Former and Almost-World Record Holders SCM: The 2nd-Fastest Performers All-Time

Last month we took a look at the second-fastest performers all-time in the 17 individual events contested by both men and women in long course meters. Today, we shift our focus to the 25-meter pool and remember the once untouchable records that eventually gave way to the champions of today, as well as the champions of today that almost toppled the records that have stood for years.

Unlike the previous list, 28-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps makes zero entries on the list of second-fastest performers all-time in SCM. In fact, Phelps holds no World or American Records in any of the 18 individual SCM events, though the small pool was never Phelps’ focus.

Because American swim seasons alternate between short course yards in the fall and winter and long course meters in the spring and summer there is little opportunity for most US-based swimmers to race in the 25-meter pool, resulting in few Americans holding World Records or even second-fastest accolades in the 25-meter pool.

Two World Records fell in 2019 during the inaugural season of the International Swimming League–first, Australia’s Minna Atherton took down Hungarian Katinka Hosszu‘s 100 backstroke World Record and became the first woman in history to swim under 55-seconds in the 100 SCM backstroke. Then, in the league final, Japan’s Daiya Seto broke American Ryan Lochte‘s World Record in the 400 IM. American Katie Ledecky who represented the DC Trident in season one of the ISL fell just short of the World Record in the 400 meter freestyle in the first-ever ISL meet, registering a time of 3:54.06, settling for the third-fastest performance all-time and leaving her just off today’s list.

With one World Record and one second-fastest performance all-time, Atherton and Lochte make just one appearance each on this list. Hosszu is the second-fastest-ever in two events in the 25-meter pool, as is China’ Wang Jianjiahe. Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, meanwhile, holds three of the second-fastest performances ever in SCM, the most of any swimmer, male or female. Though Sjostrom is the second-fastest woman ever in the 100 meter IM Katinka Hosszu holds the top-13 performances all-time.

Only two men, Russian Kliment Kolesnikov and France’s Yannick Agnel, appear more than once on the second-fastest all-time list. Kolesnikov is the former World Record holder in the 100 SCM backstroke and the second-fastest performer ever in the 100 IM, just behind countryman Vladimir Morozov who is also the second-fastest ever in the 100 SCM freestyle. Morozov also happens to hold the top-10 fastest times in the 100 IM, making Kolesnikov’s top performance the 11th-fastest ever despite him being the second-fastest man ever in the event. Agnel, meanwhile, nearly broke the World Record in the 200 freestyle in 2012 but fell just short. In the same competition, Agnel became the second-fastest ever in the 800 freestyle, though fell nearly six seconds short of Grant Hackett’s 2010 World Record.

Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte (2013) and Jamaican Alia Atkinson (2014) share the World Record in the women’s 100 breaststroke at 1:02.36 which makes Russia’s Yulia Efimova the third-fastest all-time in the race, though Efimova’s best time is tied for the 14th-fastest all-time with Atkinson, who along with Meilutyte, hold the top-13 fastest performances. In terms of who is the second-fastest all-time in the women’s 100 SCM breaststroke, because the World Record is shared by two athletes Efimova is for all intents and purposes the second-fastest all-time in the race.

The Second-Fastest Performers All-Time: Short Course Meters