Belgian swimmer Roos Vanotterdijk, 20, holds 13 national records over long course and short course, and she owns at least one record in all five strokes (including IM).
Vanotterdijk has the most versatility in her records across short course meters, where she has at least one record in every stroke except freestyle:. In long course, she holds records in freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and IM.
Vanotterdijk’s National Records
SCM
- 50 back – 26.43 (2025, World Cup Westmont)
- 100 back – 56.78 (2024, Belgian Championships)
- 200 breast – 2:18.07 (2025, Belgian Championships
- 50 fly – 25.32 (2024, Danish Championships)
- 100 fly – 55.64 (2025, World Cup Carmel)
- 100 IM – 57.41 (2025, World Cup Westmont)
- 200 IM – 2:05.81 (2025, World Cup Toronto)
LCM
- 100 free – 53.62 (2025, Flanders Cup)
- 50 back – 27.67 (2025, World Championships)
- 100 back – 58.97 (2025, Flanders Cup)
- 50 fly – 25.32 (2025, World Championships)
- 100 fly – 55.84 (2025, World Championships)
- 200 IM – 2:09.73 (2025, French Championships)
Does this range of records make her the most versatile swimmer in the world right now?
Plenty of swimmers have held national records in different strokes. Leon Marchand, for example, is the current French record holder in the Long Course 200 breast, 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM. In short course meters, he holds records in the 200 back, 200 breast, 100 IM, 200 IM, and 400 IM. This totals at most three different strokes in each course, and four total. He is just missing a freestyle record.
In February of 2023, Marchand also led the NCAA in seven events across all five strokes: the 500 free, 100 back, 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 fly, 200 IM, 400 IM. This is in line with the versatility we are seeing from Vanotterdijk, though these times were not NCAA record swims.
Kate Douglass holds the World Records in the 100 free and 200 breaststroke SCM along with the American Record in the 200 IM. This might be one of the most versatile World Record combinations in history, but it doesn’t match the range of strokes seen from Vanotterdijk.
We frequently see swimmers who are elite at freestyle and another stroke, or a stroke and the IM events. There are even swimmers that sometimes race freestyle, another stroke, and IM —Michael Phelps won Olympic gold medals in freestyle, butterfly, and IM — but it is rare to see an athlete who is the best in their country at all four strokes and IM.
Not only is Vanotterdijk the best swimmer in her country’s history in a variety of events, she is also elite in them. At the 2025 World Championships, she won a silver medal in the 100 fly and a bronze in the 50 fly. During the Swimming World Cup in October, she picked up eight bronze medals in the 50 fly, 100 fly, and 100 IM over the course of all three meets. She also has a bronze medal from the European Championships in the 100 back, and from European Juniors in the 100 free and 50 back.
The only stroke she does not have an international medal in is breaststroke because it is a relatively new event for her. She swam the 200 for the first time this year since December of 2019, and she broke the Belgian National Record in the SCM event at the 2025 National Championships earlier this month. That swim of 2:18.07 currently ranks 5th in the world this season, and would have been 5th in the world last year, even with the SC World Championships factored in.
Vanotterdijk is one of seven swimmers slated to compete for Belgium at next week’s European Championships, and she is entered in the 50 fly, 100 IM, 200 free, 100 fly, 200 breast, 100 back, 200 IM, 50 back, and 50 free. While she probably won’t swim all of these events, she is a legitimate medal threat in all nine.
I’m obviously very bias, but c’mon man! Roos is great but not even in the same universe as summer McIntosh, who holds world records, not national records, in six events. Plus let’s get serious if she swam other events she’d probably set those too.
Kaylee McKeown holds Australian records in the 50/100/200 back, 200/400 IM. She is the best backstroker of all-time, and the IM records she broke won Olympic gold medals and broke World Records. I think she’s got the toughest set of national records of anyone from a major swimming superpower.
She’s also top 10 all time in the 100 and 200 breast (not that we have many outstanding breaststrokers) and 12th in the 200 free (where we do have a bunch of the fastest in history)
Summer is better
This article made me realize that just 3 years ago a 44-mid led the NCAA in 100 bk going into conference meets. It’s only November and we have multiple 43s already!
She will break sjostrom and walsh record
Huske is more than capable in the back based on her 2IM splits. I’d argue she’s more versatile than GWalsh, particularly when factoring distance range.
Respect to the SS brass for knowing how to put out a clickbait article to drum up activity during a non swimming week, but this is a laughable claim to make
1) Leon
2) Summer
3) Kate Douglass
4) Shaine Casas
Honorable Mentions: Walsh Sisters, Carson Foster, Katie Grimes
I would go as far as arguing that elite NCAA versatility (not current but Gabe Jett comes to mind) is more impressive than holding a variety of C Tier swimming country national records. To clarify, Roos’ Worlds Silver+Bronze are more impressive than the “equivalent” NCAA Silver+Bronze but if we’re speaking strictly in terms of “versatility” the benchmark is much higher for NCAA than Belgium
Grimes does not currently belong on that list
This raises questions about what “versatility” actually means.
Is someone who has an A cut in 3 different strokes but hasn’t got a medal in any of them more versatile than someone who sweeps the 50/100/200 of one stroke? How much does distance difference matter vs stroke difference? Is an IM specialist more or less versatile than someone who is a two stroke specialist but has at IM?
For example, Katie Grimes realistically only has medal potential in the 1500 and 400IM based on her current PBs, but she has a few more A cuts.
Leon and Summer are versatile (and blow it out of the park) across the mid-long distance events.
Roos has world class podium level times across every stroke in sprint distances which is much more difficult.
I’d arguably say she’s only second to Douglass.
Sorry but that’s just completely untrue. In both LCM and SCM the 50 and 100 fly are her only times that are medal worthy.
None of her PBs in IM or any other stroke would have been close to a podium at the most recent LCM or SCM worlds
No shade because Roos is a beast with a huge present and future, but McIntosh has won global individual medals in freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and IM, and her LC 200br PB (2024) is 3s faster than Vanotterdijk’s (2025). She could go sub 2.20 for a SC 200br based on her split times on her 400im last year.
Better headline. Does Roos Van Otterdijk hold the most diverse set of a nation’s swim records? Give SS a break, it is coming on a slow time of year.