The Female Swimmers With The Fastest Four-Stroke 400 IM Add-Ups

As a follow-up to our breakdown last December on the female swimmers with the fastest 800 IM add-ups (adding up swimmers’ fastest stroke 200 times), we’re now going to dive into the 400 IM add-up, looking at the top performers across the 100 fly, back, breast and free on the women’s side (with the men’s to come in a future article).

It was no surprise to see Katinka Hosszu tower over the field in the 800 IM add-up due to her dominance in the 400 IM on the international stage for the better part of a decade, and although she’s a lock to be a contender in the 400 IM add-up, this one was a bit more up in the air coming in.

Hosszu was a force in the 200 IM during her career, and was the Olympic gold medalist in the 100 back in Rio, but she also rarely raced any of the other stroke 100s individually at major international events (sometimes the 100 fly, but she wasn’t decisively better than other high-level IMers on fly), opening the door for others to challenge her for the top spot.

As it turns out, Hosszu ends up right near the top of the list, but falls just shy of number one.

That distinction goes to Australia’s Kaylee McKeown, who recently logged a best time of 59.45 in the 100 fly to earn her the top spot*.

*Note that Kaylee McKeown‘s 100 fly PB was originally incorrect and has since been updated.

That fly time combines with McKeown’s world record of 57.33 in the 100 back, the third-fastest breast time of 1:06.86 and a solid 54.33 100 free.

Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko, the swimmer who ended Hosszu’s run of gold medal victories in the 200 IM at the European Championships in 2021, sits second on the list. Gorbenko, who only recently turned 20, was the 2021 SC world champion in the 50 breast and was also an Olympic finalist in Tokyo in the 100 back.

Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, the third-fastest 200 IMer in history and the Olympic silver medalist behind Hosszu in Rio, joined McKeown, Gorbenko and Hosszu as the only four swimmers with a sub-4:00 add-up, while reigning 200 IM world champion Kate Douglass was just shy of the barrier.

Douglass, who probably has time to drop in the 100 breast (1:07.07) given what she’s done in the 200 (going 2:21.22 and taking it out in 1:08.27), gets up to #4 on the list despite having the slowest backstroke time among the top 20 at 1:04.04. She counteracts that with the second-fastest fly time and the fastest free time.

Breaststroke is the most polarizing stroke in swimming—some have it, and some just plain don’t and never will. There are a handful of swimmers who cracked the top 20 with a so-so breaststroke time, six above 1:10 and three slower than 1:12.

Two with one obvious weak stroke were Emily Seebohm and Natalie Coughlin, who both made up for lackluster breaststroke by being elite elsewhere, particularly on backstroke as a former world champion (Seebohm) and Olympic gold medalist and world record holder (Coughlin) in the event.

If you have find a swimmer who is fast enough to have made the top 20 but is missing, let us know in the comments below.

WOMEN’S TOP 20 – 400 IM ADD-UP

Swimmers Who Narrowly Missed Out:

• Based on our findings, American Torri Huske was 21st despite having a 1:13.95 breast time, thanks to the fastest fly time (55.64) and the #2 free time (52.92). Melanie Margalis was next up at 4:06.00.
• Missy Franklin was 23rd despite a 1:13.75 breaststroke PB, boosted with her Olympic-winning 58.33 100 back time and a 53.36 100 free.
• Among active swimmers, Kayla Sanchez (4:06.16), Maggie MacNeil (4:06.18), Alicia Wilson (4:07.21), Teagan O’Dell (4:07.73) and Beryl Gastaldello (4:07.86) were sub-4:08 to go along with those in the top 20 (Viktoria Gunes hasn’t raced since the summer of 2022 but was 4:06.72). MacNeil notably earned her time despite a 1:17.50 PB in the 100 breast.
• Despite a 1:19.64 100 breast time, Gretchen Walsh was still somewhat competitive at 4:08.92.