Top 12 Best Swimmers of All Time

Top 12 Best Swimmers of All Time

Swimming is one of the most fascinating sports on the planet. Over the years, some swimming superstars have transformed the sport with their performances.

We have identified the top 12 swimmers of all time in this article.

Similarly, we will discuss the top 12 swimmers’ brief introductions and glorious moments.

 More Face About The Top 12 Greatest Swimmers of All Time

1. Michael Phelps

Date of Birth: 30 June 1985 (Age: 37 Years Old)

Butterfly, freestyle, individual medley, and backstroke

Bow Bowman is the coach.

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Michael Phelps has been dubbed the “goat” of swimming.

He is the most decorated Olympian in history and a former American swimmer.

Phelps holds the Olympic gold medal record with 23.

He won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, breaking Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven gold medals in a single Olympic Games.

His international championship victory and world record performance won him six World Swimmer of the Year Awards and eight American Swimmer of the Year Awards.

Furthermore, Phelps holds the men’s 400-meter medley long-distance world record, as well as the world records for the 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly, and 200-meter individual medley long-distance.

2. Mark Spitz

Birthday: February 10, 1950 (Age: 72 Years Old)

Butterfly and freestyle strokes

George Haines is the coach.

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Mark Spitz was named World Swimmer of the Year by World Magazine in 1969, 1971, and 1972.

Spitz has won seven gold medals to date, which is also a world record time.

There hasn’t been a tie-in record since.

Spitz went undefeated in the Olympics, winning nine gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.

He achieved 33 swimming world records throughout those years, which is rather outstanding.

He is also one of only five Olympians who have won nine or more gold medals at the Olympics.

3. Matt Biondi

Birthday: October 8, 1965 (Age: 57 Years Old)

Freestyle and butterfly strokes

Stu Kahn is the coach (High School Coach)

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Matt Biondi, a former American swimming champion, 11th Olympic medalist, and former world record holder in five different sports, is the third swimmer on our list.

Matt Biondi competed in the Summer Olympics in 1984, 1988, and 1992, winning 11 medals (8 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal).

During his career, he has also established three personal world records in the 50-meter freestyle and four in the 100-meter freestyle.

4. Matt Biondi

Matt Biondi relaxing by the pool.

Biondi created a storm in Seoul during the 1988 Olympics.

He won five gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle and three relay events, setting a world record in the process.

Biondi was also inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.

Matt also won 11 Olympic medals, including three distinct versions (8 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal).

4. Ian Thorpe

Birthday: October 13, 1982 (Age: 40 Years Old)

Freestyle strokes

Tracey Menzies (1995-2002), Doug Frost (2002-2006)

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Ian Thorpe is a retired Australian swimmer and one of the country’s most well-known athletes.

Thorpe has five Olympic gold medals and is the first swimmer to win six gold medals in selected world championships, the most gold medals ever won by an Australian.

Furthermore, his 400m freestyle triumph at the 1998 Perth World Championships made him the youngest men’s solo world champion in history.

Furthermore, he was the first individual to be crowned World’s Best Swimmer of the Year and Australia’s Best Swimmer of the Year four times between 1999 and 2003.

His achievements and Olympic performance have made him one of Australia’s most popular athletes.

It is not an exaggeration to state that Ian Thorpe is one of the greatest Olympic swimmers of all time.

5. Dara Torres

Birthdate: April 15, 1950 (Age: 72 Years Old)

Butterfly and freestyle strokes

Richard Quick is the coach.

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Dara Torres used to be an American swimmer. Sports Illustrated named Torres one of the “Best Female Athletes in Ten Years.”

Torres has won 12 Olympic medals and set world records in three events over her career.

Torres was also the first American swimmer to compete in five Olympic Games, in 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008.

Torres, a twelve-time Olympian, represented the United States in the Olympic Games at the age of 41, making him the oldest swimmer. Torres won silver medals in every event she competed in (50m freestyle, 4x100m medley relay, and 4x100m freestyle relay).

6. Natalie Coughlin

Birthday: August 23, 1982 (Age: 40 Years Old )

Butterfly, freestyle, backstroke, and individual medley are the strokes.

Ray Mitchell is the coach.

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Natalie Coughlin (Natalie Coughlin) is an American swimmer who has won a total of twelve Olympic medals.

Coughlin’s performance has helped her win the World Swimmer of the Year title once and the American Swimmer of the Year honors three times over her career.

Natalie became the first woman to accomplish the 100-meter swim in less than a minute (long run).

She accomplished this aim at the 2008 Summer Olympics, becoming the first woman to win the gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke in two consecutive Olympics.

She earned bronze in the 4100m freestyle relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

This American swimmer has won 60 medals in major international competitions, including 25 gold medals, 22 silver medals, and 13 bronze medals at the Olympic Games, World Games, and Pan American Games.

7. Janet Evans

Birthday: August 28, 1971 (Age: 51 Years Old)

Medley and freestyle strokes

Bud McAllister is the coach.

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Janet Beth Evans (Janet Beth Evans) is a long-distance freestyle swimmer from the United States.

Evans is a world champion and world record holder in swimming.

She is also the first swimmer to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals in any event.

This American swimmer won four gold medals in the Olympics between 1988 and 1992.

It all started in 1987 when she smashed world records for 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle lengths.

She won three individual gold medals at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, the following year.

Janet won gold medals in the 400-meter medley and 800-meter freestyle in Seoul, and she successfully defended her championship four years later in Barcelona.

Evans finished his swimming career with seven world records, five Olympic medals, and 45 US National Championships.

8. Ryan Lochte

Date of Birth: 3 August 1984 (Age: 38 Years Old)

Backstroke, Medley, and Freestyle are the strokes.

Gregg Troy is the coach.

Ryan Lochte is an American swimmer who has won a total of twelve Olympic medals.

He is the second swimmer in Olympic history to earn a medal, following the legendary Michael Phelps.

Lochte also holds the world record for the individual 100, 200, and 400-meter medley.

Ryan presently owns the world record for the 200-meter individual medley (long and short).

He also holds the world record for the 4200m freestyle (long field) and 4100m freestyle (mixed) relays as a member of Team USA.

Lochte’s remarkable performance earned him the 2013 Swim Swam American Male Swimmer of the Year Award, the World Swimmer of the Year Award, and two American Swimmer of the Year Awards, in addition to these.

His seven Olympic medals helped him to second place in men’s swimming history.

Lochte won 12 Olympic medals, including six gold medals, three silver medals, and three bronze medals.

9. Kristin Otto

Birthday: February 7, 1966, (Age: 56 Years Old)

Butterfly, freestyle, and backstroke strokes

Coach: Frequently changed

Kristin Otto (Kristin Otto) is the most famous German swimmer of her generation.

Kristin is a great swimmer and the first woman to win six gold medals at the Olympics.

Otto earned four gold medals and two silver medals in the 100m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 400m medley relay, and 400m freestyle at the 1988 Seoul Olympics (50 meters).

Her domination was further cemented at the 1987 European Championship, where she won five gold medals.

Swimming World magazine named her World Female Swimmer of the Year in 1984, 1986, and 1988.

Otto then broke world records in various events such as the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m backstrokes, and 100m butterfly in 1989.

10. Johnny Weissmuller

Date of Birth: 2 June 1904

Death date: January 20, 1984

Front Crawl Strokes

Bill Bachrach is the coach.

Johnny Weissmuller was America’s top swimmer at the time.

Unfortunately, Weissmuller died at the age of 80.

Weissmuller holds numerous world records and has five Olympic gold medals to his name.

He competed in the 100m freestyle and 4x200m relay events at the Paris Olympics in 1924 and the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928.

Weissmuller has five gold medals and one bronze medal from the Olympics. He also won 52 US National Championships and set 67 world records during his career.

In addition to his swimming career, he is a well-known actor. In the film, he played a famous Tarzan role.

11. Fanny Durack

Birthday: October 27, 1884

Death Date: March 20, 1956

Stroke Types: Breaststroke

Unknown coach

Fannie Dulac is the first female Olympic champion and a genuine swimmer.

Fanny won the gold medal and set a new world record for the 100-meter freestyle in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1912, representing Australasia, a group of athletes from Australia and New Zealand.

However, his path to the Olympics was not without difficulty.

Fanny’s swimming club initially refused to allow her to compete in the 1912 Olympics despite her incredible potential.

They eventually changed their minds and let Fanny go as long as she paid for it herself.

In 1912, Fanny’s career outperformed the competitors.

Dulac held all women’s swimming records from the 100-meter freestyle through the one mile from 1910 until 1918.

This is unheard of in today’s world!

12. Simone Manuel

Birthdate: August 2, 1996 (Age: 26 Years Old)

Freestyle strokes

Sprinter Coach: Greg Meehan

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Simone Manuel is the first African-American female Olympic swimmer to win an individual medal.

Simone and 16-year-old Canadian Penny Oleksiak won the 100-meter freestyle event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

She set a new Olympic record of 52.70 seconds.

She also won gold in the 4x100m free relay and silver in the 4x100m medley relay.

Simone recognizes the significance of this occasion and does not take her role model lightly.

Thus, both inside and outside the pool, she uses his platform to educate others about the history of racial injustice in America.

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Conclusion

Every year, new swimmers enter the pool, setting new goals for themselves.

Here we conclude the list of the Top 12 Best Swimmers of All Time.

Did we leave out any of the ‘Top Swimmers?’ If so, please include them in the comments area below.