Through James Sutherland on SwimSwam
After an exceptional 12 months of racing that incorporated the Olympics sandwiched between the Lengthy Path and Brief Path Global Championships, it’s time to start out liberating our 5th annual Best 100 listing—take a look at closing 12 months’s ratings right here.
As in earlier years, we’ve taken a statistically pushed method reliant basically upon international ratings and medals gained on the Olympics, and to a lesser extent, Brief Path Worlds and the 2024 Worlds in Doha. We’ve additionally taken into consideration issues comparable to doable, long run medal alternatives, accidents, and flexibility. Lengthy direction is weighted greater than quick direction, even though efficiency doable in each codecs is factored in.
After a big contingent of Russian and Belarusian swimmers raced at Brief Path Worlds in December, the ones swimmers have began to transport again up the ratings once they have been low at the lists closing 12 months because of loss of pageant.
We’ll be breaking down the highest 100 into a couple of installments, so stay an eye fixed out as they’re launched.
Those lists are, by means of nature, subjective. Should you disagree, depart your ideas/ranks within the feedback.
Thanks to Daniel Takata for his assist with the information and compiling the ratings.
Males’s Ratings:
#100 – #91
#90 – #81
#80 – #71
#70 – #61
#60 – #51
#50 – #41
#40 – #31
#30 – #21
#20 – #11
#10 – #1
#70: Lewis Clareburt, New Zealand (2024 Rank: NR) – Clareburt took complete good thing about a pared-down box within the 400 IM ultimately 12 months’s Global Championships in Doha, profitable gold in a time of four:09.72. The 25-year-old Kiwi went on to complete sixth within the 400 IM in Paris (4:10.44), and in addition positioned eleventh within the 200 IM and twenty first within the 200 fly. He’s been soaring round the similar very best instances for the closing 3 years, so this may well be his top, however it nonetheless assists in keeping him within the medal hunt within the 400 IM. Clareburt used to be 4:08.71 in Would possibly on the Sydney Open, which ranked him 4th on the planet in 2024.
#69: Yamato Fukasawa, Japan (2024 Rank: NR) – Japan has lengthy been a manufacturing facility of manufacturing elite breaststrokers, in particular within the 200. Remaining 12 months, 4 of the six quickest swimmers on the planet within the 200 breast have been Jap, and it used to be Fukasawa who discovered himself at the out of doors taking a look in relating to Olympic qualification. The now 24-year-old swam a time of two:07.07 on the Konami Open closing February, which ended up tying for fifth-fastest in all of 2024. In spite of lacking the Olympic crew, Fukasawa did constitute Japan the world over at Brief Path Worlds, claiming bronze within the 200 breast (2:02.01) whilst additionally striking thirteenth within the 100 breast (57.07).
#68: Finlay Knox, Canada (2024 Rank: NR) – Knox pounced at the alternative introduced to him within the ultimate of the 200 IM ultimately 12 months’s Worlds in Doha, operating down Carson Foster at the closing 50 to win his first international name, resetting his Canadian Report within the procedure in 1:56.64. Knox diminished that list to at least one:56.07 on the Canadian Olympic Trials, a time that ranked him sixth on the planet for the 12 months, and ended up eighth on the Olympics (1:57.26). The 24-year-old is amazingly flexible, having swam on Canada’s 4×100 unfastened relay (47.96 break up at LC Worlds), completed each breast and fly on medley relays, and used to be even ninth within the 50 again at SC Worlds (23.71). He completed the 12 months off with 4 medals at SC Worlds, together with a person bronze within the 200 IM. If he assists in keeping himself within the 1:56-low vary, and even perhaps dips into the 1:55s, he’ll be a medal danger within the 200 IM at the giant level.
#67: Andrei Minakov, Russia (2024 Rank: NR) – Minakov has perenially been a few of the quickest males on the planet within the 100 fly, however after breaking via to win silver on the 2019 Global Championships after which striking 4th within the match on the Tokyo Olympics, his global occupation got here to a pause because of the Russian ban. On the other hand, racing locally, he nonetheless posted some fast lengthy direction instances in 2024, rating seventh on the planet within the 50 fly (22.97), twelfth within the 100 fly (50.86) and thirty first within the 100 unfastened (48.07), and closed out the 12 months with a powerful appearing at SC Worlds. The 22-year-old set a very best time within the 100 fly (49.19), striking sixth, and contributed at the international record-breaking 400 medley relay.
#66: Yu Hanaguruma, Japan (2024 Rank: NR) – Hanaguruma is in a equivalent boat to Fukasawa as one of the vital elite 200 breaststrokers out of Japan. The 2 set similar lifetime bests closing 12 months, 2:07.07, to rank tied for fifth on the planet in 2024, however Hanaguruma will get the slight higher hand given his swim got here at Jap Nationals, which certified him for the Olympics over Fukasawa. In spite of completing a good fifth within the 200 breast Olympic ultimate, Hanaguruma used to be neatly off his PB set in April, clocking 2:08.79. He has stepped up with giant swims previously, together with profitable silver within the 200 breast at each the 2022 Worlds and 2021 Global College Video games (held in 2023), and has some upside within the 100 breast after his 59.46 clocking ranked twenty fifth closing 12 months.
#65: Sam Williamson, Australia (2024 Rank: NR) – Williamson has lengthy been checked out as a 50 breast specialist, however he made giant good points closing 12 months within the 100-meter match. To kick off the 12 months, he gained gold within the 50 breast on the 2024 Worlds, surroundings an Oceanian Report of 26.32, which ranked #1 on the planet at 12 months’s finish. He used to be 59.21 within the 100 breast, striking 4th, after which broke via with a couple of sub-59s on the Australian Olympic Trials, culminating with a 58.80 clocking within the ultimate. That swim ranked him sixth on the planet for the 12 months, even though he ended up faltering on the Olympics and completing twenty fourth. Having became 27 in December, Williamson has a valid probability to protect his international name within the 50 breast in Singapore. The 100 is more difficult to gauge.
#64: Melvin Imoudou, Germany (2024 Rank: NR): Imoudu had a breakout 12 months in 2024. The German local got here into the calendar 12 months having by no means swam at a Global Championship or Olympics, and ended the 12 months having competed at 3. In February, he went 1:00.08 on the Doha Global Championships to complete 14th within the 100 breast, lacking the overall. That lit some roughly fireplace as a result of he swam the 100 breast 16 extra instances in lengthy direction, and most effective went slower than that when. Up up to now, he had most effective been below 1:00 two times within the match. He has now completed it 17 instances. In June, he dropped to 58.84 on the Ecu Championships, which stays his very best time and ranks him seventh within the match. On the Video games in July, he gained a swim-off to qualify for the overall, the place he sooner or later completed 4th in 59.11. His efficiency on the SC Worlds used to be underwhelming compared, completing 18th within the 100 breast and tenth within the 50 breast. If he swims extra like he did on the Video games, he is usually a critical medal contender within the match at Worlds.
#63: Solar Jiajun, China (2024 Rank: 59) – Solar has the uncommon skillset of being elite in dash breast and fly. After profitable bronze within the 50 breast on the 2023 Worlds, he broke via with a 58.73 clocking within the 100 breast at Chinese language Nationals in April 2024, qualifying him for the Olympics—albeit #2 on China’s intensity chart in the back of Qin Haiyang. He additionally earned a place at the crew after clocking 51.52 within the 100 fly, and went directly to swim the fly leg of China’s profitable 4×100 medley relay in Paris, splitting 51.19. Now 24, Solar used to be just a little off personally on the Video games and overlooked 2nd swims, however closed out the 12 months sturdy, incomes a couple of bronzes on the Shanghai Global Cup within the breaststrokes. His medal alternatives are alive within the 50 and 100 breast at Worlds, and till anyone surpasses him, would be the go-to fly swimmer on China’s medley relay.
#62: Hugo Gonzalez, Spain (2024 Rank: 86) – The extremely flexible Gonzalez claimed Global Championship gold in Doha within the 200 again, clocking 1:55.30 to edge out Switzerland’ Roman Mityukov. Gonzalez additionally claimed silver within the 100 again (52.70), simply .02 shy of gold, after which a couple of months later, ripped a Spanish Report of one:54.51 within the 200 again, which ranked him third on the planet for 2024. The 25-year-old ended up striking sixth in each backstrokes on the Olympics, even though his 200 again PB would’ve been just right for silver. He additionally completed the 12 months ranked eighth on the planet within the 200 IM (1:56.48), and is an out of doors medal danger on the Global Championships within the backstroke occasions given how broad open they’ve been in recent times.
#61: Alberto Razzetti, Italy (2024 Rank: 60) – As a brief direction specialist, Razzetti is available in decrease at the listing than a few of his fresh effects may recommend, together with profitable 4 medals (3 person) at Brief Path Worlds. The 25-year-old did win the primary two LC Global Championship medals of his occupation closing 12 months in Doha, albeit in slightly weaker fields. On the Olympics, he used to be fifth within the 400 IM, sixth within the 200 IM, and eighth within the 200 fly, appearing he’s a few of the international’s very best in all 3 races, however possibly has but to turn that top finish to earn a medal when it’s very best on very best. On the other hand, he’ll have various medal possibilities, most probably even gold, at SC Euros.
Learn the entire tale on SwimSwam: SwimSwam’s Best 100 For 2025: Males’s #70-61
