Already a Global Force in 200 Freestyle, Luke Hobson Could Be Double Threat
At the 2023 edition of the World Championships, Luke Hobson emerged from the 200-meter freestyle with a fifth-place finish. Behind a performance of 1:45.09, Hobson confirmed his status as a major figure in the event. Since that breakthrough in Fukuoka, Hobson has impressively met expectations, not missing the podium in the discipline at the international level between the 2024 and 2025 campaigns.
Hobson was the bronze medalist in the 200 freestyle at the 2024 World Championships, and followed that showing with a bronze medal a few months later at the Olympic Games in Paris. He sealed the 2024 season with a gold medal at the World Short Course Championships, that victory arriving in world-record time. As for 2025, Hobson secured a silver medal at the World Champs, where he was edged by Romanian star David Popovici.
Over the weekend, Hobson used the U.S. Open to further showcase his skill. As expected, Hobson was the titlist in the 200 freestyle, on the strength of a 1:44.49 effort. The swim marked the fifth time during the year in which he cracked the 1:45 barrier. On two occasions, Hobson went 1:43, including a best of 1:43.73 at the United States National Championships.
On the road to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Popovici and Hobson have etched themselves as the 200 freestyle’s top guns. They were the only two individuals to go sub-1:44 in 2025 and while the likes of Duncan Scott, Lukas Martens and Tatsuya Murasa should be factors in the years ahead, the Romanian and American are the current headliners.
The next meeting between Popovici and Hobson likely won’t arrive until 2027, when the next World Championships (LC) will be held in Budapest. Until then, we’ll have to compare results from the standouts. In 2026, Popovici’s focus competition will be the European Championships. For Hobson, his target meet for next year will be the Pan Pacific Championships.
As stellar as Hobson has been in the 200 freestyle, an intriguing storyline is the 22-year-old’s development in the 400 freestyle. At the U.S. Open, Hobson placed fourth in the event, but his time of 3:45.85 was a strong showing and accounted for a major cut from his previous personal best of 3:47.47. Could this performance be an indicator that Hobson will soon be a two-event threat on the global stage?
Comparisons between the long-course pool and the short-course pool are of an apple-to-oranges nature. But Hobson has excelled in both formats and a look at his career reveals greatness from Hobson in the 500-yard freestyle, the equivalent to the 400 freestyle. Hobson owns a career best in the 500 free of 4:06.34, which ranks him fifth on the all-time list. Combine that prowess with his 200 freestyle success in the big pool and it makes sense that Hobson could be an international presence in the 400 freestyle.
As 2025 draws to a close, Hobson is undoubtedly one of the world’s premier 200 freestylers. But as a new year approaches, the University of Texas product could be in position to expand his impact on the worldwide scene.
