On Road 2028 Olympic Games, the 18-and-Under Rising Stars to Watch
One year into the latest Olympic Quad, we’ve gotten a look at the athletes who could emerge as legitimate medal threats for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The tandem of Japan’s Shin Ohashi and Great Britain’s Filip Nowacki have excelled in multiple breaststroke events, putting up times that rank among the best in the world. A rivalry on the international stage would be great for the sport, much in the way Kosuke Kitajima vs. Brendan Hansen offered intriguing duels.
Beyond Ohashi and Nowacki, there are plenty of rising stars to monitor over the next few years. Japan boasts an impressive crop of burgeoning standouts, including Tatsuya Murasa in the 200 freestyle and Yumeki Kojima and Raito Numata in the individual medley events. Meanwhile, China’s Zhang Zhanshuo has been shown great potential, including at this week’s Chinese National Games.
As the 2025 campaign winds down, here’s a look at the 18-and-under athletes who ranked among the top-20 performers in the world during the past 11 months.
50 Freestyle
17. Nikita Sheremet (Ukraine) – 21.75
100 Freestyle
13. Jacob Mills (Great Britain) – 47.74
200 Freestyle
4. Tatsuya Murasa (Japan) – 1:44.54
7. Zhang Zhanshuo (China) – 1:44.86
13. Carlos D’Ambrosio (Italy) – 1:45.15
400 Freestyle
4. Zhang Zhanshuo (China) – 3:42.82
17. Luka Mijatovic (United States) – 3:45.71
18. Ethan Ekk (Canada) – 3:46.01
18. Ryan Erisman (United States) – 3:46.01
800 Freestyle
10. Kuzey Tuncelli (Turkey) – 7:45.13
13. Zhang Zhanshuo (China) – 7:46.69
16. Kazushi Imafuku (Japan) – 7:48.34
1500 Freestyle
8. Kuzey Tuncelli (Turkey) – 14:45.05
11. Kazushi Imafuku (Japan) – 14:50.18
15. Johannes Liebmann (Germany) – 14:53.15
50 Backstroke
7. Miron Lifintsev (Russia) – 24.40
15. Georgii Iakovlev (Russia) – 24.55
100 Backstroke
6. Miron Lifintsev (Russia) – 52.15
200 Backstroke
None
50 Breaststroke
None
100 Breaststroke
7. Shin Ohashi (Japan) – 58.94
13. Flilip Nowacki (Great Britain) – 59.20
200 Breaststroke
1. Shina Ohashi (Japan) – 2:06.91
2. Filip Nowacki (Great Britain) – 2:07.32
18. Gabe Nunziata (United States) – 2:09.70
50 Butterfly
None
100 Butterfly
10. Thomas Heilman (United States) – 50.70
200 Butterfly
6. Thomas Heilman (United States) – 1:54.03
200 Individual Medley
11. Mikhail Shcherbakov (Russia) – 1:57.25
14. Yumeki Kojima (Japan) – 1:57.32
18. Raito Numata (Japan) – 1:57.98
400 Individual Medley
7. Yumeki Kojima (Japan) – 4:09.38
11. Raito Numata (Japan) – 4:11.37
14. Zhang Zhanshuo (China) – 4:11.86
