With many of the U.S.’ top swimmers taking a break after the world championships, and thus missing the national championships, the best way to survey the early favorites for June’s Olympic trials is to look at rankings by swimmers’ fastest times for 2019.
Last week’s world junior championships marked the last top international meet of the summer, making it a good time to take stock of the field in all of the individual Olympic events.
To no surprise, Katie Ledecky leads in her main events -- the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyles -- despite missing events at worlds (and being slowed in those she did enter) due to illness. Her Stanford training partner, Simone Manuel, tops the 50m and 100m frees after sweeping those sprints at worlds.
Perhaps the most interesting note in the freestyle ranks is that Manuel is a close second to Ledecky in the 200m free. Manuel has never contested that event at an Olympics or worlds, but led off the 4x200m free relay at worlds in a personal-best time by .92.
MORE: U.S. men’s swim rankings
Regan Smith, the 17-year-old breakout swimmer of worlds, leads both backstrokes after breaking both world records. Kathleen Baker, the U.S. leader in the backstrokes and the 200m individual medley in 2018, ranks third and fourth in the backstrokes this year despite being slowed by pneumonia and a broken rib.
Lilly King, queen of the breaststrokes the last three years, tops her favored 100m breast and is second to resurgent veteran Annie Lazor in the 200m.
There is more parity in the butterfly and individual medleys, where Rio Olympians lead the 100m fly (Kelsi Dahlia), 200m fly (Hali Flickinger) and 200m IM (Melanie Margalis), but rising high school senior Emma Weyant tops the 400m IM. Retirements of Dana Vollmer (recent) and Maya DiRado (after Rio) helped open things up in those disciplines.
A newcomer to watch is Gretchen Walsh, a 16-year-old who swept the 50m and 100m frees at junior worlds.
OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!
MORE: Dana Vollmer at peace with retirement
2019 U.S. Swimming Rankings -- Women
50m Freestyle
1. Simone Manuel -- 24.05
2. Abbey Weitzeil -- 24.47
3. Erika Brown -- 24.71
3. Gretchen Walsh -- 24.71
5. Maxine Parker -- 24.75
100m Freestyle
1. Simone Manuel -- 52. 04
2. Mallory Comerford -- 52.98
3. Abbey Weitzeil -- 53.18
4. Gretchen Walsh -- 53.74
5. Margo Geer -- 54.09
6. Erika Brown -- 54.13
200m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky -- 1:55.78
2. Simone Manuel -- 1:56.09
3. Katie McLaughlin -- 1:56.48
4. Allison Schmitt -- 1:56.97
5. Leah Smith -- 1:57.40
6. Gabby DeLoof -- 1:57.62
400m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky -- 3:59.28
2. Leah Smith -- 4:01.29
3. Kaersten Meitz -- 4:05.80
4. Melanie Margalis -- 4:06.35
5. Ally McHugh -- 4:07.08
800m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky -- 8:10.70
2. Leah Smith -- 8:16.33
3. Ashley Twichell -- 8:25.43
4. Ally McHugh -- 8:26.04
5. Erica Sullivan -- 8:26.13
1500m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky -- 15:45.59
2. Ashley Twichell -- 15:54.19
3. Erica Sullivan -- 15:55.25
4. Ally McHugh -- 16:05.98
5. Kensey McMahon -- 16:09.80
100m Backstroke
1. Regan Smith -- 57.57
2. Olivia Smoliga -- 58.73
3. Phoebe Bacon -- 59.02
4. Kathleen Baker -- 59.03
5. Katharine Berkoff -- 59.29
200m Backstroke
1. Regan Smith -- 2:03.35
2. Lisa Bratton -- 2:07.91
3. Kathleen Baker -- 2:08.08
4. Alex Walsh -- 2:08.30
5. Hali Flickinger -- 2:08.36
100m Breaststroke
1. Lilly King -- 1:04.93
2. Annie Lazor -- 1:06.03
3. Breeja Larson -- 1:06.78
4. Kaitlyn Dobler -- 1:06.97
5. Bethany Galat -- 1:07.13
200m Breaststroke
1. Annie Lazor -- 2:20.77
2. Lilly King -- 2:21.39
3. Bethany Galat -- 2:21.84
4. Emily Escobedo -- 2:22.87
5. Madisyn Cox -- 2:23.84
100m Butterfly
1. Kelsi Dahlia -- 57.06
2. Katie McLaughlin -- 57.23
3. Amanda Kendall -- 57.51
3. Kendyl Stewart -- 57.51
5. Aly Tetzloff -- 57.70
200m Butterfly
1. Hali Flickinger -- 2:05.96
2. Katie Drabot -- 2:06.59
3. Regan Smith -- 2:07.26
4. Lillie Nordmann -- 2:07.43
5. Dakota Luther -- 2:07.76
200m Individual Medley
1. Melanie Margalis -- 2:08.91
2. Madisyn Cox -- 2:10.00
3. Kathleen Baker -- 2:10.65
4. Ella Eastin -- 2:10.72
5. Alex Walsh -- 2:11.24
400m Individual Medley
1. Emma Weyant -- 4:35.47
2. Brooke Forde -- 4:36.06
3. Ella Eastin -- 4:37.18
4. Madisyn Cox -- 4:37.23
5. Makayla Sargent -- 4:37.95