Ranking the Top-10 Men’s Performances From the Summer Season; David Popovici Heads the List
It’s been a fast and furious summer in international waters, with three major competitions highlighting the past few months, along with the United States Nationals. The World Championships jumpstarted the action in June, with the Commonwealth Games and European Championships following. With that trio of meets now logged, plus some stellar times from the U.S. Nationals, here is a look at the top-10 individual men’s performances of the summer.
Note: The top-10 women’s performances will follow tomorrow.
1. David Popovici: 100 Freestyle (European Championships) – 46.86
Like there was any question which effort would lead the list? The 17-year-old from Romania dazzled at the European Championships, setting a world record in the 100 freestyle. Popovici erased the 13-year-old global standard, which had stood to Brazilian Cesar Cielo (46.91) since the 2009 campaign.
2. Kristof Milak: 200 Butterfly (World Championships) – 1:50.34
The Hungarian star races in his own stratosphere in the 200 butterfly. At the World Champs, Milak bettered his previous record of 1:50.73 and won the gold medal by more than three seconds. The next step is taking the event into sub-1:50 territory, which seems almost unrealistic – except that Milak’s talent will one day allow it.
3. Leon Marchand: 400 Individual Medley (World Championships) – 4:04.28
Photo Courtesy: Photo Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
As the Frenchman powered toward the wa3ll at the World Champs, there was a moment when it seemed Michael Phelps’ world record of 4:03.84 might go down. Ultimately, it endured, but Marchand posted the second-fastest time in history and established himself as the world’s premier, all-around swimmer. Phelps’ record, long considered untouchable, is now within Marchand’s reach.
4. David Popovici: 200 Freestyle (European Championships) – 1:42.97
Backing up his world record in the 100 freestyle, Popovici clocked the third-fastest time in history in the 200 free at Euros in Rome. With that outing, the youngster put Paul Biedermann’s world record of 1:42.00 on notice.
5. Thomas Ceccon: 100 Backstroke (World Championships) – 51.60
With three athletes going sub-52 in the final of the 100 backstroke at the World Champs, Ceccon headlined a spectacular event. The Italian easily toppled the previous world record of 51.85 and continued to show that Italy is a major player on the global stage.
6. Gregorio Paltrinieri: 1500 Freestyle (World Championships) – 14:32.80
En route to a European record and the No. 2 time in history, the Italian put together an aggressive race which neutralized the closing speed of American Bobby Finke. Paltrinieri pushed the pace from the start and produced a swim that trails only the world record of 14:31.02, set by China’s Sun Yang at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
7. Leon Marchand: 200 Individual Medley (World Championships) – 1:55.22
Like Popovici, Marchand is making a second appearance on this list. As part of a medley double at the World Championships, Marchand moved to sixth all-time in the event. A sophomore at Arizona State, Marchand has clearly generated momentum with the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris lurking, and his work with coach Bob Bowman is obviously paying dividends.
8. Shaine Casas: 200 Individual Medley (U.S. Nationals) – 1:55.24
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Coming off a bronze medal in the 200 backstroke at the World Championships, Casas used Nationals as an opportunity to showcase his wide-ranging talent in several other events. One of the highlights was his outing in the 200 medley, as his 1:55.24 marker made Casas the No. 7 performer in history. Event options are plentiful for Casas on the road to Paris.
9. Elijah Winnington: 400 Freestyle (World Championships) – 3:41.22
Trailing Germany’s Lukas Martens with a lap to go, Winnington packaged a spectacular finish, as he split 26.50 over the last 50 meters to post a 3:41-low showing. Winnington was nearly two seconds quicker than Martens over the last length and deserves credit for formulating a well-strategized race.
10. Adam Peaty: 50 Breaststroke (Commonwealth Games) – 26.76
Why is this performance on the list? After all, Peaty has been considerably faster on numerous occasions. The reason for inclusion is that Peaty, coming off his first loss in years in the 100 breaststroke, showed heart in besting the competition, and collected the lone gold medal that was missing from his collection on the international level.
Honorable Mention: At both the World Championships and the European Championships, Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi went 58.26 in the 100 breaststroke for a pair of titles and a national record.
Zac Stubbley Cook broke a World Record this year, not that hard to look around the world & not just the US.
I think Phelps would rank Popovici’s 1:42.97 over Leon’s 4:04, on the basis of how he ranks his own PB’s in those events.
I’d have ranked Paltrinieri higher and also included Bobby Finke with two American records – being the first American below 7:40 in 800Free and chopping three seconds off the 1500 American record. I think either of those beats Peaty, Casas, Winnington and Marchand’s 200IM.