By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam
After an unprecedented 12 months of racing that included the Olympics sandwiched between the Lengthy Course and Quick Course World Championships, it’s time to start out releasing our fifth annual High 100 record—take a look at final 12 months’s rankings right here.
As in earlier years, we’ve taken a statistically pushed method reliant primarily upon world rankings and medals gained on the Olympics, and to a lesser extent, Quick Course Worlds and the 2024 Worlds in Doha. We’ve additionally taken into consideration issues equivalent to potential, future medal alternatives, accidents, and flexibility. Lengthy course is weighted greater than brief course, although efficiency potential in each codecs is factored in.
After a big contingent of Russian and Belarusian swimmers raced at Quick Course Worlds in December, these swimmers have began to maneuver again up the rankings after they had been low on the lists final 12 months as a result of lack of competitors.
We’ll be breaking down the highest 100 into a number of installments, so preserve a watch out as they’re launched.
These lists are, by nature, subjective. In case you disagree, depart your ideas/ranks within the feedback.
Thanks to Daniel Takata for his assist with the information and compiling the rankings.
Males’s Rankings:
- #100 – #91
- #90 – #81
- #80 – #71
- #70 – #61
- #60 – #51
- #50 – #41
- #40 – #31
- #30 – #21
- #20 – #11
- #10 – #1
#80: Isaac Cooper, Australia (2024 Rank: 63) — Isaac Cooper introduced final 12 months that he’s taking an prolonged break from swimming this 12 months earlier than a “large reset.” Cooper definitely isn’t the one swimmer taking a break within the post-Olympic 12 months, however the vagueness of his timeline makes him tough to position on these rankings. At his finest, he’s a medal contender within the dash 50s—notably the 50 backstroke, the place he gained gold on the Doha Worlds. His occasion profile makes him somebody who can shine in a World Championships setting, although he’s definitely extra of a SCM specialist than an LCM one. We will’t depart him off these rankings on the off likelihood that the two-time Olympian seems on the Australian World Trials, so we’ve put him on this section of ten swimmers, so that is the place we’ve landed.
#79: Oliver Klemet, Germany (2024 Rank: 96) — Simply as gifted American feminine backstrokers get locked out of worldwide groups as a result of sheer depth within the self-discipline, so too do German male distance freestylers have an uphill battle to make the worldwide roster. 22-year-old Oliver Klemet has constructed a robust resume in open water occasions and has lately been capable of present his ability within the pool on the main worldwide meet of the 12 months. He swam lifetime bests in 400 and 800 freestyle (3:42.81/7:46.03) in April 2024 and certified for the Paris Olympics within the pool (400 free) and open water disciplines. In a deep 400 freestyle area, Klemet certified for the Olympic ultimate and completed seventh. Later, he earned his first Olympic medal by taking silver within the 10k. Even with Germany’s depth in mid-distance/distance freestyle, Klemet is constantly discovering a solution to make the worldwide roster and put himself in spots to attain sturdy outcomes.
#78: Diogo Ribeiro, Portugal (2024 Rank: 44) — In 2023, Diogo Ribeiro gained Portugal’s first swimming World Championship medal. He added to his profession Worlds haul in Doha, upgrading to gold within the 50 butterfly, then making the most of a shallow area and profitable gold within the 100 fly with a lifetime finest 51.17. That was the spotlight of Ribeiro’s 12 months; in Paris, he raced the 50 free and 100 fly, making the semifinals within the former. With World Championships on the schedule this 12 months, Ribeiro’s inventory in these rankings rises. It could go even additional if he could make enhancements in an Olympic occasion this 12 months along with in search of a third-straight 50 butterfly podium end.
#77: Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, France (2024 Rank: 69) — Yohann Ndoye-Brouard is a traditional 100/200 backstroker, although over the past two years, it’s his 100 backstroke that’s emerged as his major occasion. Buoyed by a house crowd in Paris, Ndoye-Brouard made the Olympic 100 backstroke ultimate and took seventh. He added a sixteenth place end within the 200 backstroke, however arguably his finest race was the boys’s 4×100 medley relay, the place he blasted a 52.48 lifetime finest because the quartet earned bronze in a nationwide report time. Ndoye-Brouard has turn out to be a constant menace to make the backstroke finals on the senior worldwide meet of the 12 months, although he’ll want a breakthrough to get entangled within the medal combat.
#76: Keaton Jones, USA (2024 Rank: NR) — Keaton Jones made himself the ‘subsequent up’ within the lengthy historical past of Cal backstroke this summer season by incomes a spot on the U.S. Olympic staff within the 200 backstroke behind Ryan Murphy with a lifetime finest 1:54.61. Jones moved easily by way of the Olympic rounds of the 200 backstroke, which had shocking outcomes; in the end, not one of the eight finalists had been within the Tokyo ultimate. Jones swam a 1:55 and missed the rostrum, however his lifetime finest would’ve earned silver. That’s a robust signal for Jones heading into this 12 months. He’s a flexible swimmer in yards so will probably be price maintaining a tally of whether or not he can comply with up his breakout in a backstroke occasion with enhancements in one other occasion (just like the 200 freestyle, the opposite occasion he raced at U.S. Trials).
#75: Thomas Heilman, USA (2024 Rank: 43) — Coming off a breakout 2023 season, teenager Thomas Heilman took the subsequent steps in his swimming profession in 2024. He certified for his debut Olympic Video games in each the 100 and 200 butterfly, swimming a lifetime finest of fifty.80 within the former and breaking Michael Phelps’ NAG. Heilman didn’t ultimate in both occasion on the Video games, taking tenth within the 200 fly and 18th within the 100 fly. That’s absolutely not the result Heilman hoped for, however he’s continued to make waves within the yards pool this fall, which solely provides to what he’ll deliver to the College of Virginia subsequent fall. Who will comply with behind Caeleb Dressel because the U.S.’s go-to dash butterflier remains to be an open query, however Heilman is making a robust case for himself at solely 17. He’s the youngest American male swimmer to qualify for the Olympics since Phelps.
#74: Dong Zhihao, China (2024 Rank: 71) — 200 breaststroke world junior record-holder Dong Zhihao is a junior no extra, however he began his senior years on the worldwide stage with a bang by profitable 200 breaststroke gold on the Doha World Championships. He broke 2:08 for the primary time to earn the win, swimming 2:07.94. He couldn’t match that efficiency in Paris, taking fourth in 2:08.46. He additionally completed fourth on the 2023 World Championships and remains to be trying to breakthrough on the rostrum at a senior worldwide meet. The 200 breaststroke is his major occasion on the world stage, in order that mission simply received tougher, because the Worlds schedule has been up to date that might make the 200 IM/200 breast double much less difficult for Olympic champion Leon Marchand.
#73: Vladyslav Bukhov, Ukraine (2024 Rank: NR) — Vladyslav Bukhov was the shock of the 2024 World Championships in Doha. The 22-year-old swam a Ukrainian report of 21.38 within the 50 freestyle semifinals, then shocked Cameron McEvoy for gold the subsequent evening, beating the Australian star by a hundredth with a 21.44. Bukhov then earned bronze on the 2024 European Championships however couldn’t fairly match his early season pace in Paris. He completed eleventh within the 50 freestyle at his second Olympic Video games, precisely the place he completed in Tokyo. The 50 freestyle is Bukhov’s foremost occasion, and having just one occasion usually retains a swimmer from climbing very excessive in these rankings, but when he can get again down into the 21.3 vary this 12 months he may elbow his means into the ultimate of an more and more tight 50 freestyle area.
#72: Sven Schwarz, Germany (2024 Rank: 56) — Sven Schwarz is the second swimmer on this set of 10 that has to face a loaded German male distance freestyle group to qualify for a spot on a world roster. After profitable the 800 freestyle on the 2023 European U23 Championships, Schwarz swam two occasions on the Paris Olympics, the 800/1500 freestyle. He earned a fifth-place end within the former, although his bests stay the 7:41.77/14:43.53 he swam on the European U23 Championships final summer season. He did swim lifetime bests within the short-course meters pool, clocking 7:33.24/14:22.29 as he completed fourth within the 800 free and fifth within the 1500 on the 2024 Quick Course Worlds. Schwarz additionally owns a 3:45 finest within the 400 freestyle.
#71: Matt Temple, Australia (2024 Rank: 34) — Matthew Temple has turn out to be Australia’s go-to male dash butterflyer. The 25-year-old holds the Oceanian report within the 100 butterfly at 50.25 from December 2023, which he approached in January with a 50.60 that launched him into the Olympic medal dialog together with a slew of quick early season swims. Temple didn’t match his early season pace, although he did survive a tricky semifinals spherical to make the Paris ultimate, the place he completed seventh. Temple did climb on the rostrum on the 2024 Quick Course World Championships, claiming bronze within the 100 fly (48.71). Temple’s focus is sort of solely on the 100 butterfly on the senior worldwide stage. It’s turn out to be an more and more aggressive occasion within the final two years, which has pushed Temple down these rankings. However, the mix of his pace and the truth that its an occasion that makes him a key piece of Australia’s medley relays buoys him above among the 50 or distance specialists.
Learn the complete story on SwimSwam: SwimSwam’s High 100 For 2025: Males’s #80-71
