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Returning Olympians: Which Tokyo Medalists Will Be Back In Paris?

This article originally appeared in the 2024 Olympic Preview edition of SwimSwam Magazine, courtesy of author James Sutherland. Subscribe to the SwimSwam Magazine here.

With a short three-year window between Olympics, with a bunch of major international meets packed in between, there were not as many retirements post-Tokyo as we usually see at the end of an Olympic cycle.

That, coupled with the fact that the majority of the medalists in Tokyo were in their prime and still have plenty of runway in their careers, there have only been a handful of reigning Olympic medalists who won’t be back vying to make it two in a row in Paris.

Below, find the individual medal table from the Tokyo Games with the swimmers who won’t be returning crossed out. That includes retirements, Russian swimmers who haven’t applied for neutral status, and those who failed to qualify at their respective national trials.

MEN

EVENT GOLD SILVER BRONZE
50m Freestyle Caeleb Dressel (USA) 21.07 Florent Manaudou (FRA) 21.55 Bruno Fratus (BRA) 21.57
100m Freestyle Caeleb Dressel (USA) 47.02 Kyle Chalmers (AUS) 47.08 Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) 47.44
200m Freestyle Tom Dean (GBR) 1:44.22 Duncan Scott (GBR) 1:44.26 Fernando Scheffer (BRA) 1:44.66
400m Freestyle Ahmed Hafnaoui (TUN) 3:43.36 Jack McLoughlin (AUS) 3:43.52 Kieran Smith (USA) 3:43.94
800m Freestyle Bobby Finke (USA) 7:41.87 Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) 7:42.11 Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR) 7:42.33
1500m Freestyle Bobby Finke (USA) 14:39.65 Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR) 14:40.66 Florian Wellbrock (GER) 14:40.91
100m Backstroke Evgeny Rylov (RUS) 51.98 Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) 52.00 Ryan Murphy (USA) 52.19
200m Backstroke Evgeny Rylov (RUS) 1:53.27 Ryan Murphy (USA) 1:54.15 Luke Greenbank (GBR) 1:54.72
100m Breaststroke Adam Peaty (GBR) 57.37 Arno Kamminga (NED) 58 Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) 58.33
200m Breaststroke Zac Stubblety-Cook (AUS) 2:06.38 Arno Kamminga (NED) 2:07.01 Matti Mattsson (FIN) 2:07.13
100m Butterfly Caeleb Dressel (USA) 49.45 Kristof Milak (HUN) 49.68 Noe Ponti (SUI) 50.74
200m Butterfly Kristof Milak (HUN) 1:51.25 Tomoru Honda (JPN) 1:53.73 Federico Burdisso (ITA) 1:54.45
200m Individual Medley Wang Shun (CHN) 1:55.00 Duncan Scott (GBR) 1:55.28 Jeremy Desplanches (SUI) 1:56.17
400m Individual Medley Chase Kalisz (USA) 4:09.42 Jay Litherland (USA) 4:10.28 Brendon Smith (AUS) 4:10.38

The men’s distance freestyle and breaststroke events will feature all three returning medalists from Tokyo, as will the men’s 100 fly. The gold and silver medalists will be absent in the 400 free and 100 back.

WOMEN

EVENT GOLD SILVER BRONZE
50m Freestyle Emma McKeon (AUS) 23.81 Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 24.07 Pernille Blume (DEN) 24.21
100m Freestyle Emma McKeon (AUS) 51.96 Siobhan Haughey (HKG) 52.27 Cate Campbell (AUS) 52.52
200m Freestyle Ariarne Titmus (AUS) 1:53.50 Siobhan Haughey (HKG) 1:53.92 Penny Oleksiak (CAN) 1:54.70
400m Freestyle Ariarne Titmus (AUS) 3:56.69 Katie Ledecky (USA) 3:57.36 Li Bingjie (CHN) 4:01.08
800m Freestyle Katie Ledecky (USA) 8:12.57 Ariarne Titmus (AUS) 8:13.83 Simona Quadarella (ITA) 8:18.35
1500m Freestyle Katie Ledecky (USA) 15:37.34 Erica Sullivan (USA) 15:41.41 Sarah Wellbrock (GER) 15:42.91
100m Backstroke Kaylee McKeown (AUS) 57.47 Kylie Masse (CAN) 57.72 Regan Smith (USA) 58.05
200m Backstroke Kaylee McKeown (AUS) 2:04.68 Kylie Masse (CAN) 2:05.42 Emily Seebohm (AUS) 2:06.17
100m Breaststroke Lydia Jacoby (USA) 1:04.95 Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA) 1:05.22 Lilly King (USA) 1:05.54
200m Breaststroke Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA) 2:18.95 Lilly King (USA) 2:19.92 Annie Lazor (USA) 2:20.84
100m Butterfly Maggie MacNeil (CAN) 55.59 Zhang Yufei (CHN) 55.64 Emma McKeon (AUS) 55.72
200m Butterfly Zhang Yufei (CHN) 2:03.86 Regan Smith (USA) 2:05.30 Hali Flickinger (USA) 2:05.65
200m Individual Medley Yui Ohashi (JPN) 2:08.52 Alex Walsh (USA) 2:08.65 Kate Douglass (USA) 2:09.04
400m Individual Medley Yui Ohashi (JPN) 4:32.08 Emma Weyant (USA) 4:32.76 Hali Flickinger (USA) 4:34.90

On the women’s side, we’ll see the full podium from Tokyo return in the 400 and 800 free, 100 back, and 200 IM, while two-thirds of the medalists from 2021 will be missing in the 50, 100 free and 1500 free, and 400 IM.

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Chlorinetherapy
4 months ago

My greatest hope is a 🥇for Sarah Sjostrom. 🙏

Ruben
4 months ago

According to wikipedia (I know, sources?), Jeremy Desplanches is listed in the 200IM under the OCT, as is Penny Oleksiak in the 100 freestyle. There might be some truth to it, as Jeremy posted on his instagram about qualifying for Paris.

Last edited 4 months ago by Ruben
Emma Eckeon
Reply to  Ruben
4 months ago

Relay

Prettysup
Reply to  Ruben
4 months ago

Yeah Jeremy received a wildcard invitation for the 200IM so he will be back.

RealCrocker5040
4 months ago

MA

Skip
Reply to  RealCrocker5040
4 months ago

Individual medalists already excluded that certain individual

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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