By Sam Blacker on SwimSwam
See all of our 2025 Swammy Awards here
Belgian swimming has been on the up in recent years – tallies of 28 records broken in 2023, 32 in 2024, and 48 in 2025 attest to that fact. The swimmer at the forefront of that charge, and our Breakout Female Swimmer of the Year, is Roos Vanotterdijk
Vanotterdijk was a star for Belgium already at the end of 2024, owner of four Belgian Records and having just won the country’s first European long course title since 1995 in the 100 fly. Ever since winning five medals at the World Junior Championships in 2022, where she also broke a pair of Belgian records, she had been tipped as a rising star with incredible potential.
That potential already appeared fulfilled with a pair of Olympic semi-finals in addition to her European title in the 100 fly in 2024. She broke the Belgian record in the 100 fly, going 57.25 for 10th in Paris, before finishing in the same position in the 100 back. She was off her best and national record in that event by 0.06 seconds, but no matter – undoubtedly a successful first Olympics.
Vanotterdijk went on a record-breaking spree later in 2024, building herself a launchpad for 2025. over the course of four weeks from mid-October she broke 12 Belgian records in short course – encompassing freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and IM events. Breaststroke was the only one missing: this would not be the case 12 months later.
She kicked of 2025 much as she ended 2024, clocking 58.97 in the 100 back and 53.62 to reset a pair of her own long course records. Further records in the 50 back (27.81), 100 fly (57.05), and 200 IM (2:09.73) (the latter shattering the old mark by nearly four seconds) would come before the first of the three major championships she would compete in this year.
The European U-23 championships were first. Belgium won five medals at that meet, three of them gold, and placed 5th in the medal table. By extension, Vanotterdijk, as their only medal-winner, outscored every nation bar Poland, Germany, Hungary, and Greece. Her five individual medals were two more than any other swimmer, and her three golds were matched only by Austria’s Luka Mladenovic.
That led Vanotterdijk nicely into the World Championships in Singapore – her first. She began with a bang, setting three Belgian records in 36 hours in the 100 fly to hack over a second off her best and win silver in 55.84. She became just the 9th woman in history to break 56 seconds, and rose 31 places in the all-time rankings to slot in at #8.
She qualified for three more semi-finals, placing 10th, 11th, and 11th respectively in the 100 back, 100 free, and 50 back, the final one in a new national record of 27.67. In her final event she went one better, claiming bronze in the 50 fly in a time of 25.43 after setting a national record of 25.32 in the semi-finals. That made her Belgium’s most successful swimmer at a single world championships in terms of total medals. Never before had the nation as a whole won more than one medal at a single championships.
A strong World Cup tour followed in the fall, with short course Belgian records in the 100 fly, 50 back, 100 IM, and 200 IM. She set a record in the final stroke she needed for a full house at the Belgian Championships just two weeks later, clocking 2:18.07 to claim the 200 breast mark – a butterfly and backstroke sprinter ranking 28th all-time in what is arguably the most difficult stroke to break into.
Two silver medals at the European Short Course Championships – both in Belgian record-setting fashion of course – closed off her year, and there could have been more had she not come down with an unfortunate case of Laryngitis partway through the competition. She still managed to end the year ranked in the top-ten globally across seven different events – up from one 12 months ago.
Roos Vanotterdijk‘s Top-Ten Global Rankings, 2025
Event 2024 Global Ranking 2025 Global Ranking All-time ranking – December 2024 All-time ranking – December 2025 50 fly (LCM) 32nd (26.08) 3rd (25.32) 65th (25.93) 14th (25.32) 100 fly (LCM) 18th (57.25) 2nd (55.84) 48th (57.25) 8th (55.84) 50 fly (SCM) 19th (25.32) 4th (24.84) 52nd (25.32) 24th (24.84) 100 fly (SCM) 41st (57.63) 9th (55.64) 187th (57.63) 31st (55.64) 200 breast (SCM) – 5th (2:18.07) – 28th (2:18.07) 100 IM (SCM) 10th (58.24) 4th (56.80) 34th (58.24) 6th (56.80) 200 IM (SCM) 146th (2:14.75) 7th (2:05.81) 200th+ (2:14.75) 29th (2:05.81)She is a strong medal contender at both the European Championships and the World Short Course Championships next year. Another year like this one under the tutelage of Mark Faber and Louis Croenen, where she set a staggering 24 national records, and that will feel like an understatement and a half.
Honorable Mentions:
Alexandria Perkins: Perkins progressed from Olympic semi-finalist and a useful medley relay piece to be one of Australia’s top swimmers this year. After a 14th-place finish in the 100 fly in Paris, she hacked off more than a second to 56.19 in the semi-finals this summer before winning bronze in the final in 56.33. She continued where she left off at the World Cup circuit this fall, breaking the Oceanian record in both the 50 fly (24.63) and 100 fly (54.93), becoming just the eighth woman to break 55 seconds in the latter. Not content with breaking out in one stroke, she dropped swims of 24.70/53.53 in freestyle to finish on the podium at Australian trials in June, then went on to swim 23.45 in the short course 50 free to rise to #3 among Australian women. Lani Pallister: It may seem slightly silly to label a multi-time world champion on relays and in short course, as well as an individual long course World medalist from 2022, one of the breakout swimmers this year, but Pallister’s argument is ironclad. She was fantastic at Australian Trials to go 3:59/8:10/15:39 in the distance free events, slotting her in at #6, #3, and #3 all time respectively. It was that 800 free final in Singapore which showed the leap she has made in 2025. Have we ever seen Katie Ledecky pushed that hard and that close in a major 800/1500 free final? Pallister’s five second drop down to 8:05.98 was a portent for her short course season, where she swam 3:51.87 in the 400 free for #3 all-time before shattering Ledecky’s 800 free world record by more than three seconds in 7:54.00 – the first time in history one of Ledecky’s records has been broken by a swimmer other than herself. The rematch between the two at Pan Pacs should be tasty. Daria Klepikova: Klepikova placed 5th in both the 100 fly and 100 free this summer, and was a key part of a pair of NAB’s medal-winning relays in Singapore. She rose from 20th in the world last season to 9th this time around in the 100 free, but truly shone in the 100 fly. In that event she vaulted up 38 places in the yearly rankings, ending 2024 as the 44th-fastest swimmer in 57.95, and closing off this year at #6 with her 56.42 from the World Championship semi-finals. Klepikova set national records in both events this summer, becoming the first Russian woman to break 53 seconds in the 100 free in 52.98, and showed that she will be a major threat in those events next year. Splits of 52.4 and a pair of 55.9s in free and fly respectively showcase her ability to step up on the big stages – not that that should be in any doubt going forward. Milou van Wijk: The next off the conveyer belt of Dutch sprint free talent, van Wijk went from missing the Olympic team in 2024 to finishing just outside the medals in the 100 free this summer. She dropped 1.6 seconds in that event to go from 54.51 to 52.91, rising up 66 places in the yearly rankings to slot in at 9th in 2025. Her 50 free saw a similar percentage drop, down to 24.23 from 24.86, and she won both events at the European U-23 Championships in June before making the final in both again at the European Short Course Championships, placing 6th and 5th in the 50 and 100 free respectively. Van Wijk now ranks in the top 30 all time (#29 and #30) in both events – far higher than she even ranked globally 12 months ago. Marrit Steenbergen has the co-star she needs on the Dutch relays – as demonstrated by their bronze in the women’s 4×100 free at Worlds this summer.Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2025 Swammy Awards: Breakout Female Swimmer of the Year – Roos Vanotterdijk
Hence then, the article about 2025 swammy awards breakout female swimmer of the year roos vanotterdijk was published today ( ) and is available on swimswam ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 2025 Swammy Awards: Breakout Female Swimmer of the Year – Roos Vanotterdijk )
Also on site :
- Grambling vs. Southern Prediction: Spread, Total Points, Moneyline Picks – Saturday, January 17, 2026
- RC Lens vs. AJ Auxerre Prediction, Picks, Live Odds – Jan. 17
- Piastri offers a subtle warning about what’s coming in F1