Through Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam
After an extraordinary yr of racing that integrated the Olympics sandwiched between the Lengthy Direction and Quick Direction International Championships, it’s time to start out freeing our 5th annual Best 100 record—take a look at final yr’s ratings right here.
As in earlier years, we’ve taken a statistically pushed way essentially reliant upon international ratings and medals received on the Olympics and, to a lesser extent, Quick Direction Worlds and the 2024 Worlds in Doha. We’ve additionally accounted for components like doable, long run medal alternatives, accidents, and flexibility. Lengthy direction is weighted extra closely than brief direction, regardless that efficiency doable in each codecs is factored in.
After a big contingent of Russian and Belarusian swimmers raced at Quick Direction Worlds in December, the ones swimmers have began to transport again up the ratings once they have been low at the lists final yr because of loss of festival.
We’ll be breaking down the highest 100 into more than one installments, so stay an eye fixed out as they’re launched.
Those lists are, by means of nature, subjective. In case you disagree, depart your ideas/ranks within the feedback.
Thanks to Daniel Takata for his lend a hand with the knowledge and compiling the ratings.
Males’s Scores:
#100 – #91
#90 – #81
#80 – #71
#70 – #61
#60 – #51
#50 – #41
#40 – #31
#30 – #21
#20 – #11
#10 – #1
#40: Ilya Borodin, Impartial Athletes (2024 Rank: 74) — Within the long-course pool, the 21-year-old Ilya Borodin hit a 200 IM lifetime splendid in July, swimming a 1:56.75 that ranks tenth total at the season. Previous within the yr, Borodin clocked 4:09.59 within the 400 IM, which held up for eighth quickest on the earth final yr. Those swims didn’t garner as a lot consideration at the world scale, however Borodin used to be again within the highlight on the 2024 Quick Direction International Championships as soon as he used to be authorized for Impartial Athlete standing. Borodin received 400 IM gold in Budapest (3:56.83). Now that he’s as soon as once more eligible to race at the world scene, Borodin must inject some lifestyles right into a 400 IM box that—outdoor of antics from Leon Marchand—has been a little wacky the final couple years.
#39: Florian Wellbrock, Germany (2024 Rank: 25) — As soon as probably the most constant forces in males’s distance swimming, Florian Wellbrock has had some demanding situations for the previous couple of years. The 27-year-old regarded to have became the web page on a disappointing 2023 in April, when he clocked 14:42.28 within the 1500 freestyle on the German Nationals. On the other hand, again at the world level on the Olympic Video games, Wellbrock neglected out at the 1500 freestyle ultimate, striking 14th in 15:01.88. He neglected the 800 freestyle ultimate as neatly, swimming a season-best 7:47.91 for twelfth. He did higher within the 10K, striking eighth. Wellbrock were given again onto the rostrum in Budapest, profitable SC Worlds silver within the 1500 freestyle. However within the long-course pool and on the large meet, Wellbrock has had hassle maintaining tempo with an more and more aggressive males’s distance freestyle box. And it isn’t going to get more uncomplicated, as swimmers like the following individual in those ratings proceed to support.
#38: Kuzey Tunçelli, Turkey (2024 Rank: NR) — Kuzey Tuncelli introduced himself in 2023 as he become the youngest swimmer to wreck quarter-hour within the 1500 freestyle. He took the following steps in his profession in 2024, as he started to make a reputation for himself at the senior world level. Tunçelli received his first senior Eu Championship name in June, touching first within the 1500 freestyle, then claimed double distance gold on the Eu Junior Championships a couple of weeks later. Tunçelli broke the long-course 1500 freestyle international junior file two times this summer time, clocking 14:41.89 at Eu Juniors then swimming 14:41.22 to take fifth on the Olympics. Even though he neglected the Olympic 800 freestyle ultimate, his 7:47.29 earned eleventh position and marked a brand new Turkish file. Tunçelli took over the short-course meters 1500 freestyle international junior file on the 2024 Quick Direction International Championships, swimming 14:20.64 and incomes bronze. The boys’s world distance box is crowded, however as an adolescent, Tunçelli has asserted himself as the following distance famous person to observe.
#37: Tomoyuki Matsushita, Japan (2024 Rank: NR) — There have been many sudden swims on the Olympic Video games. However Tomoyuki Matsushita would possibly had been probably the most surprising. He used to be the youngest athlete within the 400 IM however surprised the sector by means of clawing his means from fifth on the 300-meter mark to the silver medal when he hit the wall in 4:08.62, three-hundredths forward of silver-medal favourite Carson Foster. With the swim, Matsushita, then 18, become the youngest 400 IM medalist since 1972. The time used to be a life-time splendid for Matsushita and in a single swim, he made himself any individual to observe going ahead on this tournament. Borodin’s go back to the world level deepens the sector, nevertheless it doesn’t appear that Matsushita has hit his ceiling. The 400 IM used to be his one tournament on the Video games, however in September, he decreased his lifetime splendid within the 200 IM as neatly, clocking 1:57.60.
#36: Wang Shun, China (2024 Rank: 26) — Tokyo gold medallist Wang Shun used to be on a one guy rollercoaster within the years between the Tokyo and Paris Video games. However, he reached a top this summer time, specializing in the 200 IM, the place he earned every other travel to the rostrum by means of profitable bronze (1:56.00). It’s his 0.33 immediately 200 IM Olympic medal, as along with profitable gold in Tokyo he took bronze in Rio. Wang’s season-best used to be a 1:55.35 from the Chinese language Nationals in April and that point additionally ranks him third on the earth final yr. However for Wang, the time on the Video games used to be 2d to proving that he may just get again on a senior world podium. Venture completed for Wang, who’ll glance to care for that luck this yr.
#35: Kirill Prigoda, Impartial Athletes (2024 Rank: 84) — Kirill Prigoda’s 2024 seems extraordinarily very similar to Ilya Borodin’s. The Russian breaststroker, 29, swam 2:07.48 within the long-course 200 breaststroke this yr. Whilst the swim ranks seventh on the earth at the season, it could’ve received bronze on the Paris Olympics. He added a 59.37 season-best within the 100 breaststroke (twentieth). As a impartial athlete on the 2024 Quick Direction International Championships, he burst again onto the world scene much more dramatically than Borodin, profitable six medals. He received silver in all 3 breaststroke distances and regardless that he used to be racing as a impartial athlete, swam Russian information within the 50/100 breast (25.48/55.49). He picked up his 3 gold medals swimming breaststroke at the quite a lot of medley relays, serving to set an international file within the males’s 4×100 medley and a Eu file within the blended 4×50 medley.
#34: Hwang Solar-w00, South Korea (2024 Rank: 31) — Most of the swimmers in Hwang Solar-woo’s “class” of swimming stars in line with age and talent have confronted setbacks since their preliminary breakouts. For instance, David Popovici’s 2023 International Championships. Hwang’s yr couldn’t have began higher; he received gold within the 200 freestyle on the 2024 International Championships, swimming a 1:44.75 that held up for third splendid at the yr. Then, he helped South Korea win silver within the males’s 4×200 freestyle relay. The demanding situations got here in Paris, at his 2d Olympic Video games, the place he neglected finals within the 100 and 200 freestyle and the South Koreans completed sixth within the males’s 4×200 freestyle relay. Hwang’s profession bests of 47.56/1:44.40 within the 100/200 freestyle display that he’s an elite skill in his number one occasions. 2025 will likely be about taking the teachings from a disappointing Olympics and the use of them to have a greater International Championships in Singapore.
#33: Ben Proud, Nice Britain (2024 Rank: 32) — The hyper-specialized Ben Proud has accomplished so much over his lengthy profession, however till 2024, something eluded him—an Olympic medal. The British sprinter who specializes in the 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle, and simplest the latter in an Olympic yr, in the end checked off that lacking accolade in Paris. The boys’s 50 freestyle used to be extremely tight, with 0.33 via 8th separated by means of .08 seconds, however Proud controlled to split himself from the chaos, incomes silver in 21.30. Previous within the yr at British Nationals, Proud logged 21.25, the third-fastest swim of his profession and splendid since 2018. Showing at the SwimSwam podcast after the Video games in September, Proud shared that whilst he used to be again within the water, January used to be when he deliberate to get extra interested by coaching. The approaching International Championships provide the chance for Proud not to simplest race the 50 freestyle, however the 50 butterfly as neatly, the place he positioned fifth in 2023. Proud is among the maximum really expert swimmers ranked this extremely, however the truth that he’s nonetheless discovering techniques to provide one of the crucial quickest swims of his profession helps to keep him this prime.
#32: Zac Stubblety-Prepare dinner, Australia (2024 Rank: 21) — Zac Stubblety-Prepare dinner is every other extremely really expert swimmer. The place he shines is the 200 breaststroke; he received Olympic gold within the tournament in Tokyo and is the previous international file holder within the tournament. Stubblety-Prepare dinner, 26, had demanding situations as he defended his Olympic gold from 3 years in the past as he published that he examined certain for COVID-19 all over the Video games. Stubblety-Prepare dinner competed regardless of the certain take a look at and earned his 2d immediately travel to the Olympic podium, taking silver with a season-best 2:06.79. He hasn’t raced because the Video games, regardless that the inside track that he’s becoming a member of Mel Marshall’s coaching staff at the Gold Coast is intriguing.
#31: Matt Richards, Nice Britain (2024 Rank: 14) — Matt Richards broke out in 2023, additional deepening Group GB’s bench within the 200 freestyle. Richards, now 22, persisted his upward push at the world scene final yr, even supposing he didn’t hit any lifetime bests in his number one occasions. After qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics as a relay swimmer, Richards certified within the particular person 100/200 freestyle for the Paris Video games. The boys’s Olympic 200 freestyle got here down to touch and Richards controlled to get his hand at the wall for silver (1:4474) and the primary particular person Olympic medal of his profession. Later, he added gold as a part of Nice Britain’s 4×200 freestyle relay squad because the quartet become the primary to win back-to-back Olympic relay gold with the similar 4 swimmers. He positioned twelfth within the 100 freestyle, and it seems find it irresistible’s going to take a significant raise for Richards to push for a world ultimate, given how aggressive the development is, however his velocity stays an asset for the British relays. Richards were given married after the Video games, and didn’t partake within the short-course meters season. However as the eye shifts again to long-course, Richards brings numerous momentum into 2025.
Learn the entire tale on SwimSwam: SwimSwam’s Best 100 For 2025: Males’s #31-40
