The 3rd World Championships in as many years in the sport of swimming are currently on in Doha, Qatar. Being at the beginning of an Olympic season, many of the biggest names in the sport have skipped this meet to focus on Paris. This leaves the field open for some thrilling and unpredictable races, however. Here are my predictions for the medallists of each event, to give you an idea of who to look out for while watching. I predictions fared quite well last year; I expect the opposite this time around. If anything, it should act as a demonstration of just how unpredictable these Championships are likely to be.

The predictions for each event were made before the heats of that event began (as suggested by their inaccuracy). I have predicted the 3 medallists for each event as well as what I anticipate to be the winning times. I have also highlighted a couple of other close contenders for medals to keep an eye out for.

Day 1

W 400m Freestyle

1: Erika Fairweather (NZL)

2: Li Bingjie (CHN)

3: Isabel Gose (GER)

Other Contenders: Kiah Melverton (AUS) & Yonghui Ma (CHN)

Time: 4:01.00

W 4x100m Freestyle Relay

1: Australia

2: Netherlands

3: Canada

Other Contenders: China & Brazil

Time: 3:30.50

M 400m Freestyle

1: Ahmed Hafnaoui (TUN)

2: Elijah Winnington (AUS)

3: Lukas Martens (GER)

Other Contenders: Felix Aubeck (AUT) & Guilherme Costa (BRA)

Time: 3:43.00

M 4x100 Freestyle Relay

1: Great Britain

2: Italy

3: China

Other Contenders: USA & Hungary

Time: 3:10.00

Day 2

W 100m Butterfly

1: Claire Curzon (USA)

2: Brianna Throssell (AUS)

3: Louise Hansson (SWE)

Other Contenders: Alexandria Perkins (AUS) & Angelina Kohler (GER)

Time: 56.75

W 200m IM

1: Kate Douglass (USA)

2: Marrit Steenbergen (NED)

3: Sydney Pickrem (CAN)

Other Contenders: Yiting Yu (CHN) & Abbie Wood (GBR)

Time: 2:07.80

M 100m Breaststroke

1: Adam Peaty (GBR)

2: Arno Kamminga (NED)

3: Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA)

Chances: Nic Fink (USA) & Lucas Matzerath (GER)

Time: 58.10

M 50m Butterfly

1: Dylan Carter (TTO)

2: Michael Andrew (USA)

3: Dio Matos Ribeiro (POR)

Other Contenders: Szebasztian Szabo (HUN) & Simon Bucher (AUT)

Time: 22.75

Day 3

W 1500m Freestyle

1: Simona Quadarella (ITA)

2: Li Bingjie (CHN)

3: Anastasiya Kirpichnikova (FRA)

Other Contenders: Isabel Goes (GER) & Beatriz Dizotti (BRA)

Time: 15:45.00

W 100m Backstroke

1: Claire Curzan (USA)

2: Jaclyn Barclay (AUS)

3: Ingrid Wilm (CAN)

Other Contenders: Maaike de Waard (NED) & Kira Toussaint (NED)

Time: 58.80

W 100m Breaststroke

1: Ruta Meilutyte (LTU)

2: Mona McSharry (IRL)

3: Benedetta Pilato (ITA)

Other Contenders: Tes Schouten (NED) & Siobhan Haughey (HKG)

Time: 1:05.40

M 200m Freestyle

1: Hwang Sunwoo (KOR)

2: Duncan Scott (GBR)

3: Lukas Martens (GER)

Other Contenders: Katsuhiro Matsumoto (JPN) & Hojoon Lee (KOR)

Time: 1:44.60

M 100m Backstroke

1: Hunter Armstrong (USA)

2: Ksawery Masiuk (POL)

3: Pieter Coetze (RSA)

Other Contenders: Apostolous Christou (GRE) & Roman Mityukov (SUI)

Time: 52.65

Day 4

W 200m Freestyle

1: Siobhan Haughey (HKG)

2: Shayna Jack (AUS)

3: Marrit Steenbergen (NED)

Other Contenders: Erika Fairweather (NZL) & Li Bingjie (CHN)

Time: 1:54.00

M 800m Freestyle

1: Daniel Wiffen (IRL)

2: Ahmed Hafnaoui (TUN)

3: Elijah Winnington (AUS)

Other Contenders: Florian Wellbrock (GER) & Kim Women (KOR)

Time: 7:40.00

M 50m Breaststroke

1: Adam Peaty (GBR)

2: Sam Williamson (AUS)

3: Nic Fink (USA)

Other Contenders: Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) & Michael Andrew (USA)

Time: 26.50

M 200m Butterfly

1: Tomoru Honda (JPN)

2: Chad le Clos (RSA)

3: Krzysztof Chmielewski (POL)

Other Contenders: Abridel Gonzalez (ESP) & Alberto Razzetti (ITA)

Time: 1:53.00

X 4x100m Medley Relay

1: Netherlands

2: Australia

3: Great Britain

Other Contenders: USA & China

Time: 3:39.00

Day 5

W 50m Backstroke

1: Ingrid Wilm (CAN)

2: Lauren Cox (GBR)

3: Maaike de Waard (NED)

Other Contenders: Theodora Drake (GRE) & Adela Piskorska (POL)

Time: 27.30

W 200m Butterfly

1: Lana Pudar (BIH)

2: Laura Stephens (GBR)

3: Helena Rosendahl Bach (DEN)

Other Contenders: Boglarka Kapas (HUN) & Yonghui Ma (CHN)

Time: 2:06.50

W 4x200m Freestyle Relay

1: Australia

2: China

3: USA

Other Contenders: Canada & Great Britain

Time: 7:43.00

M 100m Freestyle

1: Zhanle Pan (CHN)

2: Jack Cartwright (AUS)

3: Alessandro Miressi (ITA)

Other Contenders: Matthew Richards (GBR) & Nandor Nemeth (HUN)

Time: 47.00

M 200m IM

1: Duncan Scott (GBR)

2: Carson Foster (USA)

3: Hugo Gonzalez (ESP)

Other Contenders: Shaine Casas (USA) & Daiya Seto (JPN)

Time: 1:56.00

Day 6

W 100m Freestyle

1: Shayna Jack (AUS)

2: Sarah Sjoestrom (SWE)

3: Siobhan Haughey (HKG)

Other Contenders: Kate Douglass (USA) & Marrit Steenbergen (NED)

Time: 52.30

W 200m Breaststroke

1: Tes Schouten (NED)

2: Kate Douglass (USA)

3: Katryna Teterevkova (LTU)

Other Contenders: Mona McSharry (IRL) & Sydney Pickrem (CAN)

Time: 2:22.00

M 200m Backstroke

1: Roman Mityukov (SUI)

2: Oleksandr Zheltiakov (UKR)

3: Benedek Kovacs (HUN)

Other Contenders: Bradley Woodward (AUS) & Hugo Gonzalez (ESP)

Time: 1:55.50

M 200m Breaststroke

1: Dong Zhihao (CHN)

2: Caspar Corbeau (NED)

3: Arno Kamminga (NED)

Other Contenders: Nic Fink (USA) & Erik Persson (SWE)

Time: 2:07.80

M 4x200m Freestyle Relay

1: Great Britain

2: South Korea

3: USA

Other Contenders: Germany & Italy

Time: 7:01.00

Day 7

W 800m Freestyle

1: Simona Quadarella (ITA)

2: Isabel Gose (GER)

3: Erika Fairweather (NZL)

Other Contenders: Anastasiia Kirichnikova (FRA) & Kiah Melverton (AUS)

Time: 8:19.00

W 200m Backstroke

1: Jaclyn Barclay (AUS)

2: Claire Curzan (USA)

3: Freya Colbert (GBR)

Other Contenders: Anastasiya Shkurdai (NIA) & Eszter Szabo-Feltothy (HUN)

Time: 2:07.50

W 50m Butterfly

1: Sarah Sjoestrom (SWE)

2: Farida Osman (EGY)

3: Angelina Kohler (GER)

Other Contenders: Claire Curzan (USA) & Erin Gallagher (RSA)

Time: 24.75

M 50m Freestyle

1: Cameron McEvoy (AUS)

2: Michael Andrew (USA)

3: Benjamin Proud (GBR)

Other Contenders: Leonardo Deplano (ITA) & Isaac Cooper (AUS)

Time: 21.40

M 100m Butterfly

1: Katsuhiro Matsumoto (JPN)

2: Nyls Korstanje (NED)

3: Diogo Matos Ribeiro (POR)

Other Contenders: Shaine Casas (USA) & Chad le Clos (RSA)

Time: 51.20

X 4x100m Freestyle Relay

1: Australia

2: Great Britain

3: USA

Other Contenders: Italy & Canada

Time: 3:20.00

Day 8

M 50m Backstroke

1: Isaac Cooper (AUS)

2: Hunter Armstrong (USA)

3: Pieter Coetze (RSA)

Other Contenders: Ksawery Masiuk (POL) & Michael Andrew (USA)

Time: 24.20

W 50m Breaststroke

1: Benedetta Pilato (ITA)

2: Ruta Meilutyte (LTU)

3: Tang Qianting (CHN)

Other Contenders: Mona McSharry (IRL) & Lara van Niekerk (RSA)

Time: 29.80

M 1500m Freestyle

1: Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA)

2: Daniel Wiffen (IRL)

3: Florian Wellbrock (GER)

Other Contenders: Ahmed Hafnaoui (TUN) & Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR)

Time: 14:39.00

W 50m Freestyle

1: Sarah Sjoestrom (SWE)

2: Katarzyna Wasick (POL)

3: Shayna Jack (AUS)

Other Contenders: Kate Douglass (USA) & Michelle Coleman (SWE)

Time: 23.65

M 400m IM

1: Carson Foster (USA)

2: Daiya Seto (JPN)

3: Lewis Clareburt (NZL)

Other Contenders: Tomoru Honda (JPN) & Alberto Razzetti (ITA)

Time: 4:08.00

W 400m IM

1: Freya Colbert (GBR)

2: Ella Jansen (CAN)

3: Sara Franceschi (ITA)

Other Contenders: Cyrielle Duhamel (FRA) & Kiah Melverton (AUS)

Time: 4:36.00

M 4x100m Medley Relay

1: USA

2: Italy

3: China

Other Contenders: Great Britain & Netherlands

Time: 3:29.00

Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay

1: Australia

2: Sweden

3: USA

Other Contenders: Netherlands & China

Time: 3:54.00