Rising Stars of Swimming in 2025: 5 Women Who Broke Through This Summer
The year after a Summer Olympics brings chances for younger and less accomplished swimmers to step into the limelight at championship-level events, particularly as veterans step back from the sport to consider their future. The biggest competitions held in 2025, most notably the World Aquatics Championships, allowed swimmers to build momentum for the new quad.
Arguably the most resounding breakthrough came from Anna Elendt, a 23-year-old from Germany who trains at the University of Texas. Elendt had achieved international success before, claiming silver in the 100 breaststroke at the 2022 World Championships, but she had been completely shut out in her main event the last two years. Elendt was 19th at the 2023 World Championships and 20th at the Paris Olympics.
Elendt posted strong times in the leadup to this year’s Singapore Worlds, getting back into 1:05-territory, and the unpredictability of the 100 breast was on her side, with no one having repeated as champion at a major meet since 2019. She advanced through prelims this time, but the tight semifinal field nearly tripped her up, with Elendt’s time of 1:06.13 barely making the final field in seventh place.
But one night later in the final, Elendt put together the perfect race, going out behind only Tang Qianting of China and then coming back strong, holding off fast-finishing American Kate Douglass to take gold. The time of 1:05.19 moved her into a tie for 12th all-time in the event.
In addition to Elendt, here are four other women who boosted their status with their efforts this year:
Alex Perkins, Gretchen Walsh & Roos Vanotterdijk (left to right) on the podium for the 50 butterfly — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron
Roos Vanotterdijk, Belgium & Alex Perkins, Australia
While Gretchen Walsh dominated the women’s sprint butterfly events as expected at Worlds, Vanotterdijk and Perkins joined her on the podium in both the 50 and 100-meter distances. The 20-year-old Vanotterdijk was the European champion in the 100 fly a year ago, but she was unable to advance out of the Olympic semifinals in the 100 fly while never breaking 57 before this year. That changed in a major way in Singapore when she tied Walsh atop the 100 fly semis and then went 55.84 for silver the next night, becoming the eighth-fastest woman ever.
Perkins, 25, stepped into an important role for Australia vacated by the retirement of Emma McKeon after never previously winning an individual medal at a major meet. Perkins, too, jumped from semifinalist in the 100 fly in Paris to bronze in Singapore, and later in the week, she tied the Commonwealth record to win silver in the 50-meter distance. Her fly leg was key in keeping Australia clear of the field for silver in the women’s medley relay.
Mio Narita, Japan
Narita, 18, has been viewed as a rising star in the medley events for several years, going back to her double-gold-medal performance at the 2022 World Junior Championships. Narita had spent the previous two summers trying to make her impression on the senior level, finishing eighth in the 400 IM at the 2023 global meet and sixth in the Olympic final. In Singapore, Narita snared a spot on the podium for the first time, tying Australia’s Jenna Forrester for runnerup honors in the 400 IM.
Following a fifth-place finish in the 200 IM at the start of the meet, Narita was behind the field for the majority of the 400 final, swimming in seventh place through the halfway point. She accelerated on breaststroke into the third spot before engaging in a battle with Forrester down the stretch. While Summer McIntosh was the obvious star of the race with her 7.48-second victory, Narita dropped two seconds from her lifetime best to secure her spot among the medley contenders moving forward.
Tess Howley, USA
The final entrant on this list did not compete at the World Championships, having placed third in the 200 fly at U.S. Nationals. That was considered a strong result for Howley at the time, but she jumped up the rankings further with her win at the World University Games. Howley smashed her best time by more than a second in the 200 fly semis with a mark of 2:05.20, putting her into a tie for 14th all-time and third-best American behind Regan Smith and Mary Descenza.
The next night, Howley won gold in 2:05.69, securing her place on the American team at next year’s Pan Pacific Championships. That time would end up almost a half-second quicker than Aussie Elizabeth Dekkers swam on the way to bronze in the Worlds final, and Howley finished the summer season at No. 3 in the global standings.
