﻿{"id":480341,"date":"2021-07-22T06:30:26","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T13:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=480341"},"modified":"2021-07-23T13:50:51","modified_gmt":"2021-07-23T20:50:51","slug":"swimming-worlds-pre-olympic-male-rankings-the-top-25-ahead-of-the-tokyo-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-worlds-pre-olympic-male-rankings-the-top-25-ahead-of-the-tokyo-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimming World\u2019s Pre-Olympic Male Rankings: The Top-25 Ahead of the Tokyo Games"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Swimming World\u2019s Pre-Olympic Male Rankings: The Top-25 Ahead of the Tokyo Games<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In June, Olympic Trials meets, particularly in Australia and the United States, completely shook up the status quo for the women\u2019s swimming events at the Tokyo Olympics. Incredible performances from Aussies <strong>Ariarne<\/strong> <strong>Titmus<\/strong>, <strong>Kaylee McKeown<\/strong> and <strong>Emma McKeon<\/strong> set each of them up as favorites for individual Olympic gold, and that combined with rough performances from some women at the U.S. Trials completely shook up the top of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-worlds-pre-olympic-female-rankings-the-top-25-ahead-of-tokyo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rankings for the top 25 female swimmers in the world<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, for the men\u2019s rankings, performances from the month of June made much less of an impact on what we will expect at in Tokyo. Only four or five of the 14 individual men\u2019s events look much different than they did in May. This list of the top-25 male swimmers in the world, again with the focus squarely on how they are set up to perform at the upcoming Olympics, includes a lot of familiar faces at the top. The top six swimmers here were all gold medalists at the last major international competition, the 2019 World Championships.<\/p>\n<p>And the No. 1 swimmer in the world? Exactly the same man considered a shoo-in for that spot for almost the entire period since the last Olympics.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Caeleb Dressel, USA<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_478220\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-478220\" data-attachment-id=\"478220\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-worlds-pre-olympic-male-rankings-the-top-25-ahead-of-the-tokyo-games\/caeleb-dressel-109\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/caeleb-dressel-o-trials-2021-7619.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1000,750\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;E-M1X&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;caeleb-dressel-&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1623978663&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;150&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;caeleb-dressel-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"caeleb-dressel- o-trials-2021 7619\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;caeleb-dressel- 100 Free, 2021, Day 5, Dressel Caeleb, Finals, Olympic Trials&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/caeleb-dressel-o-trials-2021-7619-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/caeleb-dressel-o-trials-2021-7619.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-478220 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/caeleb-dressel-o-trials-2021-7619-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"caeleb-dressel-\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-478220\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Caeleb Dressel &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Caeleb Dressel\u2019s<\/strong> performances at the U.S. Olympic Trials did nothing but reinforce the conviction that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/caeleb-dressel-and-the-obstacles-awaiting-his-olympic-showcase\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dressel will be one of the stars of the Tokyo Olympics<\/a>, perhaps the star in the swimming pool. At Trials, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/u-s-olympic-trials-officially-on-road-to-tokyo-caeleb-dressel-powers-to-100-free-win-connects-with-crowd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dressel swam a 47.39 in the 100 free<\/a>, which is second in the world rankings behind <strong>Kliment<\/strong> <strong>Kolesnikov<\/strong>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/us-olympic-trials-caeleb-dressel-swims-third-fastest-100-fly-ever-in-semifinals-49-76\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he also swam the third-fastest performance ever in the 100 fly<\/a>, a 49.76 which only he has surpassed, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/caeleb-dressel-ties-american-record-in-50-free-michael-andrew-takes-second-spot-ahead-of-nathan-adrian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tied his American record in the 50 free at 21.04<\/a>. Dressel will not only be favored for all three gold medals, but he could definitely take down all three world records. And Dressel will figure heavily into at least three and possibly four relays, and he will be absolutely critical to any hope of U.S. gold in those events.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Adam Peaty, Great Britain<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_473468\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-473468\" data-attachment-id=\"473468\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/european-championships-day-2-finals-peaty-takes-fourth-title-in-57-66-tie-for-womens-100-fly\/xxxv-len-european-aquatic-championships-budapest-2020-16\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Adam-Peaty-100-final-2021-European.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Giorgio Perottino \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;PEATY Adam GBR\\n100m Breaststroke Men Final\\nSwimming\\nBudapest  - Hungary  18\\\/5\\\/2021\\nDuna Arena\\nXXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships\\nPhoto Giorgio Perottino \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1621354574&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Giorgio Perottino \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;4000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;XXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships Budapest 2020&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"XXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships Budapest 2020\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;7-24-21 &#038; 7\/12\/22&lt;br \/&gt;\nPEATY Adam GBR 100m Breaststroke Men Final Swimming Budapest &#8211; Hungary 18\/5\/2021 Duna Arena XXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships Photo Giorgio Perottino \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto LEN, Aquatics, European Championships, Budapest, 2020, Sport, Swimming&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Perottino \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Adam-Peaty-100-final-2021-European-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Adam-Peaty-100-final-2021-European-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-473468 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Adam-Peaty-100-final-2021-European-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"adam peaty, 2021 european championships, tokyo olympics\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-473468\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adam Peaty &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Perottino \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n<p>So far this year, the world has gotten a little bit closer to <strong>Adam<\/strong> <strong>Peaty<\/strong>. <strong>Arno Kamminga<\/strong> joined him in the sub-58 club for the 100 breast, and younger swimmers like <strong>Michael Andrew<\/strong> and <strong>Nicolo Martinenghi<\/strong> have reached 58-low territory. But Peaty has been so good for so long, and he\u2019s improved the 100 breast world record by more than a second and a half in his career. At the 2019 World Championships, he completed \u201cProject 56\u201d by swimming under 57 for the first time, and he will surely threaten his world record of 56.88 at the Tokyo Olympics. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/adam-peaty-unleashes-57-39-over-100br-now-owns-the-top-20-performances-in-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peaty has been as quick as 57.39 this year<\/a>, and he is also the only man to ever break 26 in the 50 breast.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Kristof Milak, Hungary<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_473550\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-473550\" data-attachment-id=\"473550\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/european-championships-milak-thunders-to-200-fly-gold-in-151-10-2nd-fastest-in-history\/kristof-milak-european-championships\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Kristof-Milak-European-Championships.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Kristof Milak European Championships\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;5\/22\/21 &#038; 6\/13\/22&lt;br \/&gt;\nKristof Milak European Championships&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Kristof Milak: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia\/Insidefoto&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Kristof-Milak-European-Championships-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Kristof-Milak-European-Championships-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-473550 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Kristof-Milak-European-Championships-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"kristof milak, tokyo olympics\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-473550\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kristof Milak: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia\/Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Kristof Milak<\/strong> will make his Olympic debut at age 21 in Tokyo, and he will take aim at the 1:50 barrier in the 200 fly. Milak shocked the world when he broke <strong>Michael Phelps\u2019<\/strong> world record in the event with aa 1:50.73 at the 2019 World Championships, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/milak-goes-151-40-for-second-fastest-200-fly-in-history-at-hungarian-nationals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">he has twice swum faster than Phelps\u2019 former world record<\/a>, including\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/european-championships-milak-thunders-to-200-fly-gold-in-151-10-2nd-fastest-in-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a 1:51.10 at the European Championships<\/a>. It would be a stunner if Milak does not capture Olympic gold in the event since he is ranked more than three seconds ahead of any other swimmer this year. He is also the favorite for silver in the 100 fly, where his 50.18 from the European Championships ranks him fourth all-time behind Dressel, Phelps and <strong>Milorad<\/strong> <strong>Cavic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Daiya Seto, Japan<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_408188\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-408188\" data-attachment-id=\"408188\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-world-the-soak-week01132020\/finale-international-swimming-league-la-seconda-giornata-a-las-vegas-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Daiyasetohand.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1024,683\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;LAPRESSE&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Foto Fabio Ferrari\\\/LaPresse \\n21 Dicembre 2019 Las Vegas - USA \\nsport nuoto \\n2019 ISL - International Swimming League.\\nNella foto: SETO Daiya\\n\\nPhoto Fabio Ferrari\\\/LaPresse \\nDecember 21, 2019 Las Vegas - USA \\nsport swimming \\n2019 ISL - International Swimming League.\\nIn the picture: SETO Daiya&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1576886400&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;LaPresse&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Finale International Swimming League, la seconda giornata a Las Vegas&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Finale International Swimming League, la seconda giornata a Las Vegas\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;27.5.20 15.1.20 Daiya Seto Foto Fabio Ferrari\/LaPresse 21 Dicembre 2019 Las Vegas &#8211; USA sport nuoto 2019 ISL &#8211; International Swimming League. Nella foto: SETO Daiya Photo Fabio Ferrari\/LaPresse December 21, 2019 Las Vegas &#8211; USA sport swimming 2019 ISL &#8211; International Swimming League. In the picture: SETO Daiya ISL, nuoto, International Swimming League, sport, LAS VEGAS, ultima tappa, Sabato, finale&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Daiya Seto &#8211; Photo Courtesy: Fabio Ferrari\/LaPresse&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Daiyasetohand-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Daiyasetohand.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-408188 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Daiyasetohand-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"daiya seto, 2019 isl final, tokyo olympics\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-408188\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daiya Seto &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Fabio Ferrari\/LaPresse<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Daiya Seto<\/strong> will be the standard-bearer for Japan at its home Tokyo Olympics, and he will be a medal threat in three events, a gold medal contender in two and the favorite in the first event on the swimming program, the men\u2019s 400 IM. Seto captured golds in both IMs at the 2019 World Championships as well as silver in the 200 fly. He had previously won world titles in the 400 IM in 2013 and 2015 and also Olympic bronze in the event in 2016. Seto actually swam his lifetime bests in both IMs shortly before the pandemic began, a 1:55.55 in the 200 IM that ranks tied for seventh all-time and a 4:06.09 in the 400 IM that is fifth all-time, and he enters the Olympic summer as a favorite for gold medals in both. This year, he is ranked first in the world in the 400 IM at 4:09.02 but only 11th in the 200 IM at 1:57.41.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Evgeny Rylov, Russia<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_452421\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-452421\" data-attachment-id=\"452421\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-worlds-pre-olympic-male-rankings-the-top-25-ahead-of-the-tokyo-games\/evgeny-rylov-energy-standard-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/evgeny-rylov-energy-standard--scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-9M2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1604571183&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"evgeny-rylov-energy-standard-\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;evgeny-rylov-energy-standard-&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu \/ ISL&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/evgeny-rylov-energy-standard--700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/evgeny-rylov-energy-standard--1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-452421 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/evgeny-rylov-energy-standard--700x500.jpg\" alt=\"evgeny-rylov-energy-standard, tokyo olympics\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-452421\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Evgeny Rylov &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu \/ ISL<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Evgeny<\/strong> <strong>Rylov<\/strong>, the 24-year-old from Russia, captured Olympic bronze in the 200 back in 2016 and then won two straight world titles in the event in 2017 and 2019. \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/rylov-sets-european-200-back-record-of-153-23-chikunova-wins-200br-efimova-locked-out\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rylov swam a 1:53.23 in the 200 back<\/a>\u00a0at Russia\u2019s Olympic Trials last month, good for fifth-fastest all-time and faster than any other currently active swimmer.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/evgeny-rylov-swipes-100-back-national-record-from-kolesnikov-efimova-fesikova-make-fourth-olympics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">He also swam a 52.12 in the 100 back<\/a>, which is faster than any world title-winning time ever but still off his best time of 51.97 from 2019, which made him just the fourth swimmer to ever crack 52 in the event. The 100 back at the Tokyo Olympics should be a good battle for gold with <strong>Ryan Murphy<\/strong>, <strong>Xu Jiayu<\/strong> and countryman <strong>Kliment<\/strong> <strong>Kolesnikov<\/strong>, but Rylov is the clear favorite in the 200-meter distance.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>6. Anton Chupkov, Russia<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_397010\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-397010\" data-attachment-id=\"397010\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-worlds-pre-olympic-male-rankings-the-top-25-ahead-of-the-tokyo-games\/anton-chupkov-4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/anton-chupkov-ISL-Indy-2019-1598.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;E-M1X&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;anton-chupkov-&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1570389110&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;anton-chupkov-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"anton-chupkov-ISL Indy 2019 1598\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;anton-chupkov- 2019, Chupkov Anton, Day 2, ISL Indy&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/anton-chupkov-ISL-Indy-2019-1598-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/anton-chupkov-ISL-Indy-2019-1598-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-397010 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/anton-chupkov-ISL-Indy-2019-1598-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"anton-chupkov, tokyo olympics\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-397010\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anton Chupkov &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Anton<\/strong> <strong>Chupkov<\/strong> is only at the absolute elite level in one event, but he has redefined the limits in his signature 200 breast. He followed up an Olympic bronze medal with two straight world titles and he broke the world record in 2019 with his 2:06.12. And Chupkov swims the race a lot differently than most of his competitors: he lengthens his stroke and relaxes over the first 100 meters before accelerating significantly on the back half. He frequently swims each of the last two lengths in under 32 seconds, which is all but unheard of. At the Tokyo Olympics, he will face a significant battle for Olympic gold with Australia\u2019s <strong>Zac Stubblety-Cook<\/strong> and Japan\u2019s <strong>Shoma Sato,<\/strong> both of whom have swum within three tenths of the world record this year.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>7. Kliment Kolesnikov, Russia<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_473358\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-473358\" data-attachment-id=\"473358\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-worlds-pre-olympic-male-rankings-the-top-25-ahead-of-the-tokyo-games\/xxxv-len-european-aquatic-championships-budapest-2020-15\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/kliment-kolesnikov-russia.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Giorgio Perottino \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;KOLESNIKOV Kliment RUS\\n50m Backstroke Men Semi-Final\\nSwimming\\nBudapest  - Hungary  17\\\/5\\\/2021\\nDuna Arena\\nXXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships\\nPhoto Giorgio Perottino \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1621276241&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Giorgio Perottino \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;4000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;XXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships Budapest 2020&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"XXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships Budapest 2020\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;KOLESNIKOV Kliment RUS 50m Backstroke Men Semi-Final Swimming Budapest &#8211; Hungary 17\/5\/2021 Duna Arena XXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships Photo Giorgio Perottino \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto 2020, Aquatics, Budapest, European Championships, LEN, Sport, swimming&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Perottino \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/kliment-kolesnikov-russia-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/kliment-kolesnikov-russia-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-473358 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/kliment-kolesnikov-russia-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"kliment kolesnikov, tokyo olympics\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-473358\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kliment Kolesnikov &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Perottino \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n<p>No male swimmer has improved his stock on this list more in 2021 than <strong>Kliment Kolesnikov<\/strong>. For years considered a rising star in the backstroke events, the 20-year-old Kolesnikov is now the world\u2019s fastest 100 freestyler as well as a legitimate gold-medal contender in backstroke. He swam a 47.31 at Russia\u2019s Olympic Trials to improve to 10th all-time in the event, and that remains the fastest time in the world this year. He will be a medal contender in the event for the Olympics along with a key piece of Russia\u2019s impressive 400 free relay. Additionally,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/european-championships-kolesnikov-blasts-50-back-world-record-in-23-93\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kolesnikov twice broke his world record in the 50 back<\/a>\u00a0at the European championships,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/european-championships-kliment-kolesnikov-lowers-50-back-wr-to-23-80\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dropping the mark to 23.80<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/european-championships-day-7-finals-britain-finish-top-of-the-medal-table-after-medley-victories\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">he swam a 52.13 in the 100 back as a medley relay leadoff<\/a>\u00a0(and an unofficial 52.09 on a mixed medley relay leadoff) to climb the world rankings and cement his status as an Olympic medal contender in multiple events. If Kolesnikov can duplicate those performances at the Olympics,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/kliment-kolesnikov-surges-toward-stardom-at-european-championships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">he could climb much higher on this list<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>8. Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_382850\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-382850\" data-attachment-id=\"382850\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/gregorio-paltrinieri-punches-739-27-euro-record-victory-as-christiansen-aubry-make-history\/gregoriopaltrinierihenrikchristiansen\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Gregoriopaltrinierihenrikchristiansen.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,548\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;PATRICK B. KRAEMER&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy celebrates on his way out after winning in the men&#039;s 800m Freestyle Final during the Swimming events at the Gwangju 2019 FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea, 24 July 2019. Henrik Christiansen of Norway (R) finishes second.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Gregoriopaltrinierihenrikchristiansen\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;12\/1\/20&lt;br \/&gt;\nGregorio Paltrinieri of Italy celebrates on his way out after winning in the men&#8217;s 800m Freestyle Final during the Swimming events at the Gwangju 2019 FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea, 24 July 2019. Henrik Christiansen of Norway (R) finishes second.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Gregorio Paltrinieri celebrates victory, Henrik Christiansen smiling too as Norway&#8217;s first medallist among men over 800m &#8211; Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Gregoriopaltrinierihenrikchristiansen-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Gregoriopaltrinierihenrikchristiansen.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-382850 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Gregoriopaltrinierihenrikchristiansen-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy celebrates on his way out after winning in the men's 800m Freestyle Final during the Swimming events at the Gwangju 2019 FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea, 24 July 2019. Henrik Christiansen of Norway (R) finishes second.\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-382850\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gregorio Paltrinieri &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/gregorio-paltrinieri-has-olympic-history-within-reach\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Gregorio Paltrinieri<\/strong><\/a>, the defending Olympic gold medalist in the 1500 free, might be higher on this list, but he dealt with mononucleosis in late June, and it\u2019s unclear how that diagnosis impacted his training. Still, Paltrinieri will be a factor for gold in three races in Tokyo, the 800 free and 10k open water race in addition to his signature mile. He is the reigning world champion in the 800 free, he swam a 7:40.22 in August 2020 and then a 7:41.96 in April, far faster than anyone else has swum since 2019. He took down his own European record in the 1500 free last year with a 14:33.10, improving on his own status as the second-fastest man in history, although he should have some challenges for the gold medal in that race. And Paltrinieri qualified to swim the unpredictable 10k open water race at the Olympics after finishing sixth at the 2019 World Championships.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>9. Duncan Scott, Great Britain<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_469682\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-469682\" data-attachment-id=\"469682\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/gb-trials-day-3-heats-scott-sizzles-to-48-19-with-four-men-under-49-in-100-free\/2021-british-swimming-selection-trials-4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20210414_BSST_F-10443-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Georgie Kerr&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS-1D X Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;14th April 2021, London Aquatics Centre, London, England ; 2021 British Swimming Selection Trials&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1618430139&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;\\u00a9 Georgie Kerr \\rwww.georgiekerrphotography.com&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;2021 British Swimming Selection Trials&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"2021 British Swimming Selection Trials\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;7\/16\/21&lt;br \/&gt;\n14th April 2021, London Aquatics Centre, London, England ; 2021 British Swimming Selection Trials 2021, British, London, Selection, Swimming, Trials&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Duncan Scott; Photo Courtesy: Georgie Kerr&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20210414_BSST_F-10443-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20210414_BSST_F-10443-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-469682 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/20210414_BSST_F-10443-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"Duncan Scott; 14th April 2021, London Aquatics Centre, London, England ; 2021 British Swimming Selection Trials\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-469682\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Duncan Scott &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Georgie Kerr<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/great-scott-duncan-scott-standing-and-soaring-in-the-pool\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Duncan Scott<\/strong><\/a> was a newer face to the international scene when he qualified for the 100 free final at the Rio Olympics and then swam on a pair of silver medal-winning British relays, but he will head to his second Olympics with a target on his back. Scott pulled off one of the most amazing relay legs ever when he pulled Great Britain from behind to win gold in the men\u2019s 400 medley relay at the 2019 World Championships, his 46.14 the second-quickest in history. Scott also tied for bronze in the 200 free at Worlds and took fifth in the 200 IM, but so far in 2021, he has swum times of 47.87 in the 100 free, 1:44.47 in the 200 free and 1:55.90 in the 200 IM. At the Tokyo Olympics, he will be a gold-medal contender in the 200 free and a medal contender in his other events along with a key factor on British 800 free and 400 medley relays in the hunt for gold.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>10. Ryan Murphy, USA<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_478562\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-478562\" data-attachment-id=\"478562\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-worlds-pre-olympic-male-rankings-the-top-25-ahead-of-the-tokyo-games\/ryan-murphy-89\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ryan-murphy-_PB75891.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1000,750\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;E-M1X&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;ryan-murphy-&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1624067222&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;40&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;ryan-murphy-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"ryan-murphy-_PB75891\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;ryan-murphy- 200 Backstroke Medals, 2021, Day 6 Finals, Murphy Ryan, Olympic Trials&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ryan-murphy-_PB75891-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ryan-murphy-_PB75891.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-478562 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ryan-murphy-_PB75891-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"ryan-murphy, olympic trials, tokyo olympics\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-478562\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ryan Murphy &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n<p>At the 2016 Olympics, <strong>Ryan<\/strong> <strong>Murphy<\/strong> put together the best performance of his career as he swept gold medals in the 100 and 200 back and then broke the world record in the 100 back while leading the United States to a gold medal in the 400 medley relay. Since then, Murphy has not won an individual world title, but he remains among the top backstrokers in the world and a favorite to challenge for gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics. At the U.S. Olympic Trials, Murphy comfortably won both backstroke events, swimming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/u-s-olympic-trials-veteran-ryan-murphy-newcomer-hunter-armstrong-punch-100-back-tickets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the third-fastest time in the world in the 100 back (52.22)<\/a> behind the Russian duo of <strong>Kliment Kolesnikov<\/strong> and <strong>Evgeny Rylov<\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/u-s-olympic-trials-golden-double-for-cal-with-ryan-murphy-bryce-mefford-in-200-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the second-quickest effort in the 200 back (1:54.20)<\/a> behind Rylov, and it seems fair to expect quicker from the American in Tokyo.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>11. Kyle Chalmers, Australia<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_477031\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-477031\" data-attachment-id=\"477031\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/kyle-chalmers-stops-the-clock-at-47-59-in-the-100m-freestyle-to-book-his-place-for-the-greatest-race\/kyle-chalmers-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Kyle-Chalmers-3-scaled-e1624846384539.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1100,733\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1623551570&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;600&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;6400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Kyle Chalmers 3\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;10-29-21&lt;br \/&gt;\nKyle Chalmers 3&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr\/Swimming Australia&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Kyle-Chalmers-3-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Kyle-Chalmers-3-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-477031 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Kyle-Chalmers-3-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"kyle chalmers\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-477031\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr\/Swimming Australia<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Kyle Chalmers<\/strong> was just 18 when he came from behind to stun a loaded field to win Olympic gold in the 100 free in Rio. The teenager dripped potential after taking down a field of decorated veteran sprinters in an event that typically favors the experienced. But Chalmers faced challenges in the years since Rio, including a heart surgery in 2017 and an arthroscopic shoulder procedure in November 2020. But he has bounced back nicely this year. Now 23, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/kyle-chalmers-stops-the-clock-at-47-59-in-the-100m-freestyle-to-book-his-place-for-the-greatest-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chalmers won the 100 free at Australia\u2019s Olympic Trials in 47.59<\/a>, ranking him third in the world in the event. Chalmers ranks sixth all-time at 47.08, swum as he pushed <strong>Caeleb Dressel<\/strong> to the finish at the 2019 World Championships before settling for silver, and he is arguably Dressel\u2019s strongest threat in an individual event in Tokyo. Chalmers also won the 200 free in 1:45.48, and he is a key for Australia\u2019s 800 free relay gold medal hopes.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>12. Xu Jiayu, China<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_384179\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-384179\" data-attachment-id=\"384179\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-world-the-soak-week02032020\/jiayu-xu-50-back-prelims-2019-world-championships\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/jiayu-xu-50-back-prelims-2019-world-championships-e1601223003662.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1100,735\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7SM2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1564166067&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"jiayu-xu-50-back-prelims-2019-world-championships\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;9\/27\/20&lt;br \/&gt;\n3.2.20&lt;br \/&gt;\nXu Jiayu &#8211; Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant jiayu-xu-50-back-prelims-2019-world-championships&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Xu Jiayu &#8211; Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/jiayu-xu-50-back-prelims-2019-world-championships-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/jiayu-xu-50-back-prelims-2019-world-championships-1024x684.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-384179 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/jiayu-xu-50-back-prelims-2019-world-championships-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"jiayu-xu-50-back-prelims-2019-world-championships\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-384179\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Xu Jiayu &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Xu Jiayu<\/strong> is the two-time world champion in the 100 back, and he will be in the hunt to improve upon his Olympic silver medal from 2016 this summer. Xu swam a time of 51.86 in 2017, just one hundredth off <strong>Ryan Murphy\u2019s<\/strong> world record, and although he has not improved on that time in the four years since, he swam a 52.88 at China\u2019s Olympic Trials earlier this year despite being pre-selected to swim the event at the Tokyo Olympics. Murphy and <strong>Evgeny Rylov<\/strong> should each pose challenges in what should be a close and exciting race at the Games. Xu has not had as much success internationally in the 200 back, but he ranks eighth all-time at 1:53.99.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>13. Michael Andrew, USA<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_478270\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-478270\" data-attachment-id=\"478270\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-worlds-pre-olympic-male-rankings-the-top-25-ahead-of-the-tokyo-games\/michael-andrew-176\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/michael-andrew-o-trials-2021-7935.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1000,750\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;E-M1X&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;michael-andrew-&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1623980960&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;367&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;michael-andrew-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"michael-andrew- o-trials-2021 7935\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;michael-andrew- 2021, Andrew Michael, Day 5, Finals, Olympic Trials&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/michael-andrew-o-trials-2021-7935-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/michael-andrew-o-trials-2021-7935.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-478270 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/michael-andrew-o-trials-2021-7935-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"michael-andrew-\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-478270\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Andrew &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Michael<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Andrew<\/strong> was not one of the top 25 two months ago, but he shot up this list with his performances at U.S. Olympic Trials. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/u-s-olympic-trials-michael-andrew-sets-second-american-record-in-100-breast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Andrew became the third-fastest performer ever in the 100 breast with his 58.14<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/u-s-olympic-trials-michael-andrew-throws-down-fastest-time-in-the-world-in-200-im-semifinals-lochte-qualifies-sixth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">then he swam a 1:55.26 in the 200 IM<\/a> (dropping a second and a half from his best time) to move himself to fifth all-time and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/yes-michael-andrew-is-really-a-contender-for-200-im-olympic-gold\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">establish himself as a bona fide favorite for gold in the event at the Tokyo Olympics<\/a>. Andrew also ranks fourth in the world in the 50 free prior to Tokyo with a 21.48, so he could be in line for medals in all three of his individual events, and he will definitely factor into the U.S. men\u2019s 400 medley relay. If Andrew delivers on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/michael-andrew-on-cusp-of-realizing-greatest-career-achievement-olympian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">all his potential<\/a> at the Olympics, he will make another huge jump up this ranking.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>14. Elijah Winnington, Australia<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_475848\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-475848\" data-attachment-id=\"475848\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/macks-attack-not-enough-in-epic-400m-freestyle-showdown-as-winnington-and-mcloughlin-turn-on-tokyo-turbos\/elijah-winnington-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ELIJAH-WINNINGTON-1-scaled-e1627033401424.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1100,733\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1623496953&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;6400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"ELIJAH WINNINGTON 1\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;ELIJAH WINNINGTON 1&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr\/Swimming Australia&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ELIJAH-WINNINGTON-1-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ELIJAH-WINNINGTON-1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-475848 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ELIJAH-WINNINGTON-1-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"ELIJAH WINNINGTON 1\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-475848\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elijah Winnington &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr\/Swimming Australia<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Elijah Winnington<\/strong> is a new name to this list, but he is a favorite to win an Olympic gold medal as a 21-year-old. Currently, Winnington\u2019s international claim-to-fame is helping Australia earn gold in the 800 free relay at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and claiming a pair of bronze medals at the World Junior Championships in 2017. Winnington has never competed at a long course World Championships. But at Australia\u2019s Olympic Trials earlier this year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/macks-attack-not-enough-in-epic-400m-freestyle-showdown-as-winnington-and-mcloughlin-turn-on-tokyo-turbos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Winnington swam a 3:42.65 to win the 400 free<\/a>, combining with <strong>Jack McLoughlin<\/strong> to lock defending gold medalist <strong>Mack Horton<\/strong> out of the event for the Olympics. Winnington is the fastest swimmer in the world for 2021 and the ninth-fastest in history in the event, and he now owns the fastest lifetime best of anyone going to Tokyo. Winnington also swam a 1:45.55 200 free, and he will contribute to an 800 free relay team with gold medal aspirations.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>15. Arno Kamminga, Netherlands<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_405771\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-405771\" data-attachment-id=\"405771\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/tokyo-vision-adam-peaty-seeks-to-join-kosuke-kitajima-in-100-breaststroke-pantheon\/xx-len-european-short-course-swimming-championships-12\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/arno-kamminga-netherlands-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Andrea Staccioli \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D500&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;KAMMINGA Arno Netherlands NED Gold Medal \\nMen&#039;s 100m Breaststroke FINAL \\nGlasgow 07\\\/12\\\/2019\\nXX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019\\nTollcross International Swimming Centre\\nPhoto Andrea Staccioli \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1575738821&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Andrea Staccioli \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"arno-kamminga-netherlands\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;KAMMINGA Arno Netherlands NED Gold Medal Men&#8217;s 100m Breaststroke FINAL Glasgow 07\/12\/2019 XX LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019 Tollcross International Swimming Centre Photo Andrea Staccioli \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto XX, LEN, European, Short Course, Swimming, nuoto, Campionati Europei, Vasca corta, vasca 25m, 25 m pool, Championships, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Glasgow, Scotland, GBR, 2019, #EuroSwim2019, @Euroswim2019&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/arno-kamminga-netherlands-1-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/arno-kamminga-netherlands-1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-405771 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/arno-kamminga-netherlands-1-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"arno-kamminga\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-405771\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arno Kamminga &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Arno Kamminga<\/strong> has never swum in a final at a World Championships, and he has never been to an Olympics, but his recent exploits in the breaststroke events have earned him a high ranking here and status as Olympic medal favorite in two events. In December, he swam a 2:06.85 in the 200 breast, making him one of just five men to ever swim under 2:07, and he finished second at the European Championships in 2:07.35. But Kamminga made a huge statement in the 100 breast in April <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/arno-kamminga-unleashes-57-90-in-100br-becomes-second-man-through-58-second-barrier\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">when he swam a 57.90 that made him just the second man ever to break 58<\/a>, following <strong>Adam<\/strong> <strong>Peaty<\/strong>. In quickly improving fields in the men\u2019s breaststroke events, Kamminga is a newer face that is making a major impression. Kamminga quickly made an impression in the event at the European Championships, when he took silver behind Peaty and almost broke 58 again.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>16. Zac Stubblety-Cook, Australia<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_477049\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-477049\" data-attachment-id=\"477049\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/zac-stubblety-cooks-sizzling-206-28-down-under-sets-up-a-tokyo-showdown-with-anton-chupkov\/zac-stubblety-cook-action\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ZAC-STUBBLETY-COOK-ACTION-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1706\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1623749813&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;4000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"ZAC STUBBLETY-COOK ACTION\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;ZAC STUBBLETY-COOK ACTION&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr\/Swimming Australia&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ZAC-STUBBLETY-COOK-ACTION-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ZAC-STUBBLETY-COOK-ACTION-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-477049 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ZAC-STUBBLETY-COOK-ACTION-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"ZAC STUBBLETY-COOK ACTION\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-477049\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Zac Stubblety-Cook &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr\/Swimming Australia<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Zac Stubblety-Cook<\/strong> is another new add to this list from the previous incarnation after he narrowly missed <strong>Anton Chupkov\u2019s<\/strong> 200 breast world record at Australia\u2019s Olympic Trials. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/zac-stubblety-cooks-sizzling-206-28-down-under-sets-up-a-tokyo-showdown-with-anton-chupkov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">He swam a 2:06.28, behind only Chupkov\u2019s 2:06.12 from two years ago<\/a>. Stubblety-Cook has been on the international scene for a few years, making his senior international debut in 2018 and winning silver in the 200 breast at the Pan Pacific Championships, and then he was fourth in the 200 breast at the 2019 World Championships, but he was overshadowed slightly as Australian teammate <strong>Matthew Wilson<\/strong> tied the world record in the semifinals and then earned silver in the final. Now, Wilson barely snuck onto the Olympic team while Stubblety-Cook is set up to make a run at gold. He also won the Australian Trials in the 100 breast at 59.69 and will likely factor into the 400 medley relay.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>17. Shoma Sato, Japan<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_451260\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-451260\" data-attachment-id=\"451260\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ahead-of-olympic-summer-swimming-worlds-global-male-rankings-may-update\/shoma-sato-tokyo-frog-kings-by-mike-lewis-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Shoma-Sato-Tokyo-Frog-Kings-by-Mike-Lewis-D5D_1724-scaled-e1612718873503.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1500,1000\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;MIKE LEWIS&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Shoma Sato (photo: &lt;a href=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/olavistaphotography.com\\\/\\&quot; target=\\&quot;_blank\\&quot;&gt;Mike Lewis)&lt;\\\/a&gt;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1603542745&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;MIKE LEWIS&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;4000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Shoma Sato Tokyo Frog Kings by Mike Lewis&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Shoma Sato Tokyo Frog Kings by Mike Lewis D5D_1724\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;2\/7\/21&lt;br \/&gt;\nShoma Sato Tokyo Frog Kings ISL (photo: Mike Lewis)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS\/ISL&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Shoma-Sato-Tokyo-Frog-Kings-by-Mike-Lewis-D5D_1724-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Shoma-Sato-Tokyo-Frog-Kings-by-Mike-Lewis-D5D_1724-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-451260 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Shoma-Sato-Tokyo-Frog-Kings-by-Mike-Lewis-D5D_1724-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"Shoma Sato\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-451260\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shoma Sato &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Mike Lewis\/ISL<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Japan has a long history of incredibly successful 200 breaststrokers, and the latest is just 19 years old. <strong>Shoma Sato<\/strong> has never swum at a World Championships, and just two years ago, he was the silver medalist in the event at the 2019 World Junior Championships in 2:09.56. Now,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/shoma-sato-just-misses-world-record-in-200-breaststroke-at-japanese-olympic-trials-moves-to-no-2-all-time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">he\u2019s the second-fastest man in history at 2:06.40<\/a> after he took a run at Chupkov\u2019s world record at Japan\u2019s Olympic Trials in April. The men\u2019s 200 breast has become extremely competitive with Chupkov, Stubblety-Cook and Sato all having been 2:06s this year, but Sato will be in the hunt at the Tokyo Olympics as one of Japan\u2019s top gold medal hopes at its home Olympic Games. He will look to join 2004 and 2008 gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima as a 200 breast champion.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>18. Jack McLoughlin, Australia<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_475799\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-475799\" data-attachment-id=\"475799\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/mack-horton-faces-the-race-of-his-life-in-tonights-400m-freestyle-final-at-the-australian-olympic-trials\/2021-oly-trials-session-1-jack-mcloughlin\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2021-OLY-TRIALS-Session-1-Jack-McLoughlin-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1623465766&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;600&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;6400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"2021 OLY TRIALS Session 1 Jack McLoughlin\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;2021 OLY TRIALS Session 1 Jack McLoughlin&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr\/Swimming Australia&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2021-OLY-TRIALS-Session-1-Jack-McLoughlin-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2021-OLY-TRIALS-Session-1-Jack-McLoughlin-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-475799 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2021-OLY-TRIALS-Session-1-Jack-McLoughlin-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"2021 OLY TRIALS Session 1 Jack McLoughlin\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-475799\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jack McLoughlin &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr\/Swimming Australia<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Jack McLoughlin<\/strong> is the second of the Australian middle distance stars whose efforts kept <strong>Mack Horton<\/strong> off the Olympic team in the 400 free. He posted a 3:43.27 in the 400 free at Australian Trials for the second-fastest time in the world behind countryman <strong>Elijah<\/strong> <strong>Winnington<\/strong>, and he swam a 7:42.51 in the 800 free for second in the world behind world champion <strong>Gregorio<\/strong> <strong>Paltrinieri<\/strong>. He is now 13th all-time in both events. McLoughlin is 26, and he actually swam at the Rio Olympics in the 1500 free, and he won that event for his first international gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, but he has come down in distance in the years since. His highest finish at the 2019 World Championships was fourth, missing the medals in the 800 free by just over a half-second.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>19. Danas Rapsys, Lithuania<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_453219\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-453219\" data-attachment-id=\"453219\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ahead-of-olympic-summer-swimming-worlds-global-male-rankings-may-update\/danas-rapsys-energy-standard-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/danas-rapsys-energy-standard-5-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-9M2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1604921695&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"danas-rapsys-energy-standard\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;danas-rapsys-energy-standard&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu\/ISL&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/danas-rapsys-energy-standard-5-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/danas-rapsys-energy-standard-5-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-453219 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/danas-rapsys-energy-standard-5-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"danas-rapsys-energy-standard\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-453219\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Danas Rapsys &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu\/ISL<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This might seem high for a 25-year-old who has never made it past the preliminaries at the Olympics, never won a medal at the long course World Championships and has not recorded any stunning swims in recent months, but <strong>Danas Rapsys<\/strong> took the world by storm in the 200 free prior to the pandemic. He touched first in the World Championships final but was disqualified for a false start, and his lifetime best of 1:44.38, which ranks him sixth all-time, is the quickest by any swimmer since 2013. Rapsys also finished a narrow fourth in the 400 free at the 2019 World Championships, and during the 2020 ISL season, he posted the fastest time in the 400 free and the third-fastest time in the 200 free.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>20. David Popovici, Romania<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_481058\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-481058\" data-attachment-id=\"481058\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/miladinov-adds-junior-100-fly-gold-to-european-silver-popovici-blasts-145-26-for-200-free-cr\/len-european-junior-swimming-championships-2021-12\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/david-popovici-romania.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,766\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Andrea Masini \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;100m Freestyle Men\\nFinal\\nPOPOVICI David ROU Romania\\nLEN European Junior Swimming Championships 2021\\nRome 2178\\nStadio Del Nuoto Foro Italico \\nPhoto Andrea Masini \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1625772477&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Andrea Masini \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;LEN European Junior Swimming Championships 2021&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"LEN European Junior Swimming Championships 2021\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;100m Freestyle Men Final POPOVICI David ROU Romania LEN European Junior Swimming Championships 2021 Rome 2178 Stadio Del Nuoto Foro Italico Photo Andrea Masini \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto 2021, Aquatics, European Championships, FIN, Junior, LEN, Nuoto, Roma, Rome, Sport, swimming&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/david-popovici-romania-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/david-popovici-romania-1024x654.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-481058 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/david-popovici-romania-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"david-popovici\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-481058\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Popovici &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n<p>16-year-old Romanian\u00a0<strong>David Popovici<\/strong> was nowhere near the top 25 swimmers in the world at the start of July, but he rocketed himself into the conversation with startling times at the European Junior Championships in Rome: a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/david-popovici-sets-wjr-47-56-in-100-free-to-go-fourth-in-rankings-at-european-junior-championships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">47.56<\/a> and then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/david-popovici-rockets-to-47-30-100-free-breaks-own-world-junior-record-fastest-time-in-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a 47.30 in the 100 free<\/a> followed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/miladinov-adds-junior-100-fly-gold-to-european-silver-popovici-blasts-145-26-for-200-free-cr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a 1:45.26 in the 200 free<\/a>. Popovici is now a medal favorite in the 100 free, and given his youth and improvement curve, it\u2019s within the realm of possibility the could even threaten the likes of <strong>Caeleb Dressel\u00a0<\/strong>for gold. If Popovici does make the Olympic podium, he would be the youngest men\u2019s Olympic medalist in swimming since\u00a0<strong>Daniel Gyurta<\/strong> took bronze in the 200 breast in 2004. Popovici could also get into the 1:44 range and chase a medal in the 200 free.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>21. Katsuhiro Matsumoto, Japan<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_450491\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-450491\" data-attachment-id=\"450491\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-worlds-pre-olympic-male-rankings-the-top-25-ahead-of-the-tokyo-games\/katsuhiro-matsumoto-tokyo-frog-kings\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/katsuhiro-matsumoto-tokyo-frog-kings-scaled-e1611335625721.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1500,1000\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;MIKE LEWIS&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1603371639&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;MIKE LEWIS&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"katsuhiro-matsumoto-tokyo-frog-kings\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;6\/5\/21&lt;br \/&gt;\n1\/22\/21&lt;br \/&gt;\nkatsuhiro-matsumoto-tokyo-frog-kings Budapest, Hungary, ISL, International Swim League, Mike Lewis, Ola Vista Photography, Swimming, mike2swim, training camp&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS \/ ISL&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/katsuhiro-matsumoto-tokyo-frog-kings-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/katsuhiro-matsumoto-tokyo-frog-kings-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-450491 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/katsuhiro-matsumoto-tokyo-frog-kings-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"katsuhiro-matsumoto-\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-450491\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katsuhiro Matsumoto &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Mike Lewis\/ISL<\/p><\/div>\n<p>At the 2019 World Championships, <strong>Katsuhiro Matsumoto<\/strong> touched third in the 200 free, but he was bumped up to the silver medal when Rapsys was disqualified. But already in 2021, Matsumoto has done enough to warrant gold medal consideration in the 200 free, especially considering the home-country advantage Japan is likely to gain at the Tokyo Olympics. Matsumoto won Japan\u2019s Olympic Trials in 1:44.65, which ranks him third in the world and 11th all-time in the event. His combination of experience and recent impressive form plus the location of <a href=\"https:\/\/olympics.com\/tokyo-2020\/en\/sports\/swimming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">these Games<\/a> puts him in line as one of the favorites for this race for Tokyo.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>22. Chase Kalisz, USA<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_476484\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-476484\" data-attachment-id=\"476484\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-worlds-pre-olympic-male-rankings-the-top-25-ahead-of-the-tokyo-games\/chase-kalisz-68\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/chase-kalisz-o-trials-2021-1348-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;E-M1X&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;chase-kalisz-&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1623629241&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;chase-kalisz-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"chase-kalisz- o-trials-2021 1348\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;chase-kalisz- 2021, Day 1, Finals, Kalisz Chase, Olympic Trials&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/chase-kalisz-o-trials-2021-1348-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/chase-kalisz-o-trials-2021-1348-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-476484 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/chase-kalisz-o-trials-2021-1348-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"chase-kalisz-\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-476484\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chase Kalisz &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In 2017, <strong>Chase Kalisz<\/strong> looked like the heir apparent to <strong>Michael Phelps<\/strong> and <strong>Ryan Lochte<\/strong> in the individual medley events when he swept the 200 IM and 400 IM world titles, but Kalisz was much less impressive at the 2019 Worlds, finishing third in the 200 IM and missing the final entirely in the 400 IM. It was only after Kalisz qualified for the U.S. Olympic team that he revealed a shoulder injury had severely hampered his preparation that season. Now, he looks back in a position to challenge for medals at the Tokyo Olympics. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/us-olympic-trials-deja-vu-chase-kalisz-jay-litherland-to-represent-team-usa-in-400-im-in-tokyo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">He won the 400 IM at U.S. Olympic Trials in 4:09.09<\/a>, ranking him second in the world behind <strong>Daiya<\/strong> <strong>Seto<\/strong>, so Kalisz should be a medal favorite and possibly even a challenger for gold in that event. His 200 IM season best of 1:56.97 only ranks him seventh in the world, but he should be in line for improvement to put him into the medal mix.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>23. Martin Malyutin, Russia<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_473853\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-473853\" data-attachment-id=\"473853\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-worlds-pre-olympic-male-rankings-the-top-25-ahead-of-the-tokyo-games\/xxxv-len-european-aquatic-championships-budapest-2020-37\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/martin-malyutin-russia.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Andrea Staccioli \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;MALYUTIN Martin RUS\\n200 Freestyle Men Final Gold Medal\\nSwimming\\nBudapest  - Hungary  21\\\/5\\\/2021\\nDuna Arena\\nXXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships\\nPhoto Andrea Staccioli \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1621618359&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Andrea Staccioli \\\/ Deepbluemedia \\\/ Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;560&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;5000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;XXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships Budapest 2020&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"XXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships Budapest 2020\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;MALYUTIN Martin RUS 200 Freestyle Men Final Gold Medal Swimming Budapest &#8211; Hungary 21\/5\/2021 Duna Arena XXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships Photo Andrea Staccioli \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto LEN, Aquatics, European Championships, Budapest, 2020, Sport, Swimming&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/martin-malyutin-russia-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/martin-malyutin-russia-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-473853 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/martin-malyutin-russia-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"MALYUTIN Martin RUS 200 Freestyle Men Final Gold Medal Swimming Budapest - Hungary 21\/5\/2021 Duna Arena XXXV LEN European Aquatic Championships Photo Andrea Staccioli \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-473853\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martin Malyutin &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli \/ Deepbluemedia \/ Insidefoto<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Martin Malyutin<\/strong>, 22, is a newer face on the international scene in contention for multiple medals in Tokyo after multiple breakout meets over the past few years. When Rapsys was disqualified in the 200 free at Worlds, Malyutin was a beneficiary, moving up into the joint bronze medal position. So far this year, he has captured European titles in both the 200 and 400 free. Among Olympic qualifiers, he ranks third in the world in the 400 free (3:44.18) and fourth in the 200 free (1:44.79), and he also will provide the strongest leg on a Russian men\u2019s 800 free relay team that will be in contention to win a gold medal.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>24. Gabriele Detti, Italy<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_372152\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-372152\" data-attachment-id=\"372152\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2019-fina-champions-series-day-2-flickinger-hosszu-king-post-world-leading-times-in-signature-events-photos\/gabriele-detti\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/gabriele-detti-_PB61216.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2400,1800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;E-M1X&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;gabriele-detti-&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1559436576&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;gabriele-detti-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"gabriele-detti-_PB61216\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;16.11.19&lt;br \/&gt;\n7\/5\/19&lt;br \/&gt;\ngabriele-detti-&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Gabriele Detti &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/gabriele-detti-_PB61216-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/gabriele-detti-_PB61216-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-372152 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/gabriele-detti-_PB61216-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"gabriele-detti-\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-372152\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gabriele Detti &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Gabriele<\/strong> <strong>Detti<\/strong> has for years been overshadowed by his Italian compatriot, former training partner and fellow distance standout <strong>Gregorio<\/strong> <strong>Paltrinieri<\/strong>, but Detti has built a very solid r\u00e9sum\u00e9 of his own. After winning bronze medals in Rio in the 400 and 1500 free, he won the world title in the 800 free in 2017 while adding bronzes in the 400 free at both the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. Detti has eschewed his old focus on the 1500 free in recent years, but he is currently ranked fifth in the world in the 800 free and seventh in the 400 free, with obvious potential for faster performances. Detti has a good chance to win medals the 400 and 800 free this summer and could be in the gold-medal hunt in the 400 should circumstances go his way.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>25. Andrei Minakov, Russia<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_378967\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-378967\" data-attachment-id=\"378967\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ilya-shymanovich-continues-fine-form-at-vladimir-salnikov-cup-minakov-settles-for-silver\/len-european-swimming-junior-championships-2019-19\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/andrei-minakov.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,716\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Giorgio Scala\\\/Deepbluemedia\\\/Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;MINAKOV Andrei RUS\\n100 butterfly men\\nLEN European Swimming Junior Championships 2019\\nAquatic Palace Kazan\\nDay 4 06\\\/07\\\/2019\\nPhoto G.Scala\\\/Deepbluemedia\\\/Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1562399604&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Giorgio Scala\\\/Deepbluemedia\\\/Insidefoto&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;390&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;6400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;LEN European Swimming Junior Championships 2019&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"andrei-minakov\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;8\/28\/20&lt;br \/&gt;\n12\/3\/19&lt;br \/&gt;\n7\/8\/19&lt;br \/&gt;\nMINAKOV Andrei RUS 100 butterfly men LEN European Swimming Junior Championships 2019 Aquatic Palace Kazan Day 4 06\/07\/2019 Photo G.Scala\/Deepbluemedia\/Insidefoto Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia, aquatic palace, Swimming, 2019, Junior, LEN, Nuoto, European championships, junior european championships, campionati europei, juniores, 100 butterfly men, MINAKOV Andrei RUS&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala \/ deepbluemedia&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/andrei-minakov-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/andrei-minakov-1024x611.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-378967 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/andrei-minakov-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"andrei-minakov\" width=\"700\" height=\"500\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-378967\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrei Minakov &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala \/ deepbluemedia<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Andrei<\/strong> <strong>Minakov<\/strong> is just the second teenager on this list after Shoma Sato, and the future Stanford swimmer has a bright future ahead after he captured silver at his first senior World Championships in the 100 fly in 2019. He ranks 14th in history in that event in 50.83, and in 2021, he ranks fifth in the world in the 100 free in 47.77 and tenth in the 100 fly in 51.17. The 19-year-old figures to play a significant role in the individual 100 fly at the Tokyo Olympics along with Russia\u2019s gold medal-contending 400 free relay, and he likely has a long and productive career ahead of him.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE NEXT 20 IN CONSIDERATION (alphabetical order)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Zach<\/strong> <strong>Apple<\/strong>, USA<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ilya Borodin<\/strong>, Russia<\/li>\n<li><strong>Federico<\/strong> <strong>Burdisso<\/strong>, Italy<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lewis Clareburt<\/strong>, New Zealand<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tom<\/strong> <strong>Dean<\/strong>, Great Britain<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bobby<\/strong> <strong>Finke<\/strong>, USA<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bruno<\/strong> <strong>Fratus<\/strong>, Brazil<\/li>\n<li><strong>Luke<\/strong> <strong>Greenbank<\/strong>, Great Britain<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mitch Larkin<\/strong>, Australia<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chad Le<\/strong> <strong>Clos<\/strong>, South Africa<\/li>\n<li><strong>Florent Manaudou<\/strong>, France<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nicolo<\/strong> <strong>Martinenghi<\/strong>, Italy<\/li>\n<li><strong>Alessandro Miressi<\/strong>, Italy<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ben Proud<\/strong>, Great Britain<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mykhailo<\/strong> <strong>Romanchuk<\/strong>, Ukraine<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ilya Shymanovich<\/strong>, Belarus<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kieran Smith<\/strong>, USA<\/li>\n<li><strong>Matthew<\/strong> <strong>Temple<\/strong>, Australia<\/li>\n<li><strong>David Verraszto<\/strong>, Hungary<\/li>\n<li><strong>James<\/strong> <strong>Wilby<\/strong>, Great Britain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Swimming World\u2019s Pre-Olympic Male Rankings: The Top-25 Ahead of the Tokyo Games In June, Olympic Trials meets, particularly in Australia and the United States, completely shook up the status quo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":477797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,17,10],"tags":[34385,26806,63314,40480,40554,35724,25490,25003,50407,17020,35726,32035,32022,62039,37585,68671,63284,63461,34442,25316,72926,25824,6302,32456,54241,19138,25269,89120,36791,66581],"class_list":["post-480341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-commentary","category-world","tag-2020-tokyo-olympic-games","tag-adam-peaty","tag-andrei-minakov","tag-anton-chupkov","tag-arno-kamminga","tag-caeleb-dressel","tag-chase-kalisz","tag-daiya-seto","tag-danas-rapsys","tag-duncan-scott","tag-elijah-winnington","tag-gabriele-detti","tag-gregorio-paltrinieri","tag-ilya-shymanovich","tag-jack-mcloughlin","tag-katsuhiro-matsumoto","tag-kliment-kolesnikov","tag-kristof-milak","tag-kyle-chalmers","tag-mack-horton","tag-martin-malyutin","tag-michael-andrew","tag-michael-phelps","tag-milorad-cavic","tag-nicolo-martinenghi","tag-ryan-lochte","tag-ryan-murphy","tag-shoma-sato","tag-xu-jiayu","tag-zac-stubblety-cook"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - 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