Are Some 2024 Olympic Qualifying Times Harder Than Others?

By Daniel Takata on SwimSwam Are the qualifying time standards for the 2024 Paris Olympics fair across each event? As we near the end of the qualifying period, it’s become increasingly obvious that some of the cuts are much more difficult to hit than others. World Aquatics has determined that the Olympic Qualifying Times (OQTs)…

Why Zane Grothe Thinks Leon Marchand Is Capable of a 4:02 in the 500 Free

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam For a swimmer as good as Leon Marchand, predictions are always going to be part of the game. And he gave swimfandom a bit of a gift this season by taking on a new event at the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships: the 500 yard freestyle. His 4:06.18 at the Pac-12 Championships…

The Longest Current American Gold Medal Drought In Individual Events At The Olympics

By Daniel Takata on SwimSwam The United States has won every individual (pool) event included in the current swimming Olympic program, including the men’s 800 freestyle and women’s 1500 freestyle, which made their debut in the last Olympics in Tokyo. There are some events in which the United States has had a long winning streak….

More Countries Than Ever Won Medals At The 2024 World Championships

By Daniel Takata on SwimSwam The 2024 World Aquatics Championships were unusual in many ways. Having been the first in history to be held in an Olympic year, the number of absences of major international stars was the highest in history, and this was clearly reflected in the results. With the absence of many big…

Kristel Kobrich Ties All-Time Record With Eighth Worlds Final Appearance In Single Event

By Daniel Takata on SwimSwam Chilean veteran Kristel Kobrich continues to make swimming history. At the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, she is the oldest swimmer to compete in pool events at 38 years of age. She is one year older than 37-year-old Cameroon’s Charly Ndjoume. In Doha, Kobrich completes his 12th appearance in…

No Americans Broke A World Record In 2023, The First Time In 78 Years

By Daniel Takata on SwimSwam In 2023, at least in long course meters, we saw more world records than in any other year since the hi-tech suits were banned in 2010. There were 17 LCM world records last year – and one more in short course meters. However, none of these records were set by…

A Brief History of Women’s Participation In Olympic Swimming

By Daniel Takata on SwimSwam In August 2023, World Aquatics announced the Olympic qualifying procedures for the Paris 2024 Games. Among swimmers who will achieve the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT, “A” cut), the Olympic Consideration Time (OCT, “B” cut), the relay-only swimmers and universality places, it is expected that World Aquatics will fulfill the total…

Comparing The NCAA Championships To Short Course Worlds

By Daniel Takata on SwimSwam This article originally appeared in the 2023 College Preview issue of SwimSwam Magazine. Subscribe here. The NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships are among the most expressive meets in swimming, with performances that are often among the best in history. The depth is almost unmatched anywhere in the world,…

Yes, Katie Ledecky’s 800 Meter Streak Has Ended – But She Has an Even Longer One

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam fRiley Overend contributed to this report. Thanks also to the many record-keepers whose work helped dig this stat out, including the team at SwimRankings.net, the Potomac Valley LSC, USA Swimming’s record-keeping staff, and Franco Antognetti of Nuoto Mondiale All Time. When Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh beat Katie Ledecky in the 800…