The delay of one whole year has been long but the time has finally come. We are now just under one
week away from the biggest sporting event in the world. So in this video from Propulsion Swimming
what we thought we'd do is we would give you our 10 names to watch in the swimming pool at the
Tokyo Olympics. So this list is purely subjective, it is the opinion of both Dan and myself. If you
think we've left anyone off who you really think should be in this top 10, why don't you leave
a comment below this video. And throughout the whole of the Olympic Games you can come join us
on this YouTube channel every night as we discuss each day's racing in our live streams powered by
AP. Now, before we get into our 10 swimmers to watch it's worth mentioning that there are so
many swimmers we love and could easily have put on our list. So on the women's side you have the
likes of Abbie Wood, Katinka Hosszu, Yui Ohashi, Emma Mckeon, Molly Renshaw, Anastasia Gorbenko,
Sarah Sjostrom just to name a few that honestly should have been on this list, could have been on
this list but only just missed out. Then on the men's side you've got the likes of Kolesnikov,
Rylov, Murphy, all supremely talented backstrokers; as well as Kyle Chalmers,
Michael Andrew, Elijah Winnington, Anton Chupkov, and Arno Kamminga. Like we said, there are so many
amazing talents in swimming right now but let's jump into our 10 swimmers to watch.
Regan Smith is still relatively new on the international stage however, she set the
world alight when she smashed Missy Franklin's 200m backstroke World Record at the 2019 World
Champs. Her 100m split in the final of that event would have got her 6th place in the final of the
individual 100m backstroke. She's certainly not afraid to push herself to see what her limit is.
Now unfortunately, she only managed to finish 3rd in the 200 back at US Olympic Trials in June
which means she will not be racing that event in Tokyo. She will however be swimming the
200m butterfly and also the 100m backstroke in which she broke the World Record as the lead
swimmer in the women's 4x100 medley relay in Gwangju. That World Record now belongs
to Australian Kaylee McKeown and the fight for the 100m backstroke title is well and truly on.
Regan Smith could be the next superstar in the sport and there really is
no limit on what she can achieve at Tokyo. She isn't just one to watch out for for the
Tokyo Olympics, but a name to keep an eye on for possibly the next decade.
What a special talent Duncan Scott is. He has to be one of the most versatile swimmers
in the world. He's able to swim a world-class 100 and 200m freestyle,
a world-class 200m IM and his 100m butterfly isn't anything to be sniffed at either. Out of the three
swims he entered at the British Olympic Trials he swam three British Records and two of those swims
weren't just tiny lifetime bests, they were huge. His time of 1:55.90 in the 200m IM would have won
gold at the past World Championships and his 200m freestyle time of 1:44.47
places him as the fastest swimmer this year and the 9th fastest to have ever swam the event.
If all goes to plan for Duncan and he's at the peak of his powers in Tokyo, he could be coming
away with 3, 4 maybe even 5 medals. If you're British and Duncan's scheduled to be swimming,
make sure you're watching it because he's certainly one to look out for.
If anyone was looking for a swimmer to give Katie Ledecky a run for her money at Tokyo, Ariarne
Titmus is the swimmer that will do just that. She was absolutely out of this world at the Australian
Olympic Trials in June. She didn't just record the fastest times in the world in the 200 and 400m
freestyle, she was extremely close to breaking the World Record in both of those events. In the
400m she swam a time of 3:56.9 which was only 0.44 off Ledecky's world leading mark. Her 200m
freestyle swim was arguably even better. She swam a time of 1:53.09 which is 0.1 off Pellegrini's
super suit World Record which we thought was going to be almost untouchable. The head-to-head duel
that Titmus and Ledecky are going to have in Tokyo is going to be electric. Do not miss those races!!
What a start to 2021 Kristof Milak has had. Of all the top international swimmers in the world,
Milak must be considered as the most in-form of them all. At the Hungarian Olympic Trials he
swam a 1:51.4 in the 200m butterfly making it the second fastest time ever in that event, only then
to outdo himself at the European Champs later that year by swimming a 1:51.1. I'm sure that there
were many people out there that thought he wasn't going to get near the time he set at the 2019
World Champs where he obliterated Michael Phelps' World Record by nearly a full second. Then again
Milak is only 21 years old so who knows how fast he will go. At the moment he stands alone as a
huge favourite for the 200m butterfly title. For us it's just about how low he can get that World
Record to go. Will he hit the 1:50s will he go a sub 1:50. Well we cannot wait to find out soon.
Katie Ledecky has been a swimmer to watch for years now and it's no different for when
Tokyo comes around. She is certainly the best female distance swimmer ever
and possibly the greatest overall female swimmer of all time. She's won everything there is to win
and at every level of competition. In total she has broken 14 world records and for seven
straight years finished with the top time in the world in both the 800 and 1500m
freestyle. On top of all of this, she has won World Swimmer of the Year a record five times.
When at the peak of her powers, Ledecky seems unbeatable. We know she'll face some stiff
competition in the 200 and 400m freestyle from Australian Titmus. The bigger question is if
she's gonna face any sort of competition in the 800 and 1500m or will she continue to be utterly
dominant and break World Record after World Record every time she gets in the Olympic pool.
Daiya Seto has to be one to watch with this being his home Olympics. Seto will
be aiming to keep the 400m IM Olympic title in Japan after fellow Japanese Kosuke Hagino
won it in Rio. Seto won the bronze medal at those Rio Olympics and will be hoping to upgrade that
medal not once to silver but twice to gold. In the first year of ISL in 2019, Seto set a
huge World Record in the 400m IM short course at the Las Vegas grand final beating Ryan Lochte's
old record by over half a second. Since then many people believe he will be favourite for the 400 IM
Olympic title. His performances at the 2019 World Champs solidified his status as a favourite in
this event where he became the first person to win the 400 IM title three times. He will also be
swimming in the 200m IM and the 200m butterfly, both of which he is a serious medal contender.
Lilly King is certainly the queen of breaststroke. She's the former World Record holder in the 50m
and the current World Record holder in the 100m breaststroke; but of course with no
50m breaststroke in the Olympic schedule, she will be targeting her favourite event of the
100 as well as the 200m. She would definitely be going in as favourite to defend her 100m title
and aiming to improve on her current World Record. She will also be vitally important when it comes
to the women's medley relay of which USA has a very high chance of breaking the World Record
yet again. She's proven in both seasons of ISL that even though there are swimmers who are likely
to give her a run for her money such as Benedetta Pilato and Alia Atkinson, she still stands as the
swimmer to beat. There's no doubt that King faces a lot of competition for that 100m breaststroke
Olympic title but she's never been one to shy away from a tussle. No one in Olympic
history has ever successfully defended their 100m breaststroke title will Lilly King be the first?
Caeleb Dressel is the face of world swimming. His achievements in recent years have been nothing
short of staggering. Breaking Michael Phelps' World Record in 100m butterfly,
breaking the short course 100m IM World Record at the 2020 ISL finale and being
the first man to swim under 48 seconds for a 100m fly short course just to name a few. Now,
the thing that sets him apart from the rest of the swimmers you're going to see at Tokyo
is his explosiveness off the blocks. His vertical jump ability is insane
but not only that, his underwater streamlined dolphin kicks are incredible, probably the best we
have ever seen. The big question going into Tokyo is how many golds and how many World Records will
Caeleb Dressel break? We think he has an excellent shot at breaking World Records in almost every
individual event he's entered in. Either way this guy is firmly taking over the mantle from
Michael Phelps and he is pushing the sport of swimming to new amazing heights.
Even though 2020 and the early parts of 2021 were quiet for most swimmers around the globe,
Australian Kaylee McKeown was quietly going about her business by hitting some
of the fastest backstroke times of all time. She recorded a time of 2:04.31 in the 200m
backstroke making her the third fastest swimmer ever in the event behind current World Record
holder Regan Smith and former World Record holder Missy Franklin. At the Australian Olympic trials
she went on to break the 100m backstroke World Record which was previously held by Regan Smith.
Just to top it all off, McKeown also swam the world leading 200m IM time heading into Tokyo
but, in truth, its the backstroke events that you're really going to want to pay attention
to. At the Olympics both fields in the men's and women's side are incredibly competitive
and we're picking Kaylee McKeown to stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Adam Peaty is one of the superstars in world swimming. He is unquestionably the
best breaststroker in history. His stroke rate compared to other breaststrokers is
far higher and his ability to maintain speed through the water is second to none. With
his powerful upper body and fast stroke rate he is able to pull a hell of a lot of water
and get into an extended streamlined position very quickly after each stroke. He also has a
strong and narrow whip kick which again helps him to remain streamline and reduce drag, but also
keeps his hips positioned high in the water. He simply leaves other swimmers in his wake.
He was the first ever swimmer to go under 58 seconds for a 100m breaststroke and is the only
swimmer to go under 57 seconds. He goes into Tokyo with a pb which is a full second ahead of the rest
of the field, which is absolutely mind-boggling for elite sport. But in truth, the 100m
breaststroke isn't about whether Adam Peaty can win, it's simply about how fast this man can go.
Could he go a 56.5? Maybe even under 56? Is that mad to say?! We cannot wait to see how this
British superstar does out in Tokyo. So that just about rounds up this week's video from Propulsion
Swimming. I hope you've enjoyed it. If you have please like this video, share it with your friends
and family, and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to the Propulsion Swimming YouTube channel for more
swimming content coming soon. Like I said before, please come and join us on our live streams during
the entirety of the Olympic swimming programme, but until then I'll catch you on the next one!