Every year since 1964, Swimming World has acknowledged the top athletes in our sport by voting for the World Swimmers of the Year. A panel of 15 members, both national and international, participated in the 2016 voting process. In anticipation of the release of the December issue we at Swimming World would like to take a look back at previous winners.
(Editor’s note: In 2013 Swimming World stripped the East German athletes, who were systematically doped in the 1970s and ’80s, from their World and European Swimmer of the Year titles)
2015 Winners: Katie Ledecky & Adam Peaty
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Katie Ledecky secured her third straight World Swimmer of the Year title in 2015, tying her with the USA’s Debbie Meyer (1967-69) and Shirley Babashoff (1974-76) in second place for consecutive title wins. 2015 was a big year for Ledecky as she gradutaed from Stone Ridge High School (Md.) and lowered another three world records at the World Championships in Kazan, Russia. Ledecky posted a 15:27.71 in prelims of the 1500 free, before further lowering the record to a 15:25.48 in finals. She then followed that up with a dynamic 8:07.39 in the 800 free final.
Will Ledecky earn her fourth straight title of World Swimmer of the Year in 2016, tying her with the USA’s Janet Evans (1987-90) for the most consecutive titles?
Photo Courtesy: gianmattiadalberto/lapresse\
Adam Peaty garnered his first World Swimmer of the Year title after a successful 2015 season, becoming the first swimmer–male or female–from Great Britain to earn the award. 2015 saw Peaty become the first athlete to break the 58-second barrier in the men’s 100 meter breaststroke with a 57.92 at the British Championships in London. The then 20-year-old would continue his success at the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia with gold medal finishes in both the 50 and 100 breaststrokes (26.51, 58.52).
No European male swimmer has repeated the World Swimmer of the Year title since Russia’s Denis Pankratov won in both 1995 and 1996, could Peaty become the second?
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PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS:
| Year | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Summer McIntosh, CAN | Leon Marchand, FRA |
| 2023 | Kaylee McKeown, AUS | Leon Marchand, FRA |
| 2022 | Ariarne Titmus, AUS | David Popovici, ROU |
| 2021 | Emma McKeon, AUS | Caeleb Dressel, USA |
| 2020 | Not awarded due to COVID-19 pandemic | Not awarded due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2019 | Regan Smith, USA | Caeleb Dressel, USA |
| 2018 | Katie Ledecky, USA | Adam Peaty, GBR |
| 2017 | Sarah Sjostrom, SWE | Caeleb Dressel, USA |
| 2016 | Katie Ledecky, USA | Michael Phelps, USA |
| 2015 | Katie Ledecky, USA | Adam Peaty, GBR |
| 2014 | Katie Ledecky, USA | Kosuke Hagino, JPN |
| 2013 | Katie Ledecky, USA | Sun Yang, CHN |
| 2012 | Missy Franklin, USA | Michael Phelps, USA |
| 2011 | Rebecca Soni, USA | Ryan Lochte, USA |
| 2010 | Rebecca Soni, USA | Ryan Lochte, USA |
| 2009 | Federica Pellegrini, ITA | Michael Phelps, USA |
| 2008 | Stephanie Rice, AUS | Michael Phelps, USA |
| 2007 | Laure Manaudou, FRA | Michael Phelps, USA |
| 2006 | Leisel Jones, AUS | Michael Phelps, USA |
| 2005 | Leisel Jones, AUS | Grant Hackett, AUS |
| 2004 | Yana Klochkova, UKR | Michael Phelps, USA |
| 2003 | Hannah Stockbauer, GER | Michael Phelps, USA |
| 2002 | Natalie Coughlin, USA | Ian Thorpe, AUS |
| 2001 | Inge De Bruijn, NED | Ian Thorpe, AUS |
| 2000 | Inge De Bruijn, NED | Pieter van den Hoogenband, NED |
| 1999 | Penny Heyns, RSA | Ian Thorpe, AUS |
| 1998 | Jenny Thompson, USA | Ian Thorpe, AUS |
| 1997 | Claudia Poll, CRC | Michael Klim, Aus |
| 1996 | Penny Heyns, RSA | Denis Pankratov, RUS |
| 1995 | Kristina Egerszegi, HUN | Denis Pankratov, RUS |
| 1994 | Samantha Riley, AUS | Kieren Perkins, AUS |
| 1993 | Franziska Van Almsick, GER | Karoly Guttler, HUN |
| 1992 | Kristina Egerszegi, HUN | Egveni Sadovyi, URS |
| 1991 | Kristina Egerszegi, HUN | Tamas Darnyi, HUN |
| 1990 | Janet Evans, USA | Mike Barrowman, USA |
| 1989 | Janet Evans, USA | Mike Barrowman, USA |
| 1988 | Janet Evans, USA, | Matt Biondi, USA |
| 1987 | Janet Evans, USA | Tamas Darnyi, HUN |
| 1986 | Mary T. Meagher, USA, | Matt Biondi, USA |
| 1985 | Mary T. Meagher, USA | Michael Gross, FRG |
| 1984 | Tiffany Cohen, USA, | Alex Baumann, CAN |
| 1983 | Tiffany Cohen, USA, | Rick Carey, USA |
| 1982 | Tracy Caulkins, USA, Petra Schneider, GDR * | Vladimir Salnikov, URS |
| 1981 | Mary T. Meagher, USA | Alex Baumann, CAN |
| 1980 | Tracy Caulkins, USA, | Rowdy Gaines, USA |
| 1979 | Cynthia Woodhead, USA | Vladimir Salnikov, URS |
| 1978 | Tracy Caulkins, USA | Jesse Vassallo, USA |
| 1977 | Wendy Boglioli, USA, | Brian Goodell, USA |
| 1976 | Shirley Babashoff, USA, | John Naber, USA |
| 1975 | Shirley Babashoff, USA, | Tim Shaw, USA |
| 1974 | Shirley Babashoff, USA, | Tim Shaw, USA |
| 1973 | Novella Calligaris, ITA, | Rick DeMont, USA |
| 1972 | Shane Gould, AUS | Mark Spitz, USA |
| 1971 | Shane Gould, AUS | Mark Spitz, USA |
| 1970 | Alice Jones, USA | Gary Hall, USA |
| 1969 | Debbie Meyer, USA | Gary Hall, USA |
| 1968 | Debbie Meyer, USA | Charles Hickcox, USA |
| 1967 | Debbie Meyer, USA | Mark Spitz, USA |
| 1966 | Claudia Kolb, USA | Mike Burton, USA |
| 1965 | Martha Randall, USA | Dick Roth, USA |
| 1964 | N/A | Don Schollander, USA |
Phelps & Ledeckey
It’s me who will always win if you do contact me at 0619507522 please #fortheloveof_SWIMMING
#Adampeaty
definitly Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky!