Top-20 Women’s Swimmers in the World, Part 2: Fast Risers in 2025
At the recent World Championships, swimmers competed for medals in 42 pool events, and the results clearly show the best swimmer in the world for each race. Comparing swimmers across events is a subjective task, with factors including versatility, dominance, longevity, big-race performance and relay contributions all considered. With the summer competition season concluded, we will again try to stack up the various competitors from one through 20.
These rankings will be based largely on performances at the World Championships but results from other meets will be considered. Swimmers who sat out this year’s major competitions will not be included on this list.
15. Alex Perkins, Australia
Alex Perkins — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron
Following the Paris Olympics, Emma McKeon retired from swimming, ending her streak as a stalwart for the Australian team in the freestyle and butterfly events that dated back to the 2013 World Championships. It was time for next woman up, and Perkins responded to the call with gusto. The 25-year-old had represented Australia internationally before, winning a collection of relay medals (mostly for prelims swims), but she took a central role for the Aussie women at the Singapore World Championships while excelling individually as well.
A year after finishing 13th in the 100 butterfly in Paris, Perkins won World Championships bronze with a swift time of 56.33. At the end of the meet, she emerged from a tight field to take silver in the 50 fly. And swimming in McKeon’s usual spot as the third leg of her country’s 400 medley relay, Perkins’ 56.26 butterfly split was a major reason Australia was able to pull away for silver.
14. Roos Vanotterdijk, Belgium
Roos Vanotterdijk — Photo Courtesy: Belgian Swimming Federation
Like Perkins, Vanotterdijk made a huge jump in 2025. She was a semifinalist in the 100 fly at the Paris Olympics, but she joined Perkins and Gretchen Walsh on the podium for both the 50 and 100-meter events at this year’s championship event, her breakout coming as one of the meet’s best under-the-radar stories. Vanotterdijk became the ninth woman in history to swim under 56 seconds in the 100 fly on her way to silver in that event, and she later secured a bronze medal in the 50-meter race.
In addition to her global success in the butterfly events, Vanotterdijk has ripped up her country’s record books across numerous strokes. She was a semifinalist in both the 50 and 100 back at Worlds, and she may have advanced to the top-eight in the two-lap event if not for the semifinal taking place shortly after the 100 fly medal round. Before Worlds, Vanotterdijk won gold medals in the 50 and 100 fly and the 50 back plus silvers in the 50 free and 100 back at the European U23 Championships in June.
13. Li Bingjie, China
Li Bingjie — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron
The 2017 World Championships marked the first time Li reached an international podium, as the then-15-year-old earned bronze in the 400 free and silver in the 800 free amid one of Katie Ledecky’s most dominant meets. Li has continued to pop up on medal stands since then. The highlight of her career may have come at the Tokyo Olympics when she helped China to gold in the 800 free relay while winning bronze in the 400 free, but her latest effort in Singapore comes close.
Li earned two individual silvers this year, both with resounding final-length performances. Ledecky spent most of the 400 free final trying to hang with Summer McIntosh, only for Li to charge ahead with a 28.67 final length, good enough to steal away the silver medal. Three days later, it was a similar story in the 200 free final as Li zoomed from sixth at the halfway point of the 200 free final to second at the finish. Her 400-meter time of 3:58.21 made her the fourth-fastest performer in history while her 1:54.52 in the 200 left her just outside the all-time top-10. Li also anchored China to bronze in the 800 free relay.
12. Katharine Berkoff, United States
Katharine Berkoff (left) with the Regan Smith at World Championships — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron
Berkoff, 24, has put together a collection of international medals in the sprint backstroke events over the past four years. She has reached the individual podium at every major meet in which she has competed, and she has now gone three straight years as the No. 3 performer in the 100 back as Kaylee McKeown and Regan Smith have dominated the event. Berkoff also has an Olympic gold medal and a pair of Worlds golds for the 400 medley relay, having handled the prelims leg each yet before Smith takes over at night.
This year, Berkoff became a champion on her own for the first time with a win in the 50 back in Singapore. She swam under 27 seconds in the event in an American-record-setting performance at U.S. Nationals and backed up that result in Singapore, edging Smith by 0.17 in the Americans’ lone 1-2 finish of the meet. With the 50 back now part of the Olympic schedule, Berkoff could continue to build her status in the sport in the coming years.
11. Marrit Steenbergen, Netherlands
Marrit Steenbergen — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron
The Dutch sprint freestyle tradition is in great hands with Steenbergen, who has now captured two consecutive world titles in the 100 free and reached the podium at three straight editions of the global meet. The 2024 gold medal came in a February meet missing many of the top sprinters in the world, who were focusing on their preparation for the Paris Olympics. This time, Steenbergen defeated 2022 and 2023 winner Mollie O’Callaghan plus world leader and Olympic silver medalist Torri Huske to secure her place atop her favored event.
Steenbergen shook up her program at this year’s meet, dropping the 200 IM and 200 free from her slate, and that decision paid off. After flipping tied for third halfway through the 100 free final, Steenbergen was faster than even O’Callaghan coming home at 27.21 to secure gold in 52.55. Additionally, she led the Netherlands to bronze in the 400 free relay by anchoring the team in 51.64, the quickest mark in the race.
