After an unprecedented year of racing that included the Olympics sandwiched between the Long Course and Short Course World Championships, it’s time to start releasing our fifth annual Top 100 list—check out last year’s rankings here.
As in previous years, we’ve taken a statistically driven approach reliant primarily upon world rankings and medals won at the Olympics, and to a lesser extent, Short Course Worlds and the 2024 Worlds in Doha. We’ve also accounted for things like potential, future medal opportunities, injuries, and versatility. Long-course is weighted more heavily than short-course, though performance potential in both formats is factored into our rankings.
After a large contingent of Russian and Belarusian swimmers raced at Short Course Worlds in December, those swimmers have started to move back up the rankings after they were low on the lists last year due to lack of competition.
We’ll be breaking down the top 100 into multiple installments, so keep an eye out as they’re released.
These lists are, by nature, subjective. If you disagree, leave your thoughts/ranks in the comments.
Thank you to Daniel Takata for his help with the data and compiling the rankings. Madeline Folsom contributed to this report.
Women’s Rankings:
#30: Erika Fairweather, New Zealand (2024 Rank: 19): – Fairweather stunned everyone on the opening day of the 2023 World Championships, upsetting the Titmus/Ledecky/McIntosh stranglehold on the 400 freestyle podium by taking bronze ahead of McIntosh and breaking the 4:00 barrier. Fairweather couldn’t replicate that magic in Paris, finishing just off the podium, placing 4th (4:01.12) in the 400 free and 7th in the 200 free (1:55.59). She had plenty to celebrate at the beginning of the year though, as she became New Zealand’s first swimming world champion by winning the 400 free in Doha. The now 21-year-old followed that success up with a silver in the 200 free and bronze in the 800 free. As the 2025 season begins, Fairweather remains a rangy freestyler who’s shown she’s capable of getting the better of the sport’s biggest stars.
#29: Li Bingjie, China (2024 Rank: 12) – It’s easy to forget that Li is still just 22 as it feels as though she’s been near the top of the women’s distance scene for the better part of the past decade. A three-time medalist at the 2017 Worlds when she was 15, Li didn’t have the same level of success she did in 2023 last year, but still secured a pair of relay world titles in Doha and two individual medals, and won an Olympic bronze medal on the Chinese women’s 4×200 free relay. Individually in Paris, Li placed 5th in the 1500 free, 9th in the 400 and 800 free, and 10th in the 200 free. She finished the year ranked 5th in the world in the 400 free (4:01.62) and 6th in the 1500 free (15:56.62), but never had her best stuff in the 800, ranking 15th (8:25.43). Li can be a bit unpredictable at times, but is a three-event medal threat when she’s on.
#28: Simona Quadarella, Italy (2024 Rank: 32) – Quadarella has been among the best female distance swimmers in the world throughout the Ledecky era, and despite Ledecky’s dominance, has managed to win three world titles when the American superstar was not in the field. Two of those came in 2024, as Quadarella swept the 800 and 1500 free in Doha in a pared-down field. At the Olympics, the Italian had a pair of 4th-place finishes in the two distance events, finishing the year ranked 5th in the world in the 800 (8:14.55) and 4th in the 1500 (15:44.05). Although it’s possible Quadarella’s medal-winning window is closing as the next wave of distance swimmers rise, she’s arguably been the most consistent of anyone over the last few years outside of Ledecky, so she’s still a medal threat.
#27: Yang Junxuan, China (2024 Rank: 66) – Yang is an ultra-talented freestyler whose stock took a hit in 2023 after, as the defending world champion, she opted not to race the 200 free at Worlds in Fukuoka. She placed 8th in the 100 free there in her lone event, but resurfaced as a multi-event threat in 2024. The now 23-year-old finished the year ranked 4th in the world in the 200 free (1:54.37) and 6th in the 100 free (52.48) after respective finishes of 5th and 6th at the Olympics, and she was also 25th-fastest in the world last year in the 50 free (24.56). If Yang is committed to the 200-meter distance moving forward, as a 52-mid/1:54-low swimmer, she’s a medal contender in the 100 and 200 free.
#26: Marrit Steenbergen, Netherlands (2024 Rank: 31) – Coming off a standout 2023 World Championship performance that saw her make four individual finals and win bronze in the 100 free, Steenbergen had a relatively disappointing Olympics, though she had a strong start to 2024 in Doha. The Dutch native won gold in the 100 free at the World Championships in a time of 52.26, which ranked her 3rd for the year, and she went on to take 7th at the Olympics (52.83). She also opted not to race the 50 or 200 free in Paris, and missed a second swim in the 200 IM, placing 20th. Now 25, Steenbergen has the ability to be in podium contention in at least two events and as she showed in 2023, make major finals in four. The 100 free is her best bet at LC Worlds in 2025, but she could rack up some hardware at the SC Euros later in the year.
#25: Mary-Sophie Harvey, Canada (2024 Rank: NR) – Harvey didn’t come out of nowhere in 2024, but established herself as a true major international medal contender after she was more of a fringe finalist in previous years. She was a relay-only swimmer at the Tokyo Olympics, placed 8th in the 200 IM at the 2022 World Championships, and then at the 2023 Worlds, took 11th in the 200 IM and 19th in the 200 free. Last year was a major resurgence for the Canadian, as she placed 4th at the Olympics in the 200 free (1:55.29) while contributing on Canada’s 4th-place finish 4×200 free relay. She ranked 9th in the world in the 200 free for the year, and also had elite ranks in the 400 IM (13th), 200 IM (14th), 100 fly (19th), 100 free (31st) and 400 free (33rd). The 25-year-old then had a phenomenal Short Course Worlds, winning five medals including an individual silver in the 200 free and bronze in the 400 free, and added a trio of 4th-place finishes in the 100, 200 and 400 IM. Riding this wave of momentum, Harvey will be one to watch for in 2025.
#24: Paige Madden, USA (2024 Rank: NR) – SwimSwam’s Comeback Swimmer of the Year, Madden had an impressive 2024 with two Olympic medals and adding a world title and world record at the end of the year to boot. Madden set new personal bests in the 200 free (1:56.36), 400 free (4:02.08) and 800 free (8:20.71) at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and followed up by resetting her 800 free PB in Paris and winning the bronze medal in 8:13.00. She also placed 6th in the 400 free (4:02.26) and split 1:55.65 on the U.S. 4×200 free relay that won silver. She ranked 4th in the world in the 800 free, 7th in the 400 free, and 21st in both the 200 and 1500 free (16:09.93). The 26-year-old then showed some speed at SC Worlds, placing 4th in the 400 free (3:55.12) and 800 free (8:07.22), and taking 6th in the 200 free (1:52.93) while swimming on the American’s world record-breaking 4×200 free relay. Madden’s seemingly found a spark that pushes her into the upper echelon of the rankings after being left off last year, and her development in the 800 free is a key part of her being in the top 25.
#23: Claire Weinstein, USA (2024 Rank: 39) – Still just 17, Weinstein is one of the best 200 freestylers in the world and just keeps getting better. In 2023, she upset Katie Ledecky at U.S. Nationals in the 200 free in a time of 1:55.26, and went on to place 12th at the World Championships (and was left off the U.S. 4×200 free relay). Last year, Weinstein rebounded from a poor swim at the beginning of the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400 free, qualifying for the Olympic team in the 200 free (1:56.18) and then taking a big step on the major international stage in Paris, making the individual final and placing 8th. She saved her best for the women’s 4×200 free relay, however, leading off in a lifetime best of 1:54.88 as the Americans won silver. That swim ranked Weinstein 6th in the world for the year, and she was also 13th in the 800 free (8:23.73) and 14th in the 400 free (4:04.54). She continued to show her evolution at Short Course Worlds in December, setting an American Record en route to winning bronze in the 200 free (1:51.62) while anchoring the U.S. to gold and a world record in the 4×200 free relay with a blistering 1:50.31 split. Weinstein may only have one truly top-tier event right now, but given her ability in the 200 free, it seems she’s only scratching the surface of her potential in the 400 and 800.
#22: Meg Harris, Australia (2024 Rank: 54) – One of the lowest ranked swimmers last year who won an individual Olympic medal, Harris’ biggest hurdle to a spot on the 50 free podium in Paris was getting through the stacked Australian Olympic Trials. Harris edged out defending Olympic champion Emma McKeon to qualify at the Trials, and then did the hardest thing there is to do in swimming, execute the best swim of your life in the Olympic final. Harris became the 16th woman in history to break 24 seconds in the 50 free in the final, clocking 23.97 to snag the silver medal. She also split 51.94 on the victorious Aussie women’s 4×100 free relay after finishing 3rd at the Olympic Trials in the 100 free. The 22-year-old ranked 7th in the world last year in the event (52.52), and was also solid in the 200 free (1:56.93 for 31st). Given her age, Harris could be a mainstay on the 50 free podium for the foreseeable future, with a chance in the 100 every year.
#21: Tes Schouten, Netherlands (2024 Rank: 26) – Schouten took a big step forward in 2024, becoming the 10th woman in history under the 2:20 barrier in the 200 breast en route to winning the world title in Doha. Her time of 2:19.81 ranks her #9 all-time, and she added a silver in Doha in the 100-meter event (1:05.82). At the Olympics, although unable to recreate that sub-2:20 form, Schouten won bronze in 2:21.05, and settled for 10th in the 100 breast. With the retirement of Tatjana Smith, Schouten seems to be a clear #3 in the world in the 200 breast behind Olympic champion Kate Douglass and world record holder Evgeniia Chikunova, so major international medal opportunities will be there for her. Not only does Schouten come into 2025 as the defending LC world champion in the 200 breast, but she’s also the reigning SC European champion in the event, with the chance to defend that title in December.
really wonder how fast Weinstein can get this year. Afaik, she’s the second fastest 17 year old all-time (if you go by age at the end of the year) after only McIntosh. MOC and Ledecky were 1:55.11 and 1:55.16 respectively at the same age Claire was last summer
Ariarne Titmus was a 1:54.85 at 17
Her trajectory did flatten out quite a lot last year only improving by 0.38. Can she steepen it again and go 1:53? Mollie’s yearly improvement didn’t drop below a second until she was swimming 1:52.
I love Meg Harris. She was motoring everyone down (except for Sarah) in the last 15m of her 50m Free.
Yang’s performance in the relay is too stable and excellent, which has been better than her performance in individual events.
51.96 in mixed medlay relay
52.11 in women medlay relay
52.48 in 400 freestlye relay (the first leg)
1:54.52 in 800 freestyle relay (the first leg)
not that i necessarily disagree (especially given some of these time drops occurred very recently) but assuming claire curzan is ranked in the top 20 — its interesting that roos vanotterdijk is ranked #99 given that she has a similar event profile, is starting to approach claires pbs while in season, has a much clearer shot of competing internationally, and is also slightly younger than claire…
The list would’ve been finalised before Vanotterdijk went her recent PBs and Curzan still has a better chance to make a podium if she makes the team (200 back) than Vanotterdijk in any of her events.
i dont disagree! and i think claire has a great shot at making the team individually but phoebe bacon isnt necessarily going anywhere… in the lc 200 bk — phoebe has a faster pb than claire, ended last year faster than claire, and is actually swimming faster in season this year than she was last year!
i think my point is not that roos should be ranked above claire but that they both should be ranked a little closer maybe 50ish vs 30ish
she’s still nearly 0.7 seconds slower in the 100 back, 1 second in the 100 fly, and has nothing in the 200 back compared to Curzan
shes less than .1 off her 100 fr pb — i was referring to their similar strengths in the non br 100s
The 2 girls I like here is
Weinstein, to go 1.54.88 as a 17 year old is just amazing, if you exclude McIntosh, who is not of this planet. She has plenty of growth to do here.
Harris is growing as a sprint swimmer, see her surprise at winning silver in Paris, she is now believing in herself & with the retirement of Campbell sisters (though Bronte not officially) & McKeon, expect to see Harris get more berths in both 50 & 100.
With Shayna focusing on the 50 that second 100 spot is wide open. I guess Wunsch could have another big drop …
Harris’s relay splits in Paris were pretty awesome too.
Reckon she would’ve gone another PB in Paris if she’d gotten the second 100 spot.
20 curzan
19 gose
18 kirpichnikova
17 grimes
16 berkoff
15 pallister
14 a. walsh
13 meylutite
12 haughey
11 yufei
10 chikunova
9 tang
8 douglass
7 smith
6 huske
5 o callaghan
4 walsh
3 ledecky
2 McKeown
1 mcintosh
Glaring omission…where’s Titmus?
Been said in most of these rankings…she’s not swimming at Worlds this year. Since this is a predictive ranking, she’s omitted.
She was included but at #50. Would’ve made more sense to just exclude her.
I’d downvote myself if I could for missing that
She should have just been omitted.
It doesn’t make sense to put her at #50.
Especially is she swims in local meet at the end of the year and scorched the top 3 fastest time of the year in 200-400.
There’s really too little to argue about which swimmers should be in top 10 on the women’s side. Not the same case on the men’s side.
Curzan top 20?
She’s Murrican.
Gets extra points.
psych sheet is out for southern sectionnal south in florida and summer mcintosh is swimming https://www.gomotionapp.com/fgcspst/UserFiles/Image/QuickUpload/2025-szss-psychsheet_023535.pdf
Only in the 800. Can she improve on her 8:11 from last year??
Ledecky’s dodging the 800 🧐
after training in altitude for 3 weeks… she just might. she is done WR when she was miles ahead with no competition before. whats a shame is that Ledecky is there BUT swimming the 1500.
do you think she is still in the prime time for altitude training to affect her times?
thats a good question. Looks like that ended at the end of January. i wonder how soon Regan Smith’s crazy fast 2:03 200 fly swim meet was after her altitude training in 2023…
i know that 2:03 in Tempe was very soon after altitude, she talked about it in swimswam podcast after the olympics iirc