round.
• If there are 2 heats in the Second Round, the top 10 finishers from each heat will advance to the Final Round.
• If a swimmer receives a 1st infringement during the First Rounds or the Second Round, then this penalty remains in place as the swimmer advances forward in any Rounds.
• If the swimmer is disqualified or withdraws from the Second Round or the Final Round, the position that the swimmer would have finished is awarded to the next competitor and all the lower placing swimmers are advanced one place in the Second Round semifinal or the Final Round.
• The podium finishers are the top 3 swimmers in the Final Round.

2025 World Aquatics World Cup 3 km Knockout Sprints Men's Results

1. David Betlehem, 22, Hungary 6:00.50
2. Marc-Antoine Olivier, 29, France 6:04.00
3. Logan Fontaine, 26, France 6:05.70
4. Ziyang Zhang, 24, China 6:05.80
5. Dario Verani, 30, Italy 6:06.00
6. Davide Marchello, 23, Italy 6:07.70
7. Andrea Filadelli, 24, Italy 6:10.80
8. Bartosz Kapala, 19, Poland 6:11.60
9. Martin Straka, 24, Czech Republic 6:11.70
10. Mateo Garcia Castro, 20, Spain 6:14.10
in Golfo Aranci, Italy on 11 October 2025

External links

• Moesha Johnson, David Betlehem Win 3 km Knockout Sprints at Golfo Aranci
• All For One. One For All. Italy Wins Mixed Relay In Front of Home Crowd at Golfo Aranci
• Moving In The Right Direction … Sacha Velly Wins the Golfo Aranci World Cup 10K
• Go To A Wide-Angle Shot … Moesha Johnson Wins the Golfo Aranci World Cup
• Betlehem Blast, Adding To The Open Water Swimming Lexicon
• They Are Swimmers: Moesha Johnson, Isabel Gose, Ichika Kajimoto Double Up at the World Aquatics Championships
• Florian Wellbrock Is Unbelievably Good, Sweeping Open Water at the World Championships
• Ichika Kajimoto Pulls Off Historic Victory, Wins Japan’s First Open Water Race at World Championships
• Claire Weinstein Will Be Busy at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore
• Kristóf Rasovszky Is First When It Counts at the European Championships 3 km Knockout Sprints
• Bettina Fábián Wins 3 km Knockout Sprint at the European Championships
• Europe Is The Epicenter Of Fast Open Water Swimmers
• Claire Weinstein May Have a Very Full Slate at the 2025 World Championships
• How Will Artificial Intelligence Impact Open Water Swimming?
• New 3 km Knockout Sprints To Be Introduced At The 2025 World Championships
• Kaito Tsujimori pulls the upset; Claire Weinstein dominates in inaugural 3K knockout sprints