World Aquatics ne 2024 ke liye Summer McIntosh aur Leon Marchand ko Swimmers of the Year ka khitab diya, jo Budapest mein Sunday ko Short Course World Championships ke baad announce hua.
McIntosh
Summer McIntosh pehli Canadian bani hain jo ye award jeeti hain. Sirf 18 saal ki umar mein, wo sabse chhoti swimmer hain jo ye honor jeeti hain, 2013 mein Katie Ledecky ke baad.
2024 mein McIntosh ka medal tally: 6 gold, 2 silver, aur 1 bronze, jisme se lagbhag sab individual events mein jeete gaye.
McIntosh ne sirf championship season mein headlines nahi banayi, balki poore saal zabardast performances di. February mein, unhone 800m freestyle mein Katie Ledecky ko 2010 ke baad pehli baar face-to-face hara diya, aur 2nd fastest performer of all time bani.
April mein, Canadian Olympic Trials ke dauraan, unhone apna teesra long-course world record toda, 400m IM ka time 4:24.38 tak le jaate hue. Ye time Katinka Hosszu se 2 seconds aur Kaylee McKeown se 4 seconds fast hai.
Paris Olympics 2024 mein, McIntosh ne 3 gold medals jeete:
- 200 IM
- 400 IM
- 200 fly
400m freestyle mein unhone silver jeeta, jisme Ariarne Titmus ne unhe close finish mein hara diya.
Budapest Short Course World Championships ke dauraan, McIntosh ne apne long-course success ko short-course pool mein bhi replicate kiya, aur 3 world records ke saath 3 gold medals jeete:
- 400 free
- 200 fly
- 400 IM (4:15.48 ka world record, Mireia Belmonte ke record ko 3.5 seconds se toda).
Unhone 200 back mein silver medal aur World Junior Record banaya, aur 4×100 free relay mein bronze bhi jeeta.
McIntosh ne apni performance par kaha, “Mujhe words nahi mil rahe hain. 2024 overall ek amazing saal raha, pool ke andar aur bahar dono, aur main iss se zyada khush nahi ho sakti.”
Marchand
22 saal ke Leon Marchand pehle French swimmer hain jo Swimmer of the Year ka khitab jeete hain, aur David Popovici ke baad doosre European male swimmer hain jo ye honor lete hain.
Paris Olympics 2024 mein, apne home country mein Marchand sabse decorated athlete rahe, jinhone 4 gold medals jeete – aur wo sab Olympic record ke saath.
- Meet ke first event (400 IM) mein unhone apna dominance dikhaya aur apne world record ko lagbhag tod diya.
- Phir ek hi raat mein unhone 200 fly aur 200 breast dono events jeete, jo 50 saal mein pehli baar kisi swimmer ne kiya.
- Finally, unhone 200 IM jeeta, Ryan Lochte ke world record se sirf .06 second piche.
Olympics ke baad, Marchand ne World Cup series mein participate kiya, jahan unhone men’s medley events ka sweep kiya aur har stop par Triple Crowns jeeti. Unhone short-course 200 IM ka world record bhi banaya (1:48.88).
NCAA championships mein bhi unhone apni chhapp chhod di, Arizona State University ko unka pehla NCAA title jeetne mein lead kiya. Individually, unhone 500 free, 400 IM, aur 200 breaststroke jeete – aur in teeno mein fastest performer ka tag apne naam kiya.
Dono swimmers ne 2024 mein historic performances di, jo unko deservedly Swimmers of the Year banati hain. 🏊♀️🏆
Full List of World Aquatics Swimmers of the Year
| Year | Female Athlete | Male Athlete |
| 2010 | Therese Alshammar (SWE) | Ryan Lochte (USA) |
| 2011 | Missy Franklin (USA) | Ryan Lochte (USA) |
| 2012 | Missy Franklin (USA) | Michael Phelps (USA) |
| 2013 | Katie Ledecky (USA) | Ryan Lochte (USA) |
| 2014 | Katinka Hosszú (HUN) | Chad le Clos (RSA) |
| 2015 | Katinka Hosszú (HUN) | Mitch Larkin (AUS) |
| 2016 | Katinka Hosszú (HUN) | Michael Phelps (USA) |
| 2017 | Sarah Sjöström (SWE) | Caeleb Dressel (USA) |
| 2018 | Katinka Hosszú (HUN) | Chad le Clos (RSA) |
| 2019 | Sarah Sjöström (SWE) | Caeleb Dressel (USA) |
| 2021 | Emma McKeon (AUS) | Caeleb Dressel (USA) |
| 2022 | Katie Ledecky (USA) | David Popovici (ROU) |
| 2023 | Kaylee McKeown (AUS) | Qin Haiyang (CHN) |
| 2024 | Summer McIntosh (CAN) | Léon Marchand (FRA) |
