SwimSwam’s Top 100 For 2022: Women’s #30-21

Our Top 100 For 2022 series moves into the top 30, with the 30th through 21st-ranked female swimmers for the coming year.

Rather than a ranking based on the performances that we saw in 2021, the series is geared towards who we expect to be the top performers in 2022.

The rankings are weighted heavily towards the 2022 Long Course World Championships, factoring in individual medal and world record potential, but we’ve also accounted for other major international events that will take place during the year. Note that long course gets a priority, but short course ability and ISL scoring potential are baked into the ranks as well.

We’ll be breaking down the top 100 into multiple installments, so keep an eye out as they’re released.

These lists are, by nature, subjective. If you disagree, leave your thoughts/ranks in the comments.

See also:

• #100 – #76
• #75 – #51
• #50 – #41
• #40 – #31
• #30 – #21
• #20 – #11
• #10 – #1

#30: Erica Sullivan, USA – Sullivan had a breakout showing last summer in the women’s 1500 free, dropping four seconds to qualify for the Olympic team in 15:51.18, and then taking nearly 10 seconds off of that to win a silver medal in Tokyo in a time of 15:41.41. Sullivan negative-split that race, sitting back in fifth at the halfway mark, and actually out-split gold medalist Katie Ledecky by two and a half seconds over the last 750. The 21-year-old Las Vegas native, currently in her freshman season at the University of Texas, is also strong in the 800 free, though she appears to have much more in the tank after almost hitting a PB opening up the mile in Tokyo (8:23.02 best at Trials, 8:23.23 opening up the 1500 prelims at the Olympics). She’s a medal contender at LC Worlds in the mile, no doubt, but will have to be on her toes at World Trials with fellow Sandpiper swimmer Katie Grimes on the up and up. It also remains to be seen how Sullivan adjusts to the new training environment in Austin, and how focusing on short course yards and NCAAs has on her long course success.

#29: Cate Campbell, Australia – Campbell got a bit of personal redemption in 2021, getting on the Olympic podium in the women’s 100 freestyle (bronze) after falling to sixth in Rio despite being the overwhelming favorite coming in. The 29-year-old Aussie had a strong year overall, ranking second in the world in the 50 free (23.94) and third in the 100 free (52.52), and as long as she’s in the field, is in the mix to medal at the LC World Championship level in both events. Campbell did say post-Tokyo that she likely wasn’t done, but needed a bit of a reset. After Rio, she opted out of the 2017 World Championships, so it remains to be seen if she’s committed to 2022 Worlds, but it’s hard to imagine her sitting out of the Commonwealth Games, an event she has found a ton of success in previously (six gold, two silver medals). She’s also been a clutch performer for the ISL’s London Roar in previous seasons, but did not compete due to Australia’s travel restrictions in 2021 (though she may not have anyway).

#28: Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Netherlands – Kromowidjojo has stood near the top of the women’s sprinting elite for over a decade, and has shown no signs of slowing down despite continuously taking on a tireless schedule at the age of 31. The Dutch native was fourth in the 50 free final in Tokyo, .09 shy of a medal, but finished the year ranked third in the world after blasting a scintillating 23.97 to win the European title in May. Kromowidjojo was also the 2021 European gold medalist in the 50 fly, posting a world-leading time of 25.24, and then after a very impressive ISL season, finished out the year by winning gold in the 50 fly (24.44) and silver in the 50 free (23.31) at SC Worlds. At least in the long course pool, her focus has slowly strayed away from the 100 free as she gets older, but seems to have only enhanced her speed, making her a gold medal threat in both the 50 free and 50 fly in Fukuoka.

#27: Yang Junxuan, China – One of the country’s many female swimmers that have risen through the ranks quickly over the last few years, Yang was the catalyst of China’s epic gold medal-winning and world record-setting swim in the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay at the Olympic Games, leading off in a National Record time of 1:54.37 to outpace individual 200 free gold medalist Ariarne Titmus. That swim set China up to pull off a massive upset over the Aussies (and Americans) in Tokyo, and also ranked Yang third in the world at the end of 2021. The 19-year-old was fourth individually in the 200 free at the Games, and also hit a PB of 53.02 in the 100 free prelims before scratching the semis to focus on that record-breaking relay. She’s a surefire medal challenger in the 200 free moving forward, likely has a sub-53 100 free in her sights, and projects to pick up a big medal haul at this year’s Asian Games.

#26: Claire Curzan, USA – Curzan has been a well-known name in the United States for a few years now, shattering numerous National Age Group Records, but she really made a name for herself on the global stage at the SC World Championships in December. After making her Olympic debut in Tokyo, placing 10th in the 100 fly, Curzan stacked up six medals in Abu Dhabi (two of each color), including a pair of individual bronzes in the 50 and 100 fly, setting World Junior Records in both. In long course, the 17-year-old finished 2021 ranked inside the world’s top 10 in three events—50 free (24.17), 100 back (58.82) and 100 fly (56.20)—and is also an elite performer in the 100 free and 50 fly. If her performance at SC Worlds is any indication, she appears to be well on her way to making a serious impact at LC Worlds, though all of her best events are loaded with big names.

#25: Benedetta Pilato, Italy – Pilato’s rapid rise to the top in the women’s 50 breaststroke has been nothing short of astonishing, given the level of success she’s achieved while still only 16 years of age. She burst onto the scene in 2019, winning silver at the World Championships in the 50 breast behind Lilly King at the age of 14. She was also the European SC champion in the event at the end of the year, and then followed through by winning the LC Euro title this past May, breaking King’s world record in a time of 29.30. Her first Olympics didn’t go as planned, getting disqualified in the 100 breast heats, but the Italian came back with a strong short course season that included earning a pair of silvers in the 50 breast at Euros and Worlds. Pilato has been steadily improving in the 100 breast, ranking eighth in the world in 2021 in 1:05.84 (LCM), but is undoubtedly the best pure 50 breaststroker in the world, and likely has more time to chop off given that she’s still so young.

#24: Summer McIntosh, Canada – It’s hard to put in perspective how quickly McIntosh rose to the top of the sport last year. After rewriting the Canadian Age Group Record books for years, McIntosh hit a new level of success in 2021, starting off at the Canadian Olympic Trials where she recorded the fastest 200 free time ever for a swimmer aged 15 and under despite being just 14 (1:56.19). She followed through with a phenomenal performance at the Tokyo Games, placing fourth in the 400 free (4:02.42) and ninth in the 200 free, hitting a new PB in the latter leading off the Canadian relay in 1:55.74. Finishing the LC season ranked fifth in the 400 free and 10th in the 200 free worldwide, the Etobicoke native had an exceptional showing for the Toronto Titans in the ISL season and then picked up a silver medal at SC Worlds in the 400 free (3:57.87). She also qualified second into the 800 free final (8:13.37) before scratching, and added a fifth-place finish individually in the 200 free (1:53.65). Needless to say, the future is bright for McIntosh, who turned 15 in August. And while she’s now established as a world-class freestyler, she’s also strong in the 200 fly and 400 IM (having won both events in the ISL), two events we should be watching out for in 2022 and beyond.

#23: Li Bingjie, China – Li broke out at the age of 15, winning silver in the women’s 800 free and bronze in the 400 free at the 2017 World Championships. That was followed by a strong 2018, winning seven medals between the Asian Games and SC World Championships, but then had an ‘off’ 2019, failing to make the final in the 200, 400 or 800 free at LC Worlds in Gwangju. The 19-year-old Chinese native came back in a big way in 2021, hitting back-to-back Asian Records in the 400 free in Tokyo, winning the bronze medal in a time of 4:01.08. Though she wasn’t quite at her best in the 800 or 1500 free, taking 10th in both, Li did swim a key leg on China’s gold medal-winning 4×200 free relay that broke the world record, splitting 1:55.30. She closed the year out by dominating the 400 free (3:55.83) and 800 free (8:02.90) at SC Worlds, giving her a ton of momentum moving into 2022 as one of the world’s best distance freestylers.

#22: Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia – It became clear that Chikunova was the future of the women’s 200 breaststroke after putting up a blistering time of 2:21.07 at the age of 14 back at the 2019 European Junior Championships. That time would’ve won silver at the World Championships that year, and the Russian has continued to assert herself as one of the best in the world in the two and a half years since. Now 17, Chikunova hit a best time of 2:20.57 at the Tokyo Olympics, taking fourth in the final in 2:20.88, and then had a standout short course season that included winning the Euro title and taking second at Worlds. She’s also been steadily developing her speed for the 100-meter event, cracking the 1:06-barrier in the Olympic final to take fourth in 1:05.90. Along with the American trio (Lilly King, Lydia Jacoby, Annie Lazor) and South African Tatjana Schoenmaker, Chikunova is a serious medal contender at the 2022 World Championships in both the 100 and 200 breast.

#21: Torri Huske, USA – Huske’s breakout meet came at the Olympic Trials in June, as she made the jump from “NAG Record holder” to “American Record holder” with an unbelievable performance in the women’s 100 fly. Huske, 18 at the time (now 19), broke Dana Vollmer’s nine-year-old national record in the semi-finals at Trials in 55.78, and brought it down to 55.66 in the final. After also challenging for a spot at the Games in the 50 free (third) and 200 IM (fourth) at Trials, Huske managed to hold her form and perform under pressure (again) at the Olympics, placing fourth in the 100 fly final (55.73), .01 outside of a medal. That women’s 100 fly final in Tokyo saw the top-four finishers all produce one of the 10-fastest swims of all-time, with Huske on the outside looking in when it was time to hand out the medals. Now in her freshman year at Stanford, Huske left The Farm in December to compete at SC Worlds, showing off her versatility by placing fourth in the 50 fly (24.88) and 100 fly (55.75) and sixth in the 100 free (51.93), also leading off the silver medal-winning 4×200 free relay in 1:54.72. The Arlington, Va., native may not have an individual major international medal to her name yet, but was only .07 back of world #1 Maggie MacNeil in the 100 fly in 2021 and has a lot of untapped potential in the 50 fly that should get explored this year at LC Worlds.