By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam
After an unprecedented yr of racing that included the Olympics sandwiched between the Lengthy Course and Brief Course World Championships, it’s time to begin releasing our fifth annual Prime 100 checklist—take a look at final yr’s rankings right here.
As in earlier years, we’ve taken a statistically pushed method reliant primarily upon world rankings and medals received on the Olympics, and to a lesser extent, Brief Course Worlds and the 2024 Worlds in Doha. We’ve additionally accounted for issues like potential, future medal alternatives, accidents, and flexibility. Lengthy-course is weighted extra closely than short-course, although efficiency potential in each codecs is factored into our rankings.
After a big contingent of Russian and Belarusian swimmers raced at Brief Course Worlds in December, these swimmers have began to maneuver again up the rankings after they had been low on the lists final yr as a consequence of lack of competitors.
We’ll be breaking down the highest 100 into a number of installments, so hold a watch out as they’re launched.
These lists are, by nature, subjective. In the event you disagree, go away your ideas/ranks within the feedback.
Thanks to Daniel Takata for his assist with the information and compiling the rankings. Madeline Folsom contributed to this report.
Girls’s Rankings:
- #100 – #91
- #90 – #81
- #80 – #71
- #70 – #61
- #60 – #51
- #50 – #41
- #40 – #31
- #30 – #21
- #20 – #11
- #10 – #1
#60: Ingrid Wilm, Canada (2024 Rank: 57) — Canadian backstroker Ingrid Wilm took full benefit of all the key worldwide meets final yr as one of many only a few swimmers who competed in each World championships and the Olympic Video games. Wilm began her yr by incomes two World bronze medals within the 50 and 100 backstroke on the Lengthy Course Worlds in Doha. She went on to qualify for her first Olympic Video games on the Canadian Swimming Trials in Might. After ending Third within the 100 again in 2021, Wilm got here again final yr, to position 2nd and earn her spot. On the video games, she completed sixth within the 100 again, and she or he was the prelims backstroke swimmer on Canada’s 4×100 medley relay. She additionally swam on the SC Worlds on the finish of the yr, incomes a person bronze medal within the 100 backstroke. She ended up ending 4th within the 50 again and twenty ninth within the 50 fly. She additionally medaled as a member of the 4×100 freestyle relay (bronze), and the combined 4×100 medley (bronze), 4×50 medley (silver), and 4×50 freestyle (silver) relays.
#59: Mio Narita, Japan (2024 Rank: 42) — Mio Narita has solely swam two main worldwide meets as a senior-level swimmer, and she or he is rapidly establishing herself as a staple within the IM occasions, notably the 400. The 18-year-old Narita received the 400 IM (4:35.40) on the Japanese Olympic Trials and positioned Third within the 200 IM (2:10.39). Her 400 time was over a second drop from her earlier better of 4:36.89 from April of 2023. She went on to swim the 400 IM on the Paris Video games, swimming 4:38.83, simply off her greatest time, to complete sixth within the occasion. Within the 2024 world rankings, Narita completed within the high 40 in three occasions, the 200 again (thirty ninth), 200 IM (seventeenth), and 400 IM (eighth). In 2023, Narita had the same sample in her 400 IM occasions. She went a greatest time on the Japanese championships to qualify for the World Championships in Fukuoka after which was not in a position to match that pace. If she continues to drop on the identical charge, and she will be able to make that drop occur at Worlds this yr, she could possibly be a severe menace.
#58: Abbey Connor, Australia (2024 Rank: NR) — Abbey Connor, a 19–19-year-old from Australia, is a primarily butterflyer, and her solely competitors out of Australia final yr was the 2024 Olympic Video games. On the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials, Connor swam 4 particular person occasions, qualifying for the Olympics within the 200 fly together with her 2nd place end (2:08.15). She additionally swam the 100 fly (seventh, 58.11), 100 free (43, 57.20), and the 200 free (2:01.11). The one occasion she added time in at this meet was her 100 freestyle the place she added a second-and-a-half from her better of 55.78. On the Olympics, she was a number of seconds off her greatest time, coming in at 2:08.15 for seventh within the ultimate. She had 4 high 100 occasions within the 2024 world rankings, the 200 free (79th), the 400 free (seventieth), the 100 fly (fifty fifth), and the 200 fly (sixth).
#57: Vivien Jackl, Hungary (2024 Rank: NR) — 16-year-old Viven Jackl had a few monster swims final yr at meets in Hungary. On the Hungarian Championships in April, when she was nonetheless solely 15, Jackal set a European junior report within the 400 IM, going 4:34.96 to win the occasion. She additionally medaled within the 1500 freestyle (16:14.39) at 16:14.39, and the 800 freestyle (8:30.74). She struggled barely to take care of that pace by way of the summer season, occurring to swim on the European Junior Championships and the Olympics, her first senior worldwide meet. She additionally swam the 400 IM (4:44.47) and the 1500 (16:31.25) on the Olympic Video games in Paris, the place she completed 14th and fifteenth respectively. At Hungary’s SC nationwide championships, she picked up one other title within the 400 IM (4:33.58), and she or he additionally received the 800 free (8:23.67), and co-won the 1500 free (16:03.83) in a brand new Hungarian Junior Report. On the 2024 SC Worlds, she carried out barely higher within the 800, ending in 8:22.27, and added a bit within the 400 IM (4:35.61). With extra senior swimming expertise below her belt and extra time drops, Jackl might discover herself in medal competition at Worlds in July.
#56: Sydney Pickrem, Canada (2024 Rank: 61) — Sydney Pickrem was one other athlete who competed at each the World Championships and the Olympics. On the World Champs in Doha, Pickrem received two particular person medals, a silver within the 200 IM and a bronze within the 200 breaststroke. She additionally swam on the prelims 4×100 medley relay, which later earned a bronze medal. Pickrem went on to qualify for the Olympics within the 200 IM and 200 breaststrokes, simply lacking the crew together with her Third-place end within the 100. Her 200 IM time at trials was her 2nd greatest time within the occasion final yr, dropping from the two:08.56 she went in Doha. In Paris, she completed ninth within the 200 breaststroke (2:24.03), and sixth within the 200 IM. At SC Worlds, she completed twenty seventh within the 100 breast, eighth within the 100 IM, and she or he scratched her 200 breast. Pickrem completed the yr with 4 high 100 LC occasions within the 100 breast (54th), 200 breast (twelfth), 200 IM (fifth), and 400 IM (61st).
#55: Anastasiya Shkurdai, Impartial Athletes (2024 Rank: NR) — Belarusian swimmer Anastasiya Shkurdai has been a staple within the backstroke occasions for years. Final yr, she earned quite a few finals swims and some World Championships medals by way of three main meets. On the lengthy course World Championships in February, she swam all three backstroke occasions, incomes a bronze within the 200 at 2:09.08, she went on to swim the 100 and 200 backstroke on the video games, the place she completed twentieth within the 100, and eighth within the 200 at 2:10.23. On the SC Worlds, she went 2:00.56 within the 200 to win the bronze. She additionally swam the 50 again and 100 again, qualifying for the semifinals ending 14th within the 50, and ending fifth within the finals of the 100. The one occasion she obtained sooner in was her SC 100 backstroke, dropping to the 56.07 she went at Worlds.
#54: Alexandria Perkins, Australia (2024 Rank: NR) — Alexandria Perkins is a butterfly and dash freestyler who solely appears to be getting sooner. On the World Championships in Doha, Perkins swam the 50 and 100 fly individually and took part on a number of relays for Australia, solely swimming the finals of the ladies’s 4×100 freestyle relay. She went on to qualify for the Australian Olympic crew within the 100 fly, setting a brand new greatest time of 57.10 within the prelims of the occasion to complete 2nd. She was over half a second off this time on the Video games, ending thirteenth in 57.84, although even her greatest time wouldn’t have certified for the ultimate. She additionally swam in prelims of the silver medal-winning ladies’s 4×100 medley relay. On the 2024 SC World Championships, Perkins earned two bronze medals within the 50 and 100 butterfly, each of which had been Oceanian information. She additionally swam the 50 free, inserting eleventh within the occasion.
#53: Jaclyn Barclay, Australia (2024 Rank: NR) — Australia is taking a third on this checklist with 18-year-old Jaclyn Barclay coming in at 53rd. Barclay burst onto the senior worldwide scene final yr, incomes a silver medal at her first main worldwide competitors as a senior swimmer, after profitable the 100 again on the 2023 World Junior Championships. On the World Championships in Doha, Barclay ripped a blistering 2:07.03 to position 2nd within the occasion. This time ended up rating Barclay fifth on this planet by way of the top of the yr. Barclay received three extra medals on the meet, as a prelims swimmer on the 4×100 freestyle relay (silver), 4×200 freestyle relay (bronze), and 4×100 medley relay (gold). She ended up ending 2nd within the 200 again (2:07.88) on the Australian Olympic Trials and fifth within the 100 again (1:00.06), qualifying for her first Olympic Video games within the 200. She was not in a position to keep the pace she had earlier within the yr within the 200, ending seventeenth at 2:10.53. She additionally completed within the high 20 within the 2024 world rankings within the 100 backstroke together with her 59.28 from Doha, coming in at 18th.
#52: Mizuki Hirai, Japan (2024 Rank: NR) — Japan’s Mizuki Hirai is yet one more junior swimmer on this checklist, coming in at 17 years previous. Hirai additionally swam her first main senior worldwide meet final yr–the Olympic Video games. On the Japanese Olympic Trials, she received the 100 butterfly 56.91, incomes her first Olympic berth. She ended up ending seventh on the Video games, coming in at 57.19. She additionally swam on the ladies’s medley relay, which completed fifth, and on the combined medley relay, which got here in at eighth. On the SC Worlds, Hirai broadened her horizons, including the 50 and 100 backstroke occasions to her lineup of the 50 and 100 fly. Her highest end was fifth place within the 100 fly, together with her time of 55.61. She additionally swam on 5 completely different relays for Japan, the ladies’s 4×100 free, 4×100 medley, and the combined 4×50 free, 4×50 medley, and 4×100 medley.
#51: Emma Weyant, USA (2024 Rank: NR) — Emma Weyant is a staple within the 400 IM World Rankings. Weyant chooses to spend many of the yr competing within the NCAA for the College of Florida, and she or he solely swam at one of many three main worldwide meets final yr, the Olympic Video games. On the U.S. Olympic Trials, she completed fifth within the 200 breast and 2nd within the 400 IM. She went on to win the bronze medal within the occasion on the video games, swimming 4:34.94. Her time ranked her sixth on this planet in 2024. She additionally sat in forty sixth within the 400 freestyle, showcasing that her freestyle talent extends to long-course meters. Her consistency within the 400 IM is what earned her the highest spot on this half of the checklist. When she will get on the blocks for the 400 IM, she is a severe medal contender, irrespective of who else is there together with her.
Learn the complete story on SwimSwam: SwimSwam’s Prime 100 For 2025: Girls’s #60-51
