Throughout the first few weeks of 2024, we released our annual Top 100 lists, ranking the top 100 women and men in swimming for the coming year.
With 2024 in the rearview mirror, it’s time to do a quick review of last year’s rankings before we kick off the Top 100 for 2025.
TOP 100 FOR 2024 – WOMEN’S RANKINGS
Revisiting the women’s rankings, it’s clear the top 11 picks were prudent ones as 10 of them won multiple individual medals in Paris and the other was Mollie O’Callaghan, who won gold in the women’s 200 free and was a close 4th in the 100 free—also winning four relay medals and ranking in the top four in the world in four events.
Specifically looking at the top eight, there could be arguments for things to look a bit different in a variety of ways. With two individual gold medals, it could be argued that Sarah Sjostrom should’ve been higher than #8, and the same could be said for Katie Ledecky at #4.
However, swimmers like Kate Douglass and Regan Smith might not have won multiple individual golds in Paris, but in addition to the Olympic success they did have, they made a greater impact throughout 2024, setting multiple world records and winning world titles in the short course pool at the end of the year.
Given it was an Olympic year, long course performances and results in Paris were the main piece of criteria in last year’s rankings, though short course certainly factored in given Short Course Worlds was in December.
At the top, #1 Summer McIntosh and #2 Kaylee McKeown backed up those rankings.
After the top 11, Li Bingjie, Lilly King, Ruta Meilutyte and Shayna Jack all failed to reach the podium individually in Paris, though all but Meilutyte managed a 4th or 5th-place finish at the Olympics. For Meilutyte, she was clearly off form in Paris, placing 11th in the 100 breast, though she did win gold in the 50 breast at both the Long Course Worlds in Doha and Short Course Worlds in Budapest.
At #21, Torri Huske outperformed her ranking with two individual Olympic medals, including a gold in the 100 fly, as did Gretchen Walsh, who was ranked 28th but broke a long course world record, picked up silver in the 100 fly in Paris, and then rewrote the record books at Short Course Worlds.
The lowest-ranked individual Olympic medalists in pool swimming were Meg Harris and Mona McSharry at 54 and 55, while Tang Qianting, Paige Madden and Emma Weyant were three medalists we left out of the Top 100 last year.
The biggest oversight is Tang, who won LC and SC world titles in the 100 breast to go along with a silver in the event at the Olympics—she raced sparsely in 2023, placing 6th in the 50 breast and 20th in the 100 breast at the 2023 Worlds.
TOP 100 FOR 2024 – MEN’S RANKINGS
Unlike the women, some of the top 10 male swimmers didn’t perform as expected last year, with only three of the top 10 earning an individual gold medal in Paris.
The only male to win multiple individual gold medals, Leon Marchand was a slam-dunk pick for #1, but #2 Qin Haiyang underperformed at the Olympics, #3 Ahmed Hafnaoui withdrew from the Games, and #4 Sam Short was dealing with injury and was well off form.
Looking back, some elite names who were coming off down years in 2023, David Popovici and Kristof Milak, were underrated at #17 and #30, respectively, as both won one gold and two total medals in Paris.
Our lowest-ranked swimmer who won individual gold in Paris was Nicolo Martinenghi at #32, while others ranked too low based on their Olympic performances were Ilya Kharun and Gregorio Paltrinieri, who both won two medals at the Games.
Luke Hobson, who roared to a SC world title and new world record in the 200 free in December, was the lowest-ranked swimmer to win an individual medal at the Olympics, while two who weren’t featured in the Top 100 won individual medals: Apostolos Christou and Tomoyuki Matsushita. They both won silver, with Christou doing so in the 200 back and Matsushita in the 400 IM.
Along with Qin, Hafnaoui and Short, #6 Maxime Grousset, #10 Tom Dean, #18 Jack Alexy and #20 Tomoru Honda were the other swimmers ranked in the top 20 who didn’t win any individual medals in Paris.
Grousset finished 5th in both the 100 free and 100 fly, Dean was 5th in the 200 IM but notably failed to qualify for the Games as the defending champion in the 200 free, and Alexy was 7th in a 100 free final that was close outside of gold medalist Pan Zhanle. Honda was among the swimmers off form in Paris, placing 22nd in the 200 fly after winning bronze at the 2023 Worlds and then gold at the 2024 edition in Doha.
Noe Ponti not even in the top 100!
The women were basically spot on except for Huske.
The men had some way underperformers but the top 20 overall captured almost everyone who did well.
Poor Tom Dean. Aiming for 5 medals and having a podcast called Tom Dean Medal Machine and then winning a sole relay medal must hurt.
MA on this list
Not really related, but when will the remaining two Swammy Awards articles be out? Comeback swimmer and European coach are still not announced.
“Ariarne Titmus: 1 gold, 1 silver”
Titmus has 2 silvers from Paris – the 200 and 800 freestyle.
AJ Pouch had an insane summer, 9th after winning a swim off fir the 100 breast going 59 both in the semi AND the swim off, and then third in the 2 breast, and then goes to SC worlds, finals in the 2 breast, in arguably his worst length of pool, and he doesnt even CRACK the top 100?
Not sure McKeown really backed up her #2. What she did was back up into the Bronze in the 200 IM.
She tied Ledecky for the 2nd best individual haul by a female and made history with the double double. If she’d won the 200IM instead of bronze she would have overtaken Summer for 1st. I don’t see any argument for her not justifying #2
In that case you must not rate the fields she beat in the backstroke events.
Gretchen is almost certainly vastly moving up the rankings for 2025 her stock especially after SC worlds is very high
There’s no SC Worlds this year so short course won’t give her much of a boost. One thing that will give her a boost is the absence of Sjostrom. Honestly I think she would’ve been a problem for Sjostrom in the 50 fly even if she were competing this year so it’s a shame we won’t get to see that showdown.
Just with the 100 fly LCM WR they’ll assume she’s targeting the 50 WR and put her top 10 even if her LCM doesn’t actually warrant it. But yes a lack of Sjostrom does make her the favourite for probably 2 events (not to count out Huske in the 100).
As a W2 doubter even I wouldn’t disagree with W2 being top 10.
Honestly, if she can figure out her LCM racing, she should be a huge favourite for both sprint fly events. She is already ahead of the field timewise in the 100, plus the field itself is currently weakening: Huske may be better than ever, but McNeil is retired, Zhang seems to be past her prime, Kohler is entering hers but she is not quite in the same ballpark, Curzan is the third American out, McKeon is retired, and that young Japanese girl whose name I’m blanking on right now is still too young to seriously factor in for gold. 2025 should be Gretchen’s year in LCM (at least in butterfly).