Sarah Sjöström extended her record number of world titles to 23 last year. Will she further extend that figure in 2025, where another World Aquatics Championships is scheduled for Singapore from July 11 to August 3?
The 31-year-old Swede, who set her World Championship record at the Fukuoka edition of 2023 -where she surpassed the previous mark of 20 held by Michael Phelps of the United States – looks ready to return to the top of the global podium this year.
Her crowning achievement of 2024, winning Olympic gold at 50m and 100m freestyle, helped secure her a sixth award as the European Aquatics Athlete of the Year in women’s swimming. It also underlined her continuing status as a major world talent.
France expects…
While the main focus of the host nation at the Paris 2024 Games was upon the iconic achievements of quadruple gold medallist Leon Marchand, there was also the pleasing spectacle of a home podium appearance in women’s swimming thanks to Anastasiya Kirpichnikova, who claimed silver in the 1500m freestyle.
Expect the naturalised 24-year-old, who serves in France as a police reservist, to make another mark at global level this year.
France will also be hoping for to two other high-achieving female swimmers to reproduce their form in 2025 – Melanie Henique, who took 50m butterfly silver at last year’s World Championships in Doha, and Beryl Gastaldello, who ended her season with a flourish at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest.
Gasteldello earned 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle silver and 100m medley bronze in the Hungarian capital. There will surely be further success for her in the 25m pool as she looks ahead to the European Short Course Championships from December 2 to 7.
Gose goes for more medals
German swimming fans meanwhile will be watching out for a female athlete who made a big habit of stepping up to the podium last year – Isabel Gose.
The 22-year-old Berliner began her year with three medals at the World Championships, taking silver in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 400m and 1500m freestyle. She earned 1500m bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Gose earned Olympic bronze in the 1500m freestyle, setting a national record of 15:41.16.
And at the end of the season she finally reached the top of a global podium as she won 1500m freestyle gold at Budapest 2024 ahead of Italy’s world 800m long course champion Simona Quadarella, also earning 800m freestyle silver.
Expect more medals from Gose – and more exciting match-ups with her Italian rival.
Behold the rising stars – Jefimova and Pudar
Meanwhile all European swimming fans will have their eyes on two of the world’s most talented young athletes – Bosnia and Hercegovina’s 19-year-old Lana Pudar and 18-year-old Eneli Jefimova of Estonia.
Pudar, who had a breakthrough performance as a 16-year-old when she became her country’s first European medallist in winning the 200m butterfly title at the Rome 2022 edition, continued to build her reputation in 2024.
She earned her first world medal in Doha, claiming bronze in the 200m butterfly, and went on to claim silver in the same event at the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade.
Jefimova made her own breakthrough in winning the European 100m breaststroke title. She also signed off on her European Junior Championships career in Vilnius by becoming the first swimmer to win four consecutive titles in the same event – again over 100m breaststroke.
The European Aquatics U23 Championships at Samorin in Slovakia from June 26 to 28 will offer both the opportunity to return to the podium – but they will also be seeking to make further marks in senior competition…
Mind the gap
Their absence from the European Juniors – scheduled for Samorin from July 1 to 6, will open up new opportunities for the next generation of talented young competitors who will also test their merits at the World Junior Championships in Otopeni, Romania from August 19 to 24.
