List of the best Olympic athletes in the sport of swimming. Olympians on this list have competed at the Olympic games in swimming. Olympic athletes on this list have made it all the way to the Olympics in their sport and have either won their event or did not even place. But this list isn't just about winners, times, distances and points, it's about who are the public's favorite Olympic athletes in swimming. Olympians on this list have captured the hearts of the public in one way or another, and have led their peers in swimming competitions. Only the greatest swimming Olympic athletes are featured on the front page of this list, so vote for your favorites and let only the best swimming Olympians see the top. Swimming athletes who have competed in the Olympics don't all have what it takes to be called the "best" in their Olympic sport, so vote carefully and make sure that only the true greats get a place on the front page of this list. Examples of athletes on this list include Amaury Leveaux and Brenton Rickard. You may want to copy this fact-based list to build your own just like it, re-rank it to fit your opinions, then publish it to share it with your Facebook friends, Twitter followers or with any other social networks you use regularly. (250 items)
Michael Fred Phelps II is an American competition swimmer and the most decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 22 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold medals, ...more
Sarah Fredrika Sjöström is a Swedish swimmer. On 5 July 2014 she beat the world record for women on 50 meter butterfly. On 22 March 2008, at the age of 14, she took the gold medal in ...more
Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky is an American competition swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and current world record-holder in multiple events. She is the current world record holder in the 400-, ...more
Britta Steffen is a German swimmer who specializes in freestyle, who is the current holder of the world record in women's 50 and 100 metre freestyle. In 1999, Steffen won six titles at the ...more
Iain Murray Rose, AM was an Australian swimmer, actor, sports commentator and marketing executive. He was a six-time Olympic medalist, and at one time held the world records in the 400-metre, ...more
Ian James Thorpe, OAM is an Australian swimmer who specialises in freestyle, but also competes in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any ...more
Lisbeth "Libby" Constance Trickett, OAM, née Lisbeth Constance Lenton, is an Australian competition swimmer. She was a gold medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2008 ...more
Jennifer Beth Thompson is an American former competition swimmer, and one of the most decorated Olympians in history, winning twelve medals, including eight gold medals, in the 1992, 1996, 2000, ...more
Leisel Marie Jones OAM is an Australian former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medallist. A participant in the 2000 Summer Olympics – at just 15 years old – and 2004 Summer Olympics, she ...more
Dana Whitney Vollmer is an American competition swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and world record holder. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal as a member of the winning United ...more
Natalie Coughlin Hall, née Natalie Anne Coughlin, is an American competition swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. Ten days before her 20th birthday in 2002, she became the first ...more
Krisztina Egerszegi is a Hungarian former world record holding swimmer and one of the greatest Hungarian Olympic champions of the modern era. She is a three-time Olympian and five time Olympic ...more
Mark Andrew Spitz is an American former competition swimmer, nine-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in multiple events. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics ...more
Laure Manaudou is a retired French Olympic, world and European champion swimmer. She has held the world record in freestyle events between 200 and 1500 meter. She is the daughter of a French ...more
Aaron Wells Peirsol is an American former competition swimmer and backstroke specialist who is a former world champion and world record-holder. He is a three-time Olympian and seven-time Olympic ...more
Melissa Jeanette Franklin is an American competition swimmer and four-time Olympic gold medalist. She currently holds the world record in the 200-meter backstroke and American records in both ...more
Rūta Meilutytė is a Lithuanian swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and world record holder. She is the current world record holder in the 50- and 100-meter breaststroke. At the age of 17 she is also ...more
Hayden Ernest Stoeckel is an Olympic and National Record holding backstroke swimmer from Australia. He swam for Australia at the 2008 Olympics where he tied with Russia's Arkady Vyatchanin for ...more
Katinka Hosszú is a female Hungarian swimmer, who has competed three times at the Summer Olympics: 2004, 2008, and 2012. She currently swims for the Vasas SC, Hungary, under head coach
Grant George Hackett OAM is an Australian swimmer most famous for winning the men's 1500 metres freestyle race at both the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. ...more
Ryan Steven Lochte is an American competitive swimmer and an 11-time Olympic medalist. His seven individual Olympic medals ranks near the top in men's swimming. As part of the American team, he ...more
Jessica Adele Hardy is an American international swimmer who specializes in breaststroke and freestyle events. Hardy earned a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle and a gold medal in ...more
