With elite swimmers now remaining in the sport well into their late 20’s, we as fans get to see the evolution of our favorite aquatic stars unfold, both in the achievement sense, but also in simply the physical sense. Watching athletes such as American Regan Smith and Australian Kyle Chalmers emerge from their beginnings as talented junior swimmers to now-international mega athletes enables us to connect with them and follow along as their careers flourish over the years.
We previously reminisced on the early days of several of the world’s most notable swimmers in 2018 by taking in photos from then versus now as a reminder of the truly glorious era of swimming in which we’re lucky to be.
Now & Then – Edition #1
Now & Then – Edition #2
We now enter our third edition of our ‘Now & Then’ photo series.
Lilly King (USA)
Lilly King, 2014, by Tim Binning
Lilly King, 2019, Gwangju – Korea, 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju, Courtesy of Rafael Domeyko
Regan Smith (USA)
Regan Smith, Minnesota HS State Championships 2014, Courtesy of Kris Peterson
Regan Smith, 2019 (photo: Jack Spitser)
Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED)
Ranomi Kromowidjojo, 50 free final, 2013 FINA World Championships (Photo Credit: Victor Puig)
Foto Gian Mattia D’Alberto – LaPresse 21-07-2019 Gwangju – Korea sport nuoto, 18mi Campionati del mondo FINA Gwangju 2019 nella foto: Roberto STRELNIKOV ARG
Maxime Rooney (USA)
Maxime Rooney, 2014, photo: Seaha Rooney
Maxime Rooney, 2019, photo: Jack Spitser)
Jeanette Ottesen (DEN)
LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2013, Finals.
Jeanette Ottesen, DEN
100m Butterfly (courtesy of Jesper Nielsen, www.sttfoto.dk)
Jeanette Ottesen, 2019, courtesy of TheMagic5, a SwimSwam partner
Duncan Scott (GBR)
Duncan Scott, 2016 Scottish SC C’ships, courtesy of Neil Hanna/Scottish Swimming
Foto Gian Mattia D’Alberto/LaPresse, 23 Novembre 2019 foto: SCOTT Duncan
Shane Ryan (IRL)
Shane Ryan, NLAC, 2014
Shane Ryan, 2019 Irish Open Swimming Championships, photo: David Kibern
Kathleen Baker (USA)
Kathleen Baker, 2012, by Tim Binning
Kathleen Baker, 2019, by Jack Spitser
Emily Seebohm (AUS)
Emily Seebohm, 2014, by: Tim Binning
Seebohm at the FINA Champions Series Budapest 2019. By Adrian Mancebo/SwimSwam
Kyle Chalmers (AUS)
Kyle Chalmers, 2015, by Tim Binning
Kyle Chalmers, 2019 (photo: Jack Spitser)
Sydney Pickrem (CAN)
Sydney Pickrem, 2015 (photo: Peter Sukenik/www.petersukenik.com)
Sydney Pickrem, 2019, (photo: Jack Spitser)
Thomas Fraser-Holmes (AUS)
Thomas Fraser-Holmes, 2013, Swimming Australia (Swim Photo Credit: Tim Binning, theswimpictures)
Thomas Fraser-Holmes (r) w/ Kyle Chalmers, 2019, courtesy of Swimming Australia
Caeleb Dressel (USA)
Caeleb Dressel, Bolles School, a rising swim star at the 2013 US World Championship Trials (Photo Credit: Tim Binning, the swim pictures)
Photo Gian Mattia D’Alberto/LaPresse, December 20, 2019 Las Vegas – USA, 2019 ISL – International Swimming League, In the picture: DRESSEL Caeleb
Duncan Scott hasn’t changed one bit😂
I think this is more flattering of Duncan https://images.app.goo.gl/yNWZCovSMwviHv3NA
Let’s be honest we’d be screamin steroids if Dressel wasn’t American. It’s like Barry Bonds in the 90s vs 2000s
Just to clarify before getting downvoted to oblivion, I 100% believe he is clean. He’s a phenomenal person, it’s just silly how thicc he got
Rooney is jacked too compared to his younger photo.
except Barry Bonds was in early 30s when he started eating his vitamins and hittin the gym. Dressel is 16 in that picture compared to 22 in the after. After years of a legitimate strength and conditioning program in college. You can even tell in the before picture he’s way under developed muscle tone wise.
You’re comparing a 16 year old boy with a 22 year old man. Men are hitting peak muscle mass around aged 22 on average, add in the excess weight training regine as an adult and it’s not that surprising. When Ben Proud ‘broke out’ in 2012/2013 as a teenager he was pretty slim and look at him now.
Kyle Chalmers was a full grown man at like 16 lmao
And Scott still is baby faced
That second pic of Duncan Scott is very unflattering….it is funny when these amazing elite athletes are captured in an awkward pose!
Caeleb went from “are you free tonight” to “I’ll be there in five”
Maxine Rooney too, it’s that Florida water apparently
Maxime Rooney moved to Texas more than one year ago.
Yeah, but just like every other swimmer that went to FL maxime put on a butt load of muscle!