# Swimming at the 1986 World Aquatics Championships

These are the results (medal winners) of the swimming competition at the 1986 World Aquatics Championships.

## Medal table

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | East Germany (GDR) | 14 | 12 | 4 | 30 |
| 2 | United States (USA) | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| 3 | West Germany (FRG) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 4 | Hungary (HUN) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | Soviet Union (URS) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 6 | Canada (CAN) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 7 | Romania (ROU) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Italy (ITA) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Bulgaria (BUL) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Switzerland (SUI) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | France (FRA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | New Zealand (NZL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Netherlands (NED) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 14 | Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 15 | Denmark (DEN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (15 entries) | Totals (15 entries) | 32 | 32 | 32 | 96 |

## Medal summary
### Men

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 50 m freestyle details | Tom Jager (USA) 22.49 | Dano Halsall (SUI) 22.80 | Matt Biondi (USA) 22.85 |
| 100 m freestyle details | Matt Biondi (USA) 48.94CR | Stéphan Caron (FRA) 49.73 | Tom Jager (USA) 49.79 |
| 200 m freestyle details | Michael Gross (FRG) 1:47.92CR | Sven Lodziewski (GDR) 1:49.12 | Matt Biondi (USA) 1:49.43 |
| 400 m freestyle details | Rainer Henkel (FRG) 3:50.05CR | Uwe Daßler (GDR) 3:51.26 | Dan Jorgensen (USA) 3:51.33 |
| 1500 m freestyle details | Rainer Henkel (FRG) 15:05.31 | Stefano Battistelli (ITA) 15:14.80 | Dan Jorgensen (USA) 15:16.23 |
| 100 m backstroke details | Igor Polyansky (URS) 55.58CR | Dirk Richter (GDR) 56.49 | Sergei Zabolotnov (URS) 56.57 |
| 200 m backstroke details | Igor Polyansky (URS) 1:58.78CR | Frank Baltrusch (GDR) 2:01.11 | Frank Hoffmeister (FRG) 2:02.42 |
| 100 m breaststroke details | Victor Davis (CAN) 1:02.71CR | Gianni Minervini (ITA) 1:03.00 | Dmitry Volkov (URS) 1:03.30 |
| 200 m breaststroke details | József Szabó (HUN) 2:14.27CR | Victor Davis (CAN) 2:14.93 | Steve Bentley (USA) 2:16.51 |
| 100 m butterfly details | Pablo Morales (USA) 53.54CR | Matt Biondi (USA) 53.67 | Andy Jameson (GBR) 53.81 |
| 200 m butterfly details | Michael Gross (FRG) 1:56.53CR | Anthony Mosse (NZL) 1:58.36 | Benny Nielsen (DEN) 1:59.09 |
| 200 m individual medley details | Tamás Darnyi (HUN) 2:01.57CR | Alex Baumann (CAN) 2:02.34 | Vadim Yaroshchuk (URS) 2:02.61 |
| 400 m individual medley details | Tamás Darnyi (HUN) 4:18.98CR | Vadim Yaroshchuk (URS) 4:22.03 | Alex Baumann (CAN) 4:22.58 |
| 4×100 m freestyle relay details | United States (USA) Tom Jager Mike Heath Paul Wallace Matt Biondi 3:19.89 | Soviet Union (URS) Gennadiy Prigoda Nikolay Yevseyev Sergey Smiriyagin Aleksey Markovsky 3:21.14 | East Germany (GDR) Dirk Richter Jörg Woithe Sven Lodziewski Steffen Zesner 3:21.47 |
| 4×200 m freestyle relay details | East Germany (GDR) Lars Hinneburg Thomas Flemming Dirk Richter Sven Lodziewski 7:15.91CR | West Germany (FRG) Rainer Henkel Michael Gross Alexander Schowtka Thomas Fahrner 7:15.96 | United States (USA) Eric Boyer Mike Heath Dan Jorgensen Matt Biondi 7:18.29 |
| 4×100 m medley relay details | United States (USA) Dan Veatch David Lundberg Pablo Morales Matt Biondi 3:41.25 | West Germany (FRG) Frank Hoffmeister Bert Göbel Michael Gross André Schadt 3:42.26 | Soviet Union (URS) Igor Polyansky Dmitry Volkov Aleksey Markovsky Nikolay Yevseyev 3:42.63 |
Legend: WR – World record; CR – Championship record

### Women

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 50 m freestyle details | Tamara Costache (ROU) 25.28WR | Kristin Otto (GDR) 25.50 | Marie-Thérèse Armentero (SUI) 25.93 |
| 100 m freestyle details | Kristin Otto (GDR) 55.05 CR | Jenna Johnson (USA) 55.70 | Conny van Bentum (NED) 55.79 |
| 200 m freestyle details | Heike Friedrich (GDR) 1:58.26 CR | Manuela Stellmach (GDR) 1:58.90 | Mary T. Meagher (USA) 2:00.14 |
| 400 m freestyle details | Heike Friedrich (GDR) 4:07.45 | Astrid Strauss (GDR) 4:09.16 | Sarah Hardcastle (GBR) 4:09.85 |
| 800 m freestyle details | Astrid Strauss (GDR) 8:28.24 | Katja Hartmann (GDR) 8:28.44 | Debbie Babashoff (USA) 8:34.04 |
| 100 m backstroke details | Betsy Mitchell (USA) 1:01.74 | Kathrin Zimmermann (GDR) 1:02.17 | Natalya Shibayeva (URS) 1:02.25 |
| 200 m backstroke details | Cornelia Sirch (GDR) 2:11.37 | Betsy Mitchell (USA) 2:11.39 | Kathrin Zimmermann (GDR) 2:11.45 |
| 100 m breaststroke details | Sylvia Gerasch (GDR) 1:08.11 WR | Silke Hörner (GDR) 1:08.41 | Tanya Bogomilova (BUL) 1:08.52 |
| 200 m breaststroke details | Silke Hörner (GDR) 2:27.40 WR | Tanya Bogomilova (BUL) 2:27.66 | Allison Higson (CAN) 2:31.34 |
| 100 m butterfly details | Kornelia Greßler (GDR) 59.51 | Kristin Otto (GDR) 59.66 | Mary T. Meagher (USA) 59.98 |
| 200 m butterfly details | Mary T. Meagher (USA) 2:08.41 CR | Kornelia Greßler (GDR) 2:10.66 | Birte Weigang (GDR) 2:10.68 |
| 200 m individual medley details | Kristin Otto (GDR) 2:15.56 | Yelena Dendeberova (URS) 2:15.84 | Kathleen Nord (GDR) 2:16.05 |
| 400 m individual medley details | Kathleen Nord (GDR) 4:43.75 | Michelle Griglione (USA) 4:44.07 | Noemi Lung (ROU) 4:45.44 |
| 4×100 m freestyle relay details | East Germany (GDR) Kristin Otto Manuela Stellmach Sabine Schulze Heike Friedrich 3:40.57 WR | United States (USA) Jenna Johnson Dara Torres Mary T. Meagher Betsy Mitchell 3:44.04 | Netherlands (NED) Conny van Bentum Laura Leideritz Karin Brienesse Annemarie Verstappen 3:46.89 |
| 4×200 m freestyle relay details | East Germany (GDR) Manuela Stellmach Astrid Strauß Nadja Bergknecht Heike Friedrich 7:59.33 WR | United States (USA) Betsy Mitchell Mary T. Meagher Kim Brown Mary Wayte 8:02.12 | Netherlands (NED) Annemarie Verstappen Jolande van der Meer Marianne Muis Conny van Bentum 8:09.59 |
| 4×100 m medley relay details | East Germany (GDR) Kathrin Zimmermann Sylvia Gerasch Kornelia Greßler Kristin Otto 4:04.82 CR | United States (USA) Betsy Mitchell Jenny Hau Mary T. Meagher Jenna Johnson 4:07.75 | Netherlands (NED) Jolanda de Rover Petra van Staveren Conny van Bentum Annemarie Verstappen 4:10.70 |
Legend: WR – World record; CR – Championship record