SwimSwam’s Top 100 For 2025: Women’s #60-51

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:

#60: Ingrid Wilm, Canada (2024 Rank: 57) — Canadian backstroker Ingrid Wilm took full advantage of all the major international meets last year as one of the very few swimmers who competed in both World championships and the Olympic Games. Wilm started her year by earning two World bronze medals in the 50 and 100 backstroke at the Long Course Worlds in Doha. She went on to qualify for her first Olympic Games at the Canadian Swimming Trials in May. After finishing 3rd in the 100 back in 2021, Wilm came back last year, to place 2nd and earn her spot. At the games, she finished 6th in the 100 back, and she was the prelims backstroke swimmer on Canada’s 4×100 medley relay. She also swam at the SC Worlds at the end of the year, earning an individual bronze medal in the 100 backstroke. She ended up finishing 4th in the 50 back and 29th in the 50 fly. She also medaled as a member of the 4×100 freestyle relay (bronze), and the mixed 4×100 medley (bronze), 4×50 medley (silver), and 4×50 freestyle (silver) relays.

#59: Mio Narita, Japan (2024 Rank: 42) — Mio Narita has only swam two major international meets as a senior-level swimmer, and she is quickly establishing herself as a staple in the IM events, particularly the 400. The 18-year-old Narita won the 400 IM (4:35.40) at the Japanese Olympic Trials and placed 3rd in the 200 IM (2:10.39). Her 400 time was over a second drop from her previous best of 4:36.89 from April of 2023. She went on to swim the 400 IM at the Paris Games, swimming 4:38.83, just off her best time, to finish 6th in the event. In the 2024 world rankings, Narita finished in the top 40 in three events, the 200 back (39th), 200 IM (17th), and 400 IM (8th). In 2023, Narita had a similar pattern in her 400 IM times. She went a best time at the Japanese championships to qualify for the World Championships in Fukuoka and then was not able to match that speed. If she continues to drop at the same rate, and she can make that drop happen at Worlds this year, she could be a serious threat.

#58: Abbey Connor, Australia (2024 Rank: NR) — Abbey Connor, a 19–19-year-old from Australia, is a primarily butterflyer, and her only competition out of Australia last year was the 2024 Olympic Games. At the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials, Connor swam four individual events, qualifying for the Olympics in the 200 fly with her 2nd place finish (2:08.15). She also swam the 100 fly (7th, 58.11), 100 free (43, 57.20), and the 200 free (2:01.11). The only event she added time in at this meet was her 100 freestyle where she added a second-and-a-half from her best of 55.78. At the Olympics, she was a few seconds off her best time, coming in at 2:08.15 for 7th in the final. She had four top 100 events in the 2024 world rankings, the 200 free (79th), the 400 free (70th), the 100 fly (55th), and the 200 fly (6th).

#57: Vivien Jackl, Hungary (2024 Rank: NR) — 16-year-old Viven Jackl had a couple of monster swims last year at meets in Hungary. At the Hungarian Championships in April, when she was still only 15, Jackal set a European junior record in the 400 IM, going 4:34.96 to win the event. She also medaled in the 1500 freestyle (16:14.39) at 16:14.39, and the 800 freestyle (8:30.74). She struggled slightly to maintain that speed through the summer, going on to swim at the European Junior Championships and the Olympics, her first senior international meet. She also swam the 400 IM (4:44.47) and the 1500 (16:31.25) at the Olympic Games in Paris, where she finished 14th and 15th respectively. At Hungary’s SC national championships, she picked up another title in the 400 IM (4:33.58), and she also won the 800 free (8:23.67), and co-won the 1500 free (16:03.83) in a new Hungarian Junior Record. At the 2024 SC Worlds, she performed slightly better in the 800, finishing in 8:22.27, and added a bit in the 400 IM (4:35.61). With more senior swimming experience under her belt and more time drops, Jackl could find herself in medal contention at Worlds in July.

#56: Sydney Pickrem, Canada (2024 Rank: 61) — Sydney Pickrem was another athlete who competed at both the World Championships and the Olympics. At the World Champs in Doha, Pickrem won two individual medals, a silver in the 200 IM and a bronze in the 200 breaststroke. She also swam on the prelims 4×100 medley relay, which later earned a bronze medal. Pickrem went on to qualify for the Olympics in the 200 IM and 200 breaststrokes, just missing the team with her 3rd-place finish in the 100. Her 200 IM time at trials was her 2nd best time in the event last year, dropping from the 2:08.56 she went in Doha. In Paris, she finished 9th in the 200 breaststroke (2:24.03), and 6th in the 200 IM. At SC Worlds, she finished 27th in the 100 breast, 8th in the 100 IM, and she scratched her 200 breast. Pickrem finished the year with four top 100 LC times in the 100 breast (54th), 200 breast (12th), 200 IM (5th), and 400 IM (61st).

#55: Anastasiya Shkurdai, Neutral Athletes (2024 Rank: NR) — Belarusian swimmer Anastasiya Shkurdai has been a staple in the backstroke events for years. Last year, she earned numerous finals swims and a few World Championships medals through three major meets. At the long course World Championships in February, she swam all three backstroke events, earning a bronze in the 200 at 2:09.08, she went on to swim the 100 and 200 backstroke at the games, where she finished 20th in the 100, and 8th in the 200 at 2:10.23. At the SC Worlds, she went 2:00.56 in the 200 to win the bronze. She also swam the 50 back and 100 back, qualifying for the semifinals finishing 14th in the 50, and finishing 5th in the finals of the 100. The only event she got faster in was her SC 100 backstroke, dropping to the 56.07 she went at Worlds.

#54: Alexandria Perkins, Australia (2024 Rank: NR) — Alexandria Perkins is a butterfly and sprint freestyler who only seems to be getting faster. At the World Championships in Doha, Perkins swam the 50 and 100 fly individually and participated on a few relays for Australia, only swimming the finals of the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay. She went on to qualify for the Australian Olympic team in the 100 fly, setting a new best time of 57.10 in the prelims of the event to finish 2nd. She was over half a second off this time at the Games, finishing 13th in 57.84, though even her best time would not have qualified for the final. She also swam in prelims of the silver medal-winning women’s 4×100 medley relay. At the 2024 SC World Championships, Perkins earned two bronze medals in the 50 and 100 butterfly, both of which were Oceanian records. She also swam the 50 free, placing 11th in the event.

#53: Jaclyn Barclay, Australia (2024 Rank: NR) — Australia is taking a 3rd on this list with 18-year-old Jaclyn Barclay coming in at 53rd. Barclay burst onto the senior international scene last year, earning a silver medal at her first major international competition as a senior swimmer, after winning the 100 back at the 2023 World Junior Championships. At the World Championships in Doha, Barclay ripped a blistering 2:07.03 to place 2nd in the event. This time ended up ranking Barclay 5th in the world through the end of the year. Barclay won three more medals at the meet, as a prelims swimmer on the 4×100 freestyle relay (silver), 4×200 freestyle relay (bronze), and 4×100 medley relay (gold). She ended up finishing 2nd in the 200 back (2:07.88) at the Australian Olympic Trials and 5th in the 100 back (1:00.06), qualifying for her first Olympic Games in the 200. She was not able to maintain the speed she had earlier in the year in the 200, finishing 17th at 2:10.53. She also finished in the top 20 in the 2024 world rankings in the 100 backstroke with her 59.28 from Doha, coming in at 18th.

#52: Mizuki Hirai, Japan (2024 Rank: NR) — Japan’s Mizuki Hirai is yet another junior swimmer on this list, coming in at 17 years old. Hirai also swam her first major senior international meet last year–the Olympic Games. At the Japanese Olympic Trials, she won the 100 butterfly 56.91, earning her first Olympic berth. She ended up finishing 7th at the Games, coming in at 57.19. She also swam on the women’s medley relay, which finished 5th, and on the mixed medley relay, which came in at 8th. At the SC Worlds, Hirai broadened her horizons, adding the 50 and 100 backstroke events to her lineup of the 50 and 100 fly. Her highest finish was 5th place in the 100 fly, with her time of 55.61. She also swam on five different relays for Japan, the women’s 4×100 free, 4×100 medley, and the mixed 4×50 free, 4×50 medley, and 4×100 medley.

#51: Emma Weyant, USA (2024 Rank: NR) — Emma Weyant is a staple in the 400 IM World Rankings. Weyant chooses to spend most of the year competing in the NCAA for the University of Florida, and she only swam at one of the three major international meets last year, the Olympic Games. At the U.S. Olympic Trials, she finished 5th in the 200 breast and 2nd in the 400 IM. She went on to win the bronze medal in the event at the games, swimming 4:34.94. Her time ranked her 6th in the world in 2024. She also sat in 46th in the 400 freestyle, showcasing that her freestyle skill extends to long-course meters. Her consistency in the 400 IM is what earned her the top spot in this half of the list. When she gets on the blocks for the 400 IM, she is a serious medal contender, no matter who else is there with her.

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Swim Observer
18 days ago

I’m most surprised that two of the China team’s relay staples: Cheng Yujie, Wu Qingfeng did not appear anywhere in 51 to 100. Their relays are guaranteed to win medals again in this year Worlds.

Cassandra
18 days ago

weyants placement is fair given how the 400im is very quickly developing a lot more international depth. theres 5 women under 20 who are either on the verge of breaking out or have already broken out in this event — yu yiting, yu zidi, narita, jackl, grimes. im particularly bullish on zidi and yiting given bohls recent chinese employment

Troyy
18 days ago

Feel like Hirai’s gonna pop this year and end up on the podium probably for bronze maybe even silver if Huske has a down year post-Olympics.

Swimz
Reply to  Troyy
17 days ago

Huske ll be unstoppable this year.she knows what she is doing. And to pop up when it matters the most not like in 2021.

Swimmerfan
18 days ago

Carmen Weiler will be on the list, right?
I think he has a great future in the European backstroke, his 100 back and 200 back are very balanced and every time he does a race he improves

jeff
Reply to  Swimmerfan
18 days ago

Definitely not, she didn’t rank in the top 20 in any of her events last year

Swimmerfan
Reply to  jeff
18 days ago

In olympics:

9° 100 back
13° 200 back

Steen
Reply to  Swimmerfan
18 days ago

And finalist 100 and 200 back short course

Thomas The Tank Engine
Reply to  Swimmerfan
18 days ago

Absolutely No.

There are dozens swimmers like Carmen Weiler and they didn’t make top 51-100.

Steen
Reply to  Thomas The Tank Engine
18 days ago

Example

I miss the ISL (Go dawgs)
18 days ago

Weyant feels so low. Yeah sure she was a one trick pony at the Olympics but she was a medalist and she was still a little off her best. Putting her next to Hirai, who was a one-time finalist, not medalist, seems wrong. Wilm also seems really low.

I miss the ISL (Go dawgs)
Reply to  I miss the ISL (Go dawgs)
18 days ago

Also, not saying Hirai doesn’t have a high ceiling for this next year, but I think Weyant does too. I need to see who is ahead of these two.

Bob
Reply to  I miss the ISL (Go dawgs)
18 days ago

Amazed to see Wilm jump into the free style relays at world sc,s and do a nice job as well.

snailSpace
18 days ago

I’m actually happy with Jackl’s placement here. Swimswam is really bad at annoying me lately.

Queens
Reply to  snailSpace
18 days ago

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

katyJ
Reply to  snailSpace
18 days ago

I was surprised katie Shanahan wasn’t higher placed than this swimmer having made 2 olympic finals!

snailSpace
Reply to  katyJ
17 days ago

This is a 2025 projection and Jackl is still only 16, so I guess Swimswam thought she had a greater upside coming into the year.
The 40-100 ranked swimmers are always difficult to rank accurately.

oxyswim
18 days ago

I’d be very surprised if Pickrem raced at a top level senior international level meet again. Have a hard time imagining that she’s been training at that level on her own while being a D1 coach, even coming off a PB last year.

morning call
Reply to  oxyswim
18 days ago

One hard thing about making the rankings this year is that we don’t know how much time each swimmer is taking off and whether they will race at all. Some may even retire quietly. There are always a lot of changes in the post-Olympic year.

Ontswammer
Reply to  oxyswim
18 days ago

I didn’t think she would and then she went to SC worlds. I mean maybe she was still playing off Olympic year and she was at her best but who knows

klorn8d
18 days ago

Weyant seems way low, only 42 medals are handed out in the pool, and with a lot of doubles probably only 25ish individual medalists a year. don’t think you can put a medalist 51st, maybe in the 30s

bakerfan
Reply to  klorn8d
18 days ago

same for Wilm

klorn8d
Reply to  klorn8d
18 days ago

okay avoiding working so I looked a little closer, there were 23 individual Olympic medalists in the pool for women. I assume Sjostrom and and Titmus won’t be in this list since they’ve announced they’re taking a year off and Tatjana Smith retired. So that puts 20 returning medalists. I could see Weyant being bumped to high 20s MAYBE low 30s with people like A Walsh or others who maybe nearly missed a medal but are more versatile. but 51 seems insulting.

Also I know this is predictive but Weyant has a very realistic shot to both qualify and medal at worlds again especially with A Walsh saying she is not interested in the 400 IM.

(I have no ties… Read more »

Koen
Reply to  klorn8d
18 days ago

Not sure what the reasoning would be, but I suppose there’s swimmers with bigger upsides? There’s swimmers that are low hanging fruit (A Walsh), but also those that are slightly less obvious (Marrit Steenbergen, Shayna Jack, MSH, Yang Junxuan, Erika Fairweather, etc.) that are threats for multiple medals and/or a gold (which is less relevant for Emma Weyant)? Moreover, if we weigh relay medals, I guess that may also put (most) of those athletes a little ahead?

Last edited 18 days ago by Koen
arrow
Reply to  klorn8d
18 days ago

I think she’s a fairly strong favourite for worlds bronze TBH

GOATKeown
Reply to  arrow
18 days ago

What makes you think she’s a strong favourite for bronze? We know McIntosh is winning gold. McKeown is 4 seconds faster than Grimes so would be a guaranteed silver but we know she won’t swim it, so let’s put Grimes in as solid silver favourite.

Colbert and Gorbenko are both 3 years younger than Weyant and were faster than her last year. Jackl is 15 and was less than a tenth slower than Weyant last year. Narita is 17 and was less than half a second slower. Weyant hasn’t set a PB in 4 years.

It’s very possible Weyant wins bronze but there is nothing to suggest she’s anything near a favourite for it.

Troyy
Reply to  GOATKeown
18 days ago

Forrester could also get back into podium contention.

jess
Reply to  klorn8d
18 days ago

100% agree individual medalists certainly should be top 40ish. I figured most olympics individual medalists would be scattered among the top 40, especially with titmus/sjostrom/smith all likely not in the rankings. Putting her just above someone who swam the same event, but didnt even final does really show this sort of contradiction.

If A walsh is turning away from the 4IM, there isnt a ton of competition to get those spots in the states if she is swimming to her potential. (Next best are all 4-5+ seconds off her PB)

I will say she doesnt have many other places to potentially make a team in, while her 4IM is elite, she doesnt have a second event that is close… Read more »

arrow
Reply to  jess
18 days ago

Surely that shouldn’t matter that much though? For example, Pheobe Bacon will almost certainly be higher and she only has a shot really in the 200 back (also she didn’t even medal…)

Jeff
Reply to  jess
18 days ago

lots of multiple event swimmers out there. When was her last PB? What is her predicted output in swim times this year?

Last edited 18 days ago by Jeff
Thomas The Tank Engine
Reply to  klorn8d
18 days ago

Titmus will be back in full training in July.

Sjostrom is definitely not in full training for the whole year.

GOATKeown
Reply to  klorn8d
18 days ago

These rankings are obviously very subjective, and many don’t make sense to me, but this one kind of does. She has only one event (she has zero chance of even coming close to making the team in 400 free where she ranked 46th) and despite winning the bronze medal she was ranked 6th for the year in the 400IM.

How many swimmers are ranked at least 6th in one event? Then add all the swimmers that are ranked top 7-15 in multiple events, which could be considered better than 6th in just one event. Then consider relay potential for those who are decent at a relay potential event. I’m sure you could come up with 50.

ScovaNotiaSwimmer
Reply to  klorn8d
18 days ago

They may have considered time trajectories. Weyant hasn’t swum a PB in her best event since 2021, right?

Compare that to someone like MSH or Fairweather, neither of who medaled in Paris but both are getting PBs and in MSH’s case, more versatile than Weyant.

About Sophie Kaufman

Sophie Kaufman

Sophie grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, which means yes, she does root for the Bruins, but try not to hold that against her. At 9, she joined her local club team because her best friend convinced her it would be fun. Shoulder surgery ended her competitive swimming days long ago, …

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