Who reaches the final in artistic swimming, and who swims last?
I · Intermediate · Judging and results · 7 of 7The twelve best from a preliminary go to the final, where they swim in reverse order: twelfth first and the leader last. A preliminary may be held when an event has more than twelve entries. For the preliminary, unranked entries are drawn at random and swim first, and ranked entries follow with the highest ranked last.
How it works
- Twelve: "Only the twelve (12) best results shall be allowed in the official finals."
- Fourteen: if a preliminary has more than 35 participants, the first fourteen qualify. The senior world championships keep to twelve.
- Order in the final: "the top 12 finalists from the preliminaries will swim in reverse order".
- Order in the preliminary: entries with no world ranking are drawn at random and compete first. Ranked entries follow "in reverse order of ranking with the highest ranked athlete competing last".
- Ties: a tie in the ranking or in the preliminary is settled for the start order by a separate draw.
- The draw: public, at least 18 hours before the first part of the competition.
- Not first twice: where the order is drawn and not ranked, a federation that draws number one is spared it in the other sessions of the same family of events.
- The score starts again: where both sessions are held, the score from the final replaces the score from the preliminary.
Tricky cases
Does a team carry its preliminary score into the final?
No. The final's routine score replaces the preliminary's.
Can thirteenth place swim in the final if a finalist withdraws?
It depends on a point the rules read for this page do not cover. They say only that the twelve best compete.
Is the start order always by ranking?
No. Ranking is used at the Olympic Games and world championships. Elsewhere the order may be drawn.
Two duets tie for twelfth place. Which goes through?
The one with the higher elements score. If still level, the higher choreography and musicality score, then the higher verified declared difficulty.
Why the rule exists
Swimming late is thought to help, because the judges have seen the standard of the day. Putting the best last gives that place to the entries that earned it, and makes the final build towards its strongest routines.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games and world championships | Start order from the world ranking | AS 13.7 |
| World Cup | Finals only | AS 5.3 |
| More than 35 in a preliminary | Fourteen qualify | AS 13.8 |
| Junior championships | Preliminaries only in the women's solo free, women's duet free and team free | AS 5.4 |
From the rule book
World Aquatics, Competition Regulations, Part Seven: Artistic Swimming Rules (in force as from 1 January 2025), Articles 5.2 to 5.4, 7.1, 7.2, 13.7, 13.8, 20.2 and 20.3. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Aquatics Competition Regulations (PDF).