SwimSwam’s Top 100 For 2026: Men’s 40-31 ...Middle East

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

Welcome to the SwimSwam Top 100 Swimmers of 2026: Men’s Edition. This is our outlook on the top 100 swimmers to watch globally in 2026.

Like most non-Olympic even-numbered years, the world of swimming will be scattered across the globe, with no real single meet to weigh the medals from most. That means times will rule the day in the 2026 rankings, which makes some things easier and some things harder.

The principles for ranking:

We start with data, and then debate, massage, re-rank, re-rank again, and eventually wind up with some vision of a top 100 that makes sense to our collective hivemind.

Note: we’ve excluded swimmers who have no sign of being in the pool in 2026, and hedged on others like Sarah Sjostrom that we expect to be back but don’t really know how they’ll be. These ranks always wind up a bit wonky because there’s so much opacity to the situations.

Men’s Rankings:

#40: Kim Woomin, South Korea (2025 Rank: 48) – Kim has established himself as one of the world’s best 400 freestylers over the last two years, winning medals at three straight major international meets. The Korean native won gold at the 2024 World Championships in Doha (3:42.71), claimed bronze at the Olympics (3:42.50), and then last summer, won bronze at the World Championships with yet another sub-3:43 performance in 3:42.60. That swim ranked him 3rd in the world for the year, and he also finished 2025 ranked 26th in the 200 free (1:45.85), and 27th in both the 800 free (7:50.57) and 1500 free (15:00.54). He also split 1:44.66, one of the fastest in the field, on South Korea’s 4×200 free relay at Worlds that finished 5th. In 2026, the now 24-year-old figures to be a force at the Asian Games, coming in as the defending champion in the 400 and 800 free and the reigning silver medalist in the 1500 free.

#39: Tatsuya Murasa, Japan (2025 Rank: NR) – Murasa started coming onto the radar towards the end of 2024, putting up a time of 1:45.72 at the Japan Open in late November at the age of 17 (after serving as a relay-only swimmer at the Paris Olympics), and then he made the final of the 200 free at Short Course Worlds in December, placing 8th. The Japanese native carried that momentum into 2025, having a standout year that was highlighted by winning a medal at the World Championships. At 18, Murasa broke through in Singapore, claiming bronze in the 200 free in a Japanese Record of 1:44.54, a performance that marked his third best time of the year after going 1:45.67 at the Japanese Trials and 1:45.39 in the World semis. The swim in the final ranked Murasa 5th in the world for the year, while he ranked 33rd in the 400 free (3:46.73), 60th in the 100 free (48.43) and 79th in the 100 fly (52.13). Set to turn 19 in March, Murasa is already among the world’s best in the 200 free and will challenge for the top step on the podium at Pan Pacs and the Asian Games, but the big question will be if he can develop another event, maybe the 100 free or more likely the 400 free, up to a level close to where his 200 free is.

#38: Carson Foster, USA (2025 Rank: 20) – For the first time in his major international career, Foster left the 2025 World Championships without a medal after suffering a freak ankle injury prior to the final of the 200 IM. He did get to swim all three rounds of the 200 fly in Singapore, placing 5th in the final (1:54.30), and had advanced to the final of the 200 IM before being forced to scratch. Just over a month earlier at the U.S. National Championships, Foster had a solid showing, placing 2nd in the 200 fly (1:53.70), 200 IM (1:55.76) and 400 IM (4:07.92) and adding a 5th-place finish in the 200 free (1:45.45) with a new lifetime best. He improved his 2025-best in the 400 IM in December at the U.S. Open, clocking 4:07.02 to rank #2 in the world for the year. He also ranked 5th in the 200 fly, 6th in the 200 IM, 17th in the 200 free, 20th in the 400 free (3:45.73), 57th in the 800 free (7:55.51) and 90th in the 200 back (1:59.09), putting his versatility on display. This year, Foster will be a gold medal contender at the Pan Pacific Championships in the 200 and 400 IM, with a strong chance at a medal in the 200 fly. He should also get some hardware at Short Course Worlds if he attends.

#37: Zhang Zhanshuo, China (2025 Rank: NR) – An 18-year-old prospect on the rise, Zhang got his first taste of major international experience in 2024, winning a pair of relay gold medals at the World Championships in Doha and competing at his first Olympic Games, after piling up five medals at the 2023 World Junior Championships. The 18-year-old took another big step in 2025, placing 5th in the 400 free (3:44.82), 11th in the 200 free (1:45.84), 13th in the 400 IM (4:15.86) and 15th in the 800 free (7:53.74) at the World Championships in Singapore while anchoring China to silver in the 4×200 free relay with a sizzling 1:44.20 split. One thing Zhang can build on this year is peaking at the right time, as none of his best swims in 2025 came at Worlds. Most recently, at the Chinese National Games in November, he set best times in the 200 free (1:44.86), 400 free (3:42.82), 800 free (7:46.69) and 1500 free (14:52.73), with the 400 free swim marking an official World Junior Record. He finished the year ranked 4th in the world in the 400 free, 7th in the 200 free, and 13th in both the 800 and 1500 free. Prior to Worlds, he clocked 4:11.86 in the 400 IM at the Chinese Nationals in May, good for 16th in the world, while in May, he set bests in the 200 fly (1:56.60) and 200 IM (1:58.59), ranking him 49th and 32nd in the world, respectively. Given his rapid improvement curve and the range of events he’s competitive in, the sky is the limit for Zhang, who will be a fixture this summer at the Asian Games.

#36: Krzysztof Chmielewski, Poland (2025 Rank: 55) – Chmielewski has consistently produced a medal in the 200 fly at almost every international meet he contests over the last five years, outside of the Olympic Games. The 21-year-old Polish native has won back-to-back silver medals in the event at the World Championships (2023 and 2025, not including the 2024 edition in Doha) and also claimed silver at the 2024 European Championships (LC), 2025 SC European Championships, and won bronze at the 2024 SC Worlds. The only podium miss for Chmielewski since he debuted at the Tokyo Olympics and placed 8th was at the Paris Games, where he took 4th in a time of 1:53.90. However, Chmielewski took a big step last year, joining the sub-1:53 club at the World Championships. He clocked 1:52.89 in the prelims and then lowered his national record to 1:52.64 in the final, ranking him 3rd in the world for the year. His only other event in Singapore was the 400 free, clocking 3:47.55 to finish 15th and rank 45th in the world for the year. At the SC European Championships at the end of the year, Chmielewski won silver in the 200 fly and also made the final of the 400 free and was a semi-finalist in the 200 free. With 1:52 now in his repertoire in the 200 fly, Chmielewski projects to be a surefire medalist at the European Championships in the event, and he’ll either be the favorite for gold or silver, depending on whether or not Leon Marchand races it. Chmielewski still only has one event where he’s truly one of the best in the world, but his mid-distance freestyle is still solid and continues to improve.

#35: Duncan Scott, Great Britain (2025 Rank: 17) – Scott has earned the reputation of being a clutch relay swimmer over the years, delivering several key legs for the British teams that have resulted in a pair of Olympic gold medals and five relay world titles over the last decade. Individually, Scott’s focus has been narrow, only swimming the 200 IM at each of the last two World Championships and contesting the 200 free and 200 IM at the 2024 Olympics. The last time he took on a big program individually was the 2022 Commonwealth Games, so with the next edition on the horizon this year, perhaps we’ll see him back with a big event lineup in his hometown of Glasgow. In 2025, Scott placed 4th in the 200 IM at Worlds, clocking 1:55.51 in the semis before going 1:56.32 in the final. He did walk away with one relay medal, anchoring the British men to gold in the 4×200 free relay in 1:43.82, which is the type of form that indicates he could’ve challenged for an individual 200 free medal (1:44.54 won bronze). Nonetheless, the 28-year-old finished the year ranked 4th in the 200 IM, 10th in the 200 free (1:45.08) and 16th in the 200 fly (1:54.89), and also threw down a 47.23 split on the GBR men’s 4×100 free relay in Singapore (finishing 4th). Though Scott’s days as an individual gold medal threat in the 200 free and 200 IM may have come and gone, with the likes of David Popovici and Leon Marchand distancing themselves from the rest of the world, Scott is still in the medal hunt, and at the Commonwealth Games, and to a lesser extent the European Championships, he should be able to make his way onto the podium multiple times individually.

#34: Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, France (2025 Rank: 77) – Ndoye-Brouard made significant improvements in 2025, entering the elite land of sub-52/sub-1:55 backstrokers. The Frenchman dropped more than half a second in the 100 back to snag bronze at the World Championships in 51.92, a new national record that ranked him 4th in the world in 2025 after he was 6th in 2024 (52.48). In the 200 back, Ndoye-Brouard set a new French Record in the semis at Worlds in 1:54.47 before earning another bronze in the final (1:54.62), also ranking him 4th in the world for the year after he was 23rd in 2024 (1:56.48). The 25-year-old also ranked 17th in the world in the 50 back (24.62). Moving into 2026, Ndoye-Brouard has a legitimate shot at gold in the 100 back at the European Championships and should be able to make his way to the podium in the 200.

#33: Kyle Chalmers, Australia (2025 Rank: 25) – Chalmers is virtually an automatic medalist every time he suits up on the international stage in the 100 freestyle, but where he stands in his other events is the question that arises when deciding where to rank the 27-year-old. Chalmers had an impressive year in 2025, recording his fastest-ever in-season 100 free in April (47.27) and then clocking 47.17 at the World Championships to win the bronze medal. He also set lifetime bests in the 50 free (21.68) and 50 fly (22.89), ranking him 15th and 11th, respectively, in the world. One likely goal the Aussie still has in his career is to break 47 seconds in the long course pool, with his PB still standing at 47.08, which he set in 2019 and matched in 2021. That may be what’s required to win gold at the Pan Pacs this summer, with American Jack Alexy having gone 46.81 in 2025. Chalmers could also easily walk away with gold in the event at the Commonwealth Games, and he could also end up in the hunt in the 50 free and 50 fly, though those are more up in the air given how tight the fields will be.

#32: Simone Cerasuolo, Italy (2025 Rank: 90) – It was a breakthrough year for Cerasuolo in 2025, winning the first World Championships (LC) medal of his career in Singapore, and it was gold, and then following up by winning three titles at the SC European Championships. At Worlds, the Italian native set a personal best of 26.42 in the prelims of the 50 breast before clocking 26.54 in the final, winning the gold medal. The 22-year-old may have only ranked 3rd in the world for the year, but it didn’t matter as he came out on top when it mattered most. Given Italy’s breaststroke depth, Cerasuolo didn’t race the 100 breast at Worlds, but set a season-best of 59.63 in April that ranked him 25th in the world. At SC Euros, Cerasuolo won gold in the 50 breast (25.67) and placed 4th in the 100 breast (56.33) after setting lifetime bests of 25.52/56.21 in the prelims. As the reigning world champion, leaving Cerasuolo out of the top 30 wasn’t an easy call, but given the parity in men’s sprint breaststroke, it feels like the right spot. There’s no guarantee he even advances out of the prelims in the 50 breast at the European Championships, given the two-per-country rule, with Ludovico Viberti and Nicolo Martinenghi also among the best in the world. Cerasuolo has a good shot at gold in the 50 breast at LC Euros and SC Worlds this year, but the margins are so thin in the 50s.

#31: Filip Nowacki, Great Britain (2025 Rank: NR) – Nowacki exploded in 2025, becoming one of the world’s best breaststrokers seemingly overnight. In 2024, the British native ranked 114th in the world in the 200 breast with his best time of 2:12.74 from the European Junior Championships, where he won silver. In 2025, Nowacki won double gold in the 100 breast (59.59) and 200 breast (2:08.32) at Euro Juniors in July, and then in August, he repeated the feat at World Juniors, resetting his best times to 59.20 in the 100 breast and a blistering 2:07.32 in the 200 breast. The now 18-year-old finished the year ranked 3rd in the 200 breast and 14th in the 100 breast, and his time from World Juniors in the 200 breast was faster than what won gold at the World Championships (2:07.41). Being the top European in the 200 breast last year makes him the favorite in the event at the European Championships, while he’s in the medal hunt in the 100. And based on his development in 2025, he may just be scratching the surface of his potential.

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