Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Swimming is a sport where competitors really push themselves to the absolute limit. Not only are they trying to compete against other superhuman athletes to win medals, but they are also having to do so while controlling their breathing, focusing on technique, and keeping an eye on the others who they are racing against to gauge their speed. It’s a fairly demanding sport indeed, and of course, the best of the best was Michael Phelps.
He is actually the most successful Olympian of all time, with 28 medals to his name, beating even the legendary Australian swimmer, Ian Thorpe in the process. Now that Phelps has retired from the game however, all eyes are now fixed on what country will produce the next big swimmer. This would usually be quite easy to answer at the time of writing, especially since the Tokyo Olympics were due to kick off in the summer of 2020.
Unfortunately with all of the economic unrest caused by COVID-19, these games are postponed until 2021. So, while we all must wait for the next great swimmer to announce themselves on the big stage, there are still a few countries that are producing top-class swimmers right now.
When approaching this topic with the bigger picture in mind, the USA definitely ranks as the country that is most likely to produce the next big sensation. A certain swimmer in the form of Caleb Dressel is a major reason for this, and he actually accompanied Phelps in the pool during the USA’s success in Rio de Janeiro back in 2016. While this was a great feat in itself, Dressel also won four individual gold medals in Rio, as it happens, breaking several world records set by Phelps in the process.
It’s not just Dressel that is looking hugely promising for the USA either. There are also some potential gems in the mix, including swimmers like Zane Groth and Michael Andrew on the mends side. Then on the women’s side, you’ve got swimmers like Simone Manuel and Katie Ledecky. The USA is clearly just a powerhouse of successful swimmers in 2020.
The pool of swimmers might not be as large for Russia as it is for the USA, but there are still some absolute beasts leading the pack. Names like Kliment Kolesnikov and Andrei Minakov are particularly exciting, and as things currently stand, they are both world record setters. This is something that just cannot be ignored, especially when looking forward to seeing who could potentially dominate in the Tokyo Olympics.
When looking into the female swimmers that Russia has, things get even better. We’ve seen swimmers such as Chikunova Evgenia, Fesikova Anastasia, and Ustinova Daria S. looking ferocious in the pool in recent competitions. Assuming they are fit and healthy when the next Olympics rolls around, we have a feeling that Russia could prove to be a real threat to all others.
Japan probably isn’t as successful as the USA and Russia yet, but this country is showing plenty of promise for athletes in the pool. To stress this point, we don’t need to look far beyond swimmers like Rie Kaneto and Kosuke Hagino, both of whom are gold winners for Japan on an Olympic stage. These swimmers are already established when representing Japan in the pool, but there’s another potential superstar on the horizon too, in the form of Daiya Seto, who many are tipping as the next big star for Japan.
As is the case with all of the other countries on this list, we are going to have to wait to see who will really shine through when the Olympics take place in 2021.
The last country that we truly feel has the potential to become the next big swimming nation is Hungary. Just like a couple of the other countries we have mentioned in this post, Hungary doesn’t have an absolutely huge selection of swimmers to choose from, but it is the home of the best swimmer in Europe on the women’s side of things. Katinka Hosszu recently won the award (yet again) for the best female swimmer in Europe, probably because she is the only female swimmer to ever win four world titles in a row.
Clearly, Hosszu is an exceptional athlete, but Hungary has more in its locker than just this phenomenal swimmer. Hungary also boasts swimmers like Nándor Németh and Kristóf Milák who have been setting records as recently as the World Championships in 2019. These are truly exciting young swimmers for Hungary, and they could make a big impact in Tokyo 2021.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
