Objective To explore whether the medalists in 1 500-m freestyle swimming choose different pacing strategies from their competitors, so as to determine the most effective pacing strategy characteristics to obtain victory in swimming race. Methods The 1 500-m freestyle finalists in World Swimming Championships from 2003 to 2023 were selected as candidates of this study. According to the final ranking of the 175 elite athletes in the race, the split time, cumulative time were calculated, respectively. The differences of the main indicators in pacing strategies between medalists and their competitors were compared, and the above variables were selected Objective To explore whether the medalists in 1 500-m freestyle swimming choose different pacing strategies from their competitors, so as to determine the most effective pacing strategy characteristics to obtain victory in swimming race. Methods The 1 500-m freestyle finalists in World Swimming Championships from 2003 to 2023 were selected as candidates of this study. According to the final ranking of the 175 elite athletes in the race, the split time, cumulative time were calculated, respectively. The differences of the main indicators in pacing strategies between medalists and their competitors were compared, and the above variables were selected