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 listing—try final yr’s rankings right here.
As in earlier years, we’ve taken a statistically pushed method primarily reliant upon world rankings and medals gained on the Olympics and, to a lesser extent, Brief Course Worlds and the 2024 Worlds in Doha. We’ve additionally accounted for components like potential, future medal alternatives, accidents, and flexibility. Lengthy course is weighted extra closely than quick course, although efficiency potential in each codecs is factored in.
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 preserve a watch out as they’re launched.
These lists are, by nature, subjective. In the event 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
#40: Ilya Borodin, Impartial Athletes (2024 Rank: 74) — Within the long-course pool, the 21-year-old Ilya Borodin hit a 200 IM lifetime finest in July, swimming a 1:56.75 that ranks tenth total on the season. Earlier within the yr, Borodin clocked 4:09.59 within the 400 IM, which held up for eighth quickest on this planet final yr. These swims didn’t garner as a lot consideration on the worldwide scale, however Borodin was again within the highlight on the 2024 Brief Course World Championships as soon as he was permitted for Impartial Athlete standing. Borodin gained 400 IM gold in Budapest (3:56.83). Now that he’s as soon as once more eligible to race on the worldwide scene, Borodin ought to inject some life right into a 400 IM discipline that—exterior of antics from Leon Marchand—has been a bit wacky the final couple years.
#39: Florian Wellbrock, Germany (2024 Rank: 25) — As soon as one of the constant forces in males’s distance swimming, Florian Wellbrock has had some challenges for the previous couple of years. The 27-year-old regarded to have turned the web page on a disappointing 2023 in April, when he clocked 14:42.28 within the 1500 freestyle on the German Nationals. Nevertheless, again on the worldwide stage on the Olympic Video games, Wellbrock missed out on the 1500 freestyle closing, inserting 14th in 15:01.88. He missed the 800 freestyle closing as properly, swimming a season-best 7:47.91 for twelfth. He did higher within the 10K, inserting eighth. Wellbrock received again onto the rostrum in Budapest, successful SC Worlds silver within the 1500 freestyle. However within the long-course pool and on the massive meet, Wellbrock has had hassle protecting tempo with an more and more aggressive males’s distance freestyle discipline. And it isn’t going to get simpler, as swimmers like the following individual in these rankings proceed to enhance.
#38: Kuzey Tunçelli, Turkey (2024 Rank: NR) — Kuzey Tuncelli introduced himself in 2023 as he turned the youngest swimmer to interrupt 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 on the senior worldwide stage. Tunçelli gained his first senior European Championship title in June, touching first within the 1500 freestyle, then claimed double distance gold on the European Junior Championships just a few weeks later. Tunçelli broke the long-course 1500 freestyle world junior document twice this summer time, clocking 14:41.89 at European Juniors then swimming 14:41.22 to take fifth on the Olympics. Although he missed the Olympic 800 freestyle closing, his 7:47.29 earned eleventh place and marked a brand new Turkish document. Tunçelli took over the short-course meters 1500 freestyle world junior document on the 2024 Brief Course World Championships, swimming 14:20.64 and incomes bronze. The lads’s worldwide distance discipline is crowded, however as a teen, Tunçelli has asserted himself as the following distance star to look at.
#37: Tomoyuki Matsushita, Japan (2024 Rank: NR) — There have been many shocking swims on the Olympic Video games. However Tomoyuki Matsushita may need been essentially the most sudden. He was the youngest athlete within the 400 IM however shocked the sector by clawing his manner 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, turned the youngest 400 IM medalist since 1972. The time was a lifetime finest for Matsushita and in a single swim, he made himself somebody to look at going ahead on this occasion. Borodin’s return to the worldwide stage deepens the sector, however it doesn’t appear that Matsushita has hit his ceiling. The 400 IM was his one occasion on the Video games, however in September, he lowered his lifetime finest within the 200 IM as properly, clocking 1:57.60.
#36: Wang Shun, China (2024 Rank: 26) — Tokyo gold medallist Wang Shun was on a one man rollercoaster within the years between the Tokyo and Paris Video games. However, he reached a peak this summer time, specializing in the 200 IM, the place he earned one other journey to the rostrum by successful bronze (1:56.00). It’s his third straight 200 IM Olympic medal, as along with successful gold in Tokyo he took bronze in Rio. Wang’s season-best was a 1:55.35 from the Chinese language Nationals in April and that point additionally ranks him third on this planet final yr. However for Wang, the time on the Video games was second to proving that he may get again on a senior worldwide podium. Mission completed for Wang, who’ll look to take care of that success this yr.
#35: Kirill Prigoda, Impartial Athletes (2024 Rank: 84) — Kirill Prigoda’s 2024 appears extraordinarily just like Ilya Borodin’s. The Russian breaststroker, 29, swam 2:07.48 within the long-course 200 breaststroke this yr. Whereas the swim ranks seventh on this planet on the season, it might’ve gained bronze on the Paris Olympics. He added a 59.37 season-best within the 100 breaststroke (twentieth). As a impartial athlete on the 2024 Brief Course World Championships, he burst again onto the worldwide scene much more dramatically than Borodin, successful six medals. He gained silver in all three breaststroke distances and although he was racing as a impartial athlete, swam Russian information within the 50/100 breast (25.48/55.49). He picked up his three gold medals swimming breaststroke on the varied medley relays, serving to set a world document within the males’s 4×100 medley and a European document within the combined 4×50 medley.
#34: Hwang Solar-w00, South Korea (2024 Rank: 31) — Lots of the swimmers in Hwang Solar-woo’s “class” of swimming stars primarily based on age and talent have confronted setbacks since their preliminary breakouts. For instance, David Popovici’s 2023 World Championships. Hwang’s yr couldn’t have began higher; he gained gold within the 200 freestyle on the 2024 World Championships, swimming a 1:44.75 that held up for third finest on the yr. Then, he helped South Korea win silver within the males’s 4×200 freestyle relay. The challenges got here in Paris, at his second Olympic Video games, the place he missed 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 present that he’s an elite expertise in his main occasions. 2025 will probably be about taking the teachings from a disappointing Olympics and utilizing them to have a greater World Championships in Singapore.
#33: Ben Proud, Nice Britain (2024 Rank: 32) — The hyper-specialized Ben Proud has achieved rather a lot over his lengthy profession, however till 2024, one factor eluded him—an Olympic medal. The British sprinter who focuses on the 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle, and solely the latter in an Olympic yr, lastly checked off that lacking accolade in Paris. The lads’s 50 freestyle was extremely tight, with third by way of eighth separated by .08 seconds, however Proud managed to separate himself from the chaos, incomes silver in 21.30. Earlier within the yr at British Nationals, Proud logged 21.25, the third-fastest swim of his profession and finest since 2018. Showing on the SwimSwam podcast after the Video games in September, Proud shared that whereas he was again within the water, January was when he deliberate to get extra critical about coaching. The upcoming World Championships current the chance for Proud to not solely race the 50 freestyle, however the 50 butterfly as properly, the place he positioned fifth in 2023. Proud is likely one of the most specialised swimmers ranked this extremely, however the truth that he’s nonetheless discovering methods to supply a number of the quickest swims of his profession retains him this excessive.
#32: Zac Stubblety-Cook dinner, Australia (2024 Rank: 21) — Zac Stubblety-Cook dinner is one other extremely specialised swimmer. The place he shines is the 200 breaststroke; he gained Olympic gold within the occasion in Tokyo and is the previous world document holder within the occasion. Stubblety-Cook dinner, 26, had challenges as he defended his Olympic gold from three years in the past as he revealed that he examined constructive for COVID-19 in the course of the Video games. Stubblety-Cook dinner competed regardless of the constructive check and earned his second straight journey to the Olympic podium, taking silver with a season-best 2:06.79. He hasn’t raced because the Video games, although the information that he’s becoming a member of Mel Marshall’s coaching group on 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, continued his rise on the worldwide scene final yr, despite the fact that he didn’t hit any lifetime bests in his main 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 lads’s Olympic 200 freestyle got here right down to the contact and Richards managed to get his hand on 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 turned the primary to win back-to-back Olympic relay gold with the identical 4 swimmers. He positioned twelfth within the 100 freestyle, and it appears prefer it’s going to take a significant carry for Richards to push for a worldwide closing, given how aggressive the occasion is, however his pace stays an asset for the British relays. Richards received 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 loads of momentum into 2025.
Learn the complete story on SwimSwam: SwimSwam’s Prime 100 For 2025: Males’s #31-40
