Through Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam
After an remarkable yr of racing that incorporated the Olympics sandwiched between the Lengthy Route and Brief Route Global Championships, it’s time to begin freeing our 5th annual Most sensible 100 record—take a look at closing yr’s ratings right here.
As in earlier years, we’ve taken a statistically pushed means reliant basically upon international ratings and medals gained on the Olympics, and to a lesser extent, Brief Route Worlds and the 2024 Worlds in Doha. We’ve additionally taken into consideration issues corresponding to doable, long run medal alternatives, accidents, and flexibility. Lengthy direction is weighted greater than brief direction, although efficiency doable in each codecs is factored in.
After a big contingent of Russian and Belarusian swimmers raced at Brief Route Worlds in December, the ones swimmers have began to transport again up the ratings once they had been low at the lists closing yr because of loss of pageant.
We’ll be breaking down the highest 100 into more than one installments, so stay a watch out as they’re launched.
Those lists are, by means of nature, subjective. If you happen to disagree, depart your ideas/ranks within the feedback.
Thanks to Daniel Takata for his assist with the information 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
#60: Kieran Smith, USA (2024 Rank: NR) – Smith, 24, had some spectacular performances closing yr, and he’s a the most important relay swimmer for america. Smith didn’t swim on the Global Championships in Doha, that specialize in the Professional Swim Collection meets in america in the course of the starting of the yr. On the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, Smith swam 4 person occasions, qualifying for the Olympics in a single, the 400 freestyle the place he was once the reigning bronze medalist from Tokyo. He completed one spot out of qualifying within the 200 IM, preventing the clock at 1:56.97. Like many American males, Smith had a lackluster efficiency on the Video games, swimming 3:46.47 within the 400 to leave out the general. He was once additionally a member of the profitable silver medal 4×200 freestyle relay. He got here again scorching from that efficiency, and had a significantly better SC Global Champs in December. He gained the silver medal within the 400 freestyle, coming in at 3:36.31, and he was once a member of 4 United States gold medal relays, two of which broke international information.
#59: Apostolos Christou, Greece (2024 Rank: NR) – Christou gained the primary Olympic and Global Championship medals of his profession in 2024, a leap forward of types for the Greek local in spite of having grew to become 28 in November. He snared bronze within the 100 again on the Global Championships in Doha, and carried that momentum into the Olympics. After falling simply .02 shy of a medal within the 100 again, putting 4th in 52.41, he surprised everybody within the 200 again, main the sphere via 150 meters sooner than protecting on for silver in 1:54.82, greater than a 2nd and a part underneath his earlier highest. Christou additionally swept the 50 and 100 again on the 2024 Eu Championships, and whilst he’s nonetheless were given some medal probabilities, his age, and the truth that he’s sure to have masses out-of-the-pool tasks in his house country after his Olympic leap forward, sees him rank not up to his 2024 effects would possibly recommend.
#58: Xu Jiayu, China (2024 Rank: 28) – Backstroker Xu Jiayu’s most effective primary meet closing yr was once the Olympic Video games. In April, he swam on the nationwide championships in China, the place he gained the 100 and 200 backstroke occasions. He went directly to swim the 100 backstroke on the Video games, incomes the silver medal in 52.32. He ended up scratching out of the 200 backstroke. He nonetheless swam the blended medley relay, which gained silver, and the lads’s medley relay, which gained the gold. Jiayu hasn’t long gone a highest time within the backstroke occasions since 2023 (50 again) 2017 (100 again) and 2018 (200 again) respectively, although he does cling nationwide information in all 3.
#57: Zalan Sarkany, Hungary (2024 Rank: 98) – Sarkany, a Hungarian natvie, additionally competes within the NCAA, and is teammates with Corbeau at Indiana. Sarkany is a distance swimmer who swam at his first Global Championships and Olympic Video games this yr. On the Hungarian Championships in April, Sarkany gained the 800 and positioned second within the 1500. He had up to now earned the Olympic Qualifying Time within the 400, and was once ready to swim that match on the Video games as smartly, in spite of putting 4th on the Trials. On the Olympics, Sarkany completed outdoor the general in all 3 of his occasions, coming eleventh within the 1500, and completing 14th in each the 400 and 800. He went directly to swim on the 2024 SC Worlds the place he gained gold within the 800 freestyle in 7:30.66. He additionally completed sixth within the 400 and eighth within the 1500.
#56: Ilya Shymanovich, Belarus (2024 Rank: 100) – Ilya Shymanovich is every other older swimmer to take a seat on this phase, turning 30 after the Olympic Video games. Shymanovich began the yr on the Global Championships in Doha, the place he swam the 50 and 100 breaststroke occasions. He completed sixth within the 100 and tenth within the 50. He went directly to compete on the Video games within the 100 breaststroke the place he went 59.45 to complete tenth. He had a miles busier SC season, taking part in all 3 legs of the Aquatics Global Cup, incomes 3 silvers within the 50 breast, two silvers and a gold within the 100 breast, and one 200 breast bronze (Singapore). He additionally swam on the SC Worlds in Hungary, the place he earned a bronze within the 50 breast. He additionally swam the 50, and completed fifth, and the 200, the place he completed eighth. Shymanovich nonetheless holds the Global report within the SCM 100 breaststroke at 55.28.
#55: Krzysztof Chmielewski, Poland (2024 Rank: 37) – Polish swimmer Krzysztof Chmielewski swims the butterfly and distance freestyle occasions. He swam all 3 primary global meets this yr, and did a distinct lineup in any respect 3. On the Doha Global Championships, he swam the 400 loose, 1500 loose, and 200 fly. He completed nineteenth within the 400 loose, fifteenth within the 1500, and he disqualified his 200 butterfly, after swimming the quickest time within the semifinals for a one-hand contact. He went directly to swim the 200 fly and 1500 loose on the Paris Olympic Video games (he neglected the qualifying time within the 400). He completed 4th within the 200 fly, coming in at 1:53.90, three-tenths off his highest time within the match, and sixteenth within the 1500. On the SC Global Champs in December, he swam the 200 fly and the 800 freestyle, incomes the bronze within the 200 fly and thirteenth within the 800 loose.
#54: David Betlehem, Hungary (2024 Rank: NR) – Betlehem, a 20-year-old out of Hungary, swims the gap freestyle and open water occasions. Betlehem swam his first pool Global Championships in July of 2023, completing twelfth within the 800 and fifteenth within the 1500. He in reality burst onto the scene this yr, on the 2024 Global Championships in Doha, the place he ended up completing 4th within the 1500 in 14:46.44. On the Hungarian Championships in April, Betlehem gained the 1500 and 400 freestyle occasions, incomes his first Olympic berth. On the Video games, he completed 4th within the 1500, coming in at 14:40.91. Whilst this record is most effective all in favour of pool swimming, we might be remiss not to point out his open water abilities. In Paris, he earned the bronze medal within the Males’s 10k, swimming the development in 1:51:09.
#53: Tomoru Honda, Japan (2024 Rank: 20) – Japan’s Honda, 22, had a robust begin to 2024, however he had a disappointing few months in a while. A butterfly specialist, Honda began the yr profitable a gold medal on the Global Championships in Doha within the males’s 200 butterfly, swimming the development in 1:53.88. He battled a sprained ankle for a part of the yr, and ended up scratching the remainder of his occasions on the Global Champs. He went on to put second on the Jap Trials within the match in 1:54.18, and he neglected the general completely within the males’s 400 IM. He additionally completed fifth within the 100 fly. On the Olympic Video games in Paris, Honda surprised everybody when he went 1:57.30 within the prelims of the 200 fly to leave out the semi-finals. He didn’t swim the SC Global Champs or any of the Global Cup stops. He’s the #5 performer in historical past within the match, at 1:52.70 from 2022, and he completed 2024 within the 4th spot within the international ratings. Regardless of a blip on the Olympics, Honda remains to be a robust medal contender at this yr’s Global Championships.
#52: Caspar Corbeau, Netherlands (2024 Rank: 61) – Corbeau, 23, competes the world over for the Netherlands, and he’s a staple within the males’s breaststroke occasions. He had one of the most busiest years of any athlete, competing in any respect 3 primary global meets and all 3 Global Cup stops. On the 2024 Worlds in Doha, Corbeau gained a silver medal within the males’s 200 breaststroke, and he completed seventh within the 100 and eleventh within the 50. He carried that momentum in the course of the Dutch Nationwide Championships in June, the place he gained the 100 and 200 breaststroke occasions, qualifying for the Video games in each. In Paris, he went two new non-public highest occasions, losing to 59.04 within the 100, the place he completed eighth, and a couple of:07.90 the place he gained the bronze. He gained 5 bronze medals and one gold in the course of the Global Cup stops sooner than completing 2024 at SC Worlds the place he swam the 50 breast (14th), 100 breast (seventh), and the 200 breast (fifth).
#51: Matt Fallon, USA (2024 Rank: 46) – Fallon has confirmed to be a powerhouse within the 200 breast, together with his 2:06.54 American Report swim on the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials rating second on this planet closing yr. The one swimmer who was once sooner was once Olympic gold medalist Leon Marchand. Regardless of that leap forward 2:06 in Indianapolis, Fallon was once now not ready to recreate that swim in Paris, then again, and in the long run completed tenth, lacking the general. If Fallon can recreate his Trials swim at Worlds in July, he’s a medal favourite, and he’s confirmed he can carry out at the giant degree sooner than, profitable bronze on the 2023 Worlds.
Learn the entire tale on SwimSwam: SwimSwam’s Most sensible 100 For 2025: Males’s #60-51
