Rating the Top-20 Women’s Swimmers within the World (Part I)

Top-20 Women’s Swimmers within the World, Part 1: Standout Breaststrokers Make the Cut

At the current World Championships, swimmers competed for medals in 42 pool occasions, and the outcomes clearly present the perfect swimmer on this planet for every race. Comparing swimmers throughout occasions is a subjective process, with components together with versatility, dominance, longevity, big-race efficiency and relay contributions all thought of. With the summer season competitors season concluded, we are going to once more attempt to stack up the varied opponents from one by means of 20.

These rankings shall be primarily based largely on performances on the World Championships however outcomes from different meets have been additionally thought of. Swimmers who sat out this 12 months’s main competitions is not going to be included on this checklist.

Honorable Mention

The girls’s checklist for this 12 months is lacking most of the sport’s largest names after they didn’t race in 2025. Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, who expanded her already-brilliant résumé with Olympic gold medals within the 50 and 100 freestyle final 12 months, simply gave start to her first youngster, whereas Australia’s Ariarne Titmus additionally skipped the World Championships after she gained gold within the much-anticipated 400 freestyle final 12 months. Also lacking from Worlds was Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, who has medaled within the 100 and 200 free on the final two Olympics.

The top-20 checklist will embrace all gold medalists from this summer season’s World Championships in addition to each swimmer who gained a number of particular person medals. However, 4 silver-medal-winning swimmers simply missed the minimize. American Alex Walsh returned to the rostrum within the 200 IM with a powerful silver medal whereas China’s Wu Qingfeng was the runnerup within the 50 free. In the final particular person race of the meet, Japan’s Mio Narita and Australia’s Jenna Forrester tied for second within the 400 IM.

Also value a point out is American Claire Weinstein, who achieved her first particular person medal at a significant lengthy course meet with a bronze within the 200 free. Weinstein has develop into a constant 1:54 swimmer and a frontrunner for the U.S. girls’s 800 free relay, and he or she is on the verge of breaking 4:00 within the 400 free whereas displaying potential in all freestyle occasions from 100 by means of 1500 meters.

20. Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia

Evgeniia Chikunova — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron

Chikunova has been thought of among the many world’s greatest breaststrokers courting again to 2021, when the then-16-year-old completed a slender fourth within the 200 breaststroke Olympic remaining. Since then, she has develop into the world-record holder within the occasion; her 2023 mark of two:17.55 beat the earlier mark by virtually one-and-a-half seconds. However, Chikunova didn’t race internationally for 3 years whereas banned from worldwide competitors alongside along with her Russian teammates.

Late final 12 months, Chikunova acquired clearance to compete as an impartial impartial athlete, and he or she has finished nicely, even when she has not returned to her world-record kind. She claimed World Championships silver within the 200 breast this 12 months, not approaching the brilliance of Kate Douglass however nonetheless getting underneath the two:20-barrier. Chikunova additionally completed fifth within the 100 breast Worlds remaining, 4 tenths exterior of medal place, and her efforts on the impartial athletes’ 400 medley relay resulted in a fourth-place end, once more simply 4 tenths away from bronze.

19. Tang Qianting, China

Tang Qianting — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron

In February 2024, Tang captured the world title within the 100 breast and adopted that up with a near-world-record efficiency within the occasion at China’s Olympic choice meet. Even with out recapturing that pace, Tang has develop into a constant pressure within the dash breaststroke occasions. In Paris, she gained Olympic silver within the 100 breast plus a pair of relay medals, and he or she completed 2024 with a brief course world title within the 100 breast plus two additional medals.

In Singapore, Tang had probably the most pace within the 100 breaststroke remaining. Although she was unable to carry on because of surges by Anna Elendt and Kate Douglass, she secured a bronze medal, and he or she added two extra podium finishes on the meet’s remaining day. Tang gained silver within the 50 breast earlier than her 1:05.48 breaststroke cut up proved decisive in China’s bronze-medal-winning 400 medley relay.

18. Simona Quadarella, Italy

Simona Quadarella — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron

This 26-year-old Italian has beforehand gained three world titles within the distance occasions, however her efficiency in Singapore was the perfect in her profession. That’s as a result of Quadarella smashed a pair of European information to climb the all-time distance rankings. First got here the 1500 freestyle, the place Quadarella took silver in 15:31.79, nearer than she had ever come to Katie Ledecky in a 1500-meter race (simply over 5 seconds) and sufficient to make her the second-fastest swimmer in historical past. Quadarella swam her greatest time by 9 seconds whereas walloping seven seconds the European document beforehand held by Lotte Friis.

Quadarella was unable to safe a second medal within the 800 free, however that had extra to do with the heroic efforts of Ledecky, Lani Pallister and Summer McIntosh on the entrance of the race, with all three breaking the prevailing World Championships document. Quadarella grew to become the fifth-fastest performer in historical past whereas beating the European document of 8:14.10, which had belonged to Rebecca Adlington since 2008.

17. Anna Elendt, Germany

Anna Elendt — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron

Here is somebody who would have been an enormous longshot to make the top-20 checklist firstly of the summer season. Elendt has been a stable worldwide performer within the shorter breaststroke occasions, her earlier profession spotlight a silver within the 100 breast on the 2022 World Championships, however she didn’t advance out of prelims on the 2023 Worlds or Paris Olympics. At this 12 months’s Worlds, although, Elendt snuck into the ultimate and produced the efficiency of her profession.

Elendt pulled off one of many largest surprises of the meet along with her gold medal, popping out forward of a remaining beforehand thought of to be large open. Her time was 1:05.19, eight hundredths forward of American Kate Douglass. Later within the meet, Elendt simply missed qualifying for the 50 breast remaining, and her 1:04.98 breaststroke cut up on Germany’s 400 medley relay was second-best within the discipline.

16. Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuania

Ruta Meilutyte — Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

She first gained worldwide gold at age 15 when she shocked the world within the Olympic remaining of the 100 breaststroke. Now, Meilutyte has put collectively a second act of dominance within the 50 breast. Returning from a quick retirement in 2022, Meilutyte gained a world title within the one-lap occasion and backed it up a 12 months later with one other, this one in world-record time. She adopted that up with additional wins in 2024 and now 2025, her newest effort coming by virtually a half-second over a powerful discipline.

In the preliminary levels of her comeback, Meilutyte had success within the 100 breast as nicely, incomes World Championships bronze in 2022 and a surprising world title a 12 months later. Since then, nevertheless, her 100 has fallen off considerably, and he or she ended up thirteenth in that occasion in Singapore. Still, her ends in her specialty occasion are value consideration, particularly as Meilutyte tries to increase her profession lengthy sufficient to develop into the primary Olympic champion within the occasion.