Top 51 Swimmers of 2011 - 51 to 42

As another year of great swimming comes to a close, here is a rundown of the Top 50 Swimmers of 2011. There is no set criteria, but clearly the World Championships in Shanghai carried a big weight in the decision making process. That being said, outstanding achievements away from Shanghai were still acknowledged (looking at you number 44).


Thanks for reading Speed Endurance this year. Next year should be something a bit special!

Today we start with numbers 51 through to 42.

51. Miriea Belmonte Garcia – 2011 Highlight – Getting the better of Lotte Friis over 800m Free in December, where her time of 8:22.78 moved her to 3rd in the world rankings.

The breakthrough in the 800 puts her at the head of the chase for Friis and Rebecca Adlington. Belmonte also continued her dominance of the short course pool with European titles in the 400m Free, 200m Fly, 200m IM and 400m IM. Had an outstanding year, marred only by her failure to medal in Shanghai.

50. Brent Hayden – 2011 Highlight – Winning silver behind James Magnussen in the 100m Free in Shanghai (47.95). 

It is hard to know what to make of Hayden’s year, having pre-qualified for Worlds he showed his true hand only once during 2011. He is the only man to have been sub-48 seconds in both 2010 and 2011, and that consistency makes him a dangerous player in an unpredictable race like the 100m Free.

49. Yannick Agnel – 2011 Highlight – His 3:43.85 in the 400m Free at French Nationals.

The swim back in March showed what might have been in Shanghai had he not fallen ill during a vital part of his training cycle. Despite the illness the young Frenchman was still able to break the 1:45 barrier in the 200m Free in Shanghai, which sets up a fascinating 2012 for Agnel.

Naoya Tomita Gives This Blog A Shout-Out

It was only a matter of time before my public admiration for all things Japanese swimming was rewarded with a shout-out, and here it is. Naoya Tomita, World SC Champion and textile best time holder in the 200m Breast no less, gave his reasons for not swimming the event at this weekend's Japan Open as:

"...to build Speed and Endurance..."

So he's basically pulling out of the event to help this blog. Hey, I don't understand the reasoning, but I love the gesture. It's this type of selfless act that will keep me singing the praises of Japanese swimmers.

This is not a one-off event either, elite swimmers are bending over backwards to give dedications to this very site. Back in January, I was credited with helping Chloe Sutton during Open Water races:

“My biggest weakness is my lack of aggression. It’s just not in me to retaliate when others get nasty. I rely on my Speed and Endurance to get me through.”

My pleasure Chloe.