See all of our 2023 Swammy Awards here.
BREAKOUT FEMALE SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: ERIKA FAIRWEATHER, NEW ZEALAND
19 year old Erika Fairweather had a huge 2023. The teenager broke through and won bronze in the 400 freestyle at the 2023 World Championships in July.
Fairweather began her successful year in March, swimming a personal best time of a 4:00.97 in the LCM 400 freestyle at the South Island Long Course Championships. That broke her own New Zealand National Record that stood at a 4:02.28 which she swam in prelims of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she ultimately finished 8th in the final.
The same weekend, Fairweather also swam another personal best in the 200 freestyle with a 1:56.73. That was faster than her previous best time of a 1:57.08. It also broke the previous National Record that stood at a 1:56.82 which Lauren Boyle swam in 2014.
Continuing her momentum into April led to her breaking her own National Records once again. She swam a 1:55.63 in prelims of the 200 freestyle before swimming a 1:55.44 in finals of the New Zealand Open Championships. In the 400 freestyle, she swam another personal best as well posting a 4:00.62.
Fairweather’s biggest swim of the year came in July at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Fairweather broke the 4:00 barrier in finals of the 400 freestyle, becoming the fifth woman to do so. Fairweather swam a final time of 3:59.59 to break her own National Record and also earn a bronze medal.
All-Time Top Performers, Women’s 400 Free:
- Ariarne Titmus (AUS) — 3:55.38
- Summer McIntosh (CAN) — 3:56.08
- Katie Ledecky (USA) — 3:56.46
- Federica Pellegrini (ITA) — 3:59.15
- Erika Fairweather (NZL) — 3:59.59
This fall, Fairweather competed at the World Cup stops. She consistently swam 1:56 200 freestyles at all three stops and notably broke the World Cup record in the 400 freestyle swimming a 4:01.09 at the first stop in Berlin. Fairweather won the World Cup triple crown in the 400 freestyle after winning the event at all three stops.
Honorable Mentions:
- Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia: Chikunova’s biggest swim of the year came in April where she smashed the LCM 200 breaststroke World Record by swimming a 2:17.55, the fastest swim ever by over a second. That was notably also a huge personal best for Chikunova who had never broken the 2:20 barrier coming into the year.
- Tes Schouten, Netherlands: Schouten was one of two medalists on the women’s side for the Dutch this past summer at 2023 Worlds as she won bronze in the 200 breaststroke swimming a National Record of 2:21.63. Schouten continued her momentum into the fall winning the World Cup triple crown in the 200 breaststroke.
- Kaitlyn Dobler, USA: Dobler just missed qualifying for Worlds at Summer Nationals as she was third in finals of the 100 breaststroke in a 1:05.48. That was a huge personal best as Dobler had never been under the 1:06 mark. Notably, her personal best from Summer Nationals would have won silver at 2023 Worlds.
PREVIOUS WINNERS:
- 2022 Swammy – Marrit Steenbergen, Netherlands
- 2021 Swammy – Lydia Jacoby, United States
- 2020 Swammy — Kasia Wasick, Poland
- 2019 Swammy — Maggie MacNeil, Canada
- 2018 Swammy — Wang Jianjiahe, China
- 2017 Swammy — Kylie Masse, Canada
- 2016 Swammy — Penny Oleksiak, Canada
- 2015 Swammy — Bronte Campbell, Australia
- 2014 Swammy — Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands
How is Lizzie Dekkers swimming 2:05s in the 200butterfly not good enough to be considered?
Because they had to include Dobler somehow, so no space for anyone else more deserving.
Important box to check when doing these awards:
☑ American representation
I don’t know why they didn’t go with Walsh then. I guess she had a stinker on the relay and her LCM improvement seemed like a long time coming
This is why everyone hates the Australians on this board. Y’all are so painfully flat and one note. The great irony is that Australians are the most condescending “my country over everyone” group here. You guys don’t even try to hide it, and still can’t recognize it. It’s awful. It ruins this community tbh.
And no, I’m not American, I’m Canadian.
I’m not Australian or American or Canadian and I think that’s a bit OTT.
i’m sorry if those comments made you feel this way, but i ensure you not EVERY australian is like this. there are more than five aussies on this site
also i don’t think they ‘ruin this community’ more than the trolls who’ve come on this site in the past and pile crap about swimmers that is insulting 🤷♀️
you’re using the opinions of a few users to paint the views of the broader australian swimswam demographic with a broad brush. sleep paralysis demon, david and phelpsfan were people who claimed to be canadians and posted endless vitriol and ad homonem attacks about australians. so by your logic, your canadian status makes you no different from the users I pointed out
Sure, those people are trolls. But we KNOW they’re trolls. They know they’re trolls.
The Australian trolls are convinced that they’re serious people, though, and you lot interact with them as though they are.
Basically you’re saying:
We can always forgive obnoxious Americans and Canadians, but whenever people from other countries are making opinions and arguing based on actual FACTS that *you* don’t like, then the whole Australian population is obnoxious.
Please, look at yourself in the mirror
By your logic, Americans and Canadians are the most the most condescending “my country over everyone” group here just because a few Canadians and Americans are obnoxious
Only justification I can think of is Dekkers won an individual medal at SCW last year. But then they didn’t disqualify Short for winning gold at CGs
Probably because Shorts Fukuoka performance is too fantastic that it outweigh the negative he won commie gold.
Agree with Fairweather for “the title”.
Whilst Chikunova was ineligible for international competition; her WR justifies the HM. Zero argument with Schouten.
Dobler’s swim was meritorious but should it really be ranked above the likes of Dekkers & Forrester who had similar, if not superior, up-ticks in performance AND medalled at the major international meet of the year (Worlds) ? Cox (GBR) & maybe Walsh have arguably stronger cases.
What about Jenna Forrester!
In Fukuoka she was 3rd in the 400 IM, 4th in the 200 IM and 200 Backstroke finalist.
Significant drop in all events this year. Also a 1:57.01 200m free that would basically put her on any other 4×200 relay in the world.
E.F got a big 800 in her …..just needs to swim it more….I think she can get down to 8.12…but would that medal Paris ???
Can I have what you’re smoking?
The mental fortitude required to step up the way she did in that 400 final was super impressive.
Well deserved, in a very tough event, with the GOAT female swimmer (Ledecky), the 400 free GOAT (Titmus) & possible future GOAT (McIntosh), Erica is doing very well.
Erika’s been a phenomenal swimmer for many years but is under the radar due to incredible worldwide depth in the 400. Just keeps getting quicker. Well done!
For international breakout swimmer, Dobler shouldn’t be a mention at all especially over swimmers like Lauren Cox, Peng Xuwei or even Gretchen Walsh who medalled at worlds. A pb is great but she didn’t even make the worlds team and saying her time would have medalled is irrelevant when Jaciby and Kings times would also have but its just not how swimming works.
Cox and Walsh also ended the year higher in the world rankings for their events than Dobler.
It is true, i Will say Erika, tes schouten, gretchen, Lauren Cox or dekkers.
Chikunova wasnt a revelation, double 4 th in Tokyo, but i Will consider for her incredible wr
Many athletes (4 place in Tokyo) won in WORLDS: ceccon, grousset, huske, mcintosh, popovici, junxuan, marchand (5)
I agree. Would also throw Jenna Forrester in as a HM. Bronze in 400IM, 4th in 200IM, final in 200 back, set 10 PBs this year.
It seems to be pre-requisite to throw random American in every category.
Regan Smith also got honorable mention in “comeback swimmer of the year” when so many other swimmers are way more deserving.
It’s them extra points for being American again. We’ll see more of them next month for the top 100 swimmers of 2024 lists.