FINA’s List of Swimmers with Rio Qualifying Times Updated As of May 1, 2015

As with the list released back in early April, FINA has comprised a current run-down of each male and female “A” cut qualifiers for the 2016 Olympic Games as of May 1, 2015 (see full list here). The “A” time qualifiers appear first within each event, followed by the “B” time qualifiers.

A listing of FINA’s 2016 Olympic Qualification Time Standards can be found here.  Need a refresher on how the qualification process works?  Click here.

Obviously, it is still extremely early in the qualification period, which runs from March 1, 2015 – May 31, 2016, but it does give some hints as to where several countries’ strengths lie, with some prime time caliber meets and Worlds trials events have taken place since the previous FINA list.  Here are some notable items of significance extracted from FINA’s List of Swimmers with Qualifying Times as of May 1st to get the conversation started:

– Arkady Vyatchanin, who formerly swam for the Russian federation, is listed with “SRB” next to his name, signaling that FINA is officially recognizing him as a Serbian citizen for the purposes of 2016 Olympic qualification.
– Although Simone Manuel and Kelsi Worrell are on the listing for the Americans’ women’s 50m freestyle A qualifiers, the United States still does not have a male 50 freestyler under the FINA “A” cut through May 1st.  Josh Schneider has been the fastest male thus far in the qualifying period, clocking a 22.52 in Mesa.
– The aforementioned holds true for the 100m sprint freestyle event as well, where the U.S. is represented again by Simone Manuel and also by Natalie Coughlin, but is barren on the men’s side at this point.  Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte own the top two American men’s times in the event, with the 49.72 and 49.77, respectively, they clocked in Mesa.
– Americans Katie Ledecky and Alison Schmitt each broke through with 200m freestyle A cuts, but the same cannot be said on the men’s side, with USA’s Conor Dwyer‘s 1:48.29 short of the A qualifying standard of 1:47.97.
– Michael McBroom is the U.S.’s sole male freestyle A cut qualifier thus far, earning a spot on the list in both the 400m and 1500m events from his swims in Mesa.
– The women’s 200m backstroke is lacking an American A-cut qualifier, but is ripe with three Australians, led by Emily Seebohm and three Chinese swimmers.
– The women’s 800m freestyle and 100m breaststroke have the least amount of A cut swimmers at 12 each; the men’s 200m butterfly event has the least number of A qualifiers with just 13 swimmers at this point, led by Japan’s Daiya Seto.
– Those events with the highest number of A qualifiers just through May 1st include the women’s 200m IM with 35, and the men’s 400m freestyle that currently has 28 swimmers with a FINA A cut.