Who is the Top Male Swimmer of the Decade?

Column by John Lohn

CRANBURY, New Jersey, October 12. THIS year marks the 10th year of competition this decade, and as a way to celebrate that anniversary, Swimming World will be publishing the results of its Swimmer of the Decade balloting in the December issue. The process asked various Swimming World contributors to supply their top-10 performers – male and female – for the timeframe spanning 2000-09.

While I don't know what the final results are yet, here is my ballot for the top-10 male swimmers of the decade. It was a difficult ballot to fill out during the latter half of the list, although the top portion was relatively clear-cut, with a few exceptions. The next column will reveal my voting for the female side, which was much tougher.

1. Michael Phelps: Umm, I enjoy writing for this magazine and this web site, and if I didn't vote for the greatest swimmer in history, I'm pretty sure my credentials would be revoked, and deservingly so. Really, this was a slam dunk and doesn't require much analysis, except for these facts: 16 Olympic medals, 14 of which are gold, and 30-plus world records. That's enough.

2. Ian Thorpe: Until Phelps came along, Thorpe seemed to be the logical choice for this honor, and he's still a pretty easy selection for the No. 2 slot. The man redefined the 200 and 400 freestyles during his tenure, dominating those events by margins that were ridiculous. He won a pair of Olympic titles in the 400 free and avenged his 2000 Olympic loss in the 200 free with a triumph in Athens. He also proved himself sensational in the 100 free and 800 free, and even medaled at the World Champs in the 200 individual medley.

3. Aaron Peirsol: This was one of the toughest picks, because I went back and forth between Peirsol and Grant Hackett for this slot. In the end, Peirsol got the nod on the strength of double Olympic gold in the 100 and 200 backstrokes in 2004, another title in the 100 back in 2008, along with his silver in the back, which he also claimed as a teenager in 2000. Peirsol was dominant at the World Championships and his medley relay success for the U.S. added weight.

4. Grant Hackett: One of the finest performances of the decade was the Aussie distance great at the 2005 World Championships, where Hackett routed the competition for the 400-800-1500 trifecta. Of course, there were his Olympic titles in the 1500 in 2000 and 2004, and if Thorpe wasn't on the scene, he would have had some 400 free gold, too. There's no doubt the Aussie swimming community is missing Hackett's presence.

5. Kosuke Kitajima: There is no debating the Japanese star as the premier breaststroker of the decade. Look no further than the fact that he pulled off the Olympic double in 2004 and 2008, and became the first man to crack 58 seconds for the 100 breast and 2:08 for the 200 breast.

6. Pieter van den Hoogenband: An argument can be made that Hoogie deserves to be higher on this list, and that's a fair battle to wage. However, this is where he sits on this list. He was the double Olympic champ in the 100 free in 2000 and 2004, knocked off Thorpe in the 200 free in Sydney in 2000 and also medaled at the Olympics in the 50 free. That's one heckuva portfolio for the first man under 48 in the 100 free.

7. Ryan Lochte: Again, some probably think Lochte will belong higher on this list, because of his versatility. He has an Olympic title in the 200 backstroke, has medaled on the biggest stage in both individual medley events, and has set world records in the 200 back and 200 I.M. Throw in his freestyle talent and you just have to shake the head at his vast talent.

8. Lenny Krayzelburg: He might be a little high on this list, but anytime a guy wins three gold medals at an Olympics, that's worth noting. Krayzelburg doubled in the 100 and 200 back in Sydney, aside from helping the United States to gold in the 400 medley relay. That was strong enough for this writer.

9. Brendan Hansen: The only thing Hansen is missing on his resume is an individual Olympic gold, but not that's not enough to deter from all he accomplished during the decade. Hansen was the world champion in both breast events at the 2005 World Champs, won four Olympic medals, set global marks in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes and swept his specialties at the NCAA Championships for four years running.

10. Ian Crocker: Another University of Texas product rounds out the list. Crocker had one of the finest swims of the decade when he clocked 50.40 in the 100 butterfly at the 2005 World Championships. He added Olympic medals in the 100 fly, was a four-time NCAA champ in the event and even set a short-course world record in the 100 free.

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