Paris Olympics is going to be held from 26th July to 11th august. USA team is looking heave favorite at Paris Olympic to win male 400m freestyle relay . After breaking the ACC Record in the 100-yard free twice on Saturday, landing at a 40.62 in the individual event final to become the best 3rd  performer in history, Notre Dame junior Chris Guiliano has proven that sometimes, short-course and long-course results are heavily correlated.

In a time trial session on Sunday morning, he swam 47.49 in the 100 free in long course meters. That is about half a second better than his 47.98 from the mid-season Ohio State Invitational, a time that he also swam at last year’s US National Championships to grab a surprise second individual spot at the World Championships.

This performance is a huge boost for the USA swimming team, struggling after Celeb Dressel withdrew from the World Championship 2022. USA has more than 10 swimmer potential swimmers for sub 48 seconds in 100 freestyle.

Now Dressel is training again. Jack Alexy and Guiliano are medal contenders in the same event. Matt King, Hunter Armstrong, and Maximus Williams are among the contenders for the Paris team.

Guiliano’s progression in this 100-free has been rather spectacular. Heading into his sophomore year in fall of 2022, when Chris Lindauer was hired as Notre Dame’s new head coach, he had a best time of 50.28 – a respectable time, but one that didn’t show much progress in the almost two years since he swam 50.54 in November 2020 during his senior year of high school.

Guiliano responded to the new coaching staff quickly.

At the US Open in December, he took over a second off that swim to go 49.17. That moved him into another tier of performance, though it didn’t necessarily catch a lot of national attention.

Fast forward 8 months, and at the US National Championships and World Championship Trials, he swam 48.17 in prelims to make the final among a list of mostly more recognizable names. But he wasn’t done yet – he dropped another two-tenths in the final to finish in 47.98, placing him just .05 seconds behind Jack Alexy, and .01 seconds ahead of Matt King, for an individual swim at the World Championships.

He wasn’t able to hold that speed for Worlds and placed 18th in 48.41, but that was his learning experience. He’s now showing the ability to go fast over and over.

While the US field isn’t getting any lighter (and we still don’t know where Caeleb Dressel will come June), this swim should give him much more confidence about his chances at an individual Olympic swim this summer.

Here is the list of probable list of US Male swimmers who can selected at the Paris Olympics in 100 free.

1. Jack Alexy

The 2023 summer was a breakout season for Jack Alexy, where he successfully achieved two individual medals. He is a medal favorite at Paris 2024. Because of Alexy’s progress USA is looking favorite at the 4×100 free relay.

In the Junior World Championship of 2019 held in Budapest, Jack Alexy swam on the prelims relay of the 4×100 free relay, leading off in 50.26. The relay went on to win in the finals, earning Alexy a gold medal.

Fast forward to the 2023 World Championship trail in Omaha where Alexy made headlines on Day 4 of the competition. At the age of 18, he clocked a 48.69 100 free, breaking Caeleb Dressel’s 17-18 National Age Record in the event from 2015. He was ranked 9th heading into the semi-final and would go on to finish 10th overall.

In the prelims of the 100 free, Alexy proved he could convert his short course gains to the long pool. He held a previous best of 48.69 from the Olympic Trials and smashed it with a 47.75 to claim lane 5 in the final behind Ryan Held. In the final, Alexy got off to a quick start, turning first. He was able to hold onto his position and place first despite adding with a 47.93.

In the 50 free, Alexy posted a personal best of 21.83 in the prelims. In the finals, he shaved off a further .20 seconds to place 2nd. He held off Michael Andrew by a mere .01. The swim makes him the #7 American ever and #4 in the world ranking for the year to that point.

At the 2023 World Championship held in Fukuoka, Alexy opened his meet with a 47.56 split on the 400 free relay to help the Americans to 3rd. He was 2nd in prelims of the 100 free with a 47.68 best time. Alexy was disastrous off the blocks but fought back to a 48.06 to barely make it back 8th into the final. Down in lane 8 in the final, Alexy was off a lot faster than the semis, out in 22.48 to lead the field. He held on down the stretch, keeping all but Kyle Chalmers at bay with a 47.31 for 2nd. The swim also makes him the #2 American ever, passing David Walters.

Alexy secured his status as America’s new sprint star with his 50 free. He moved through prelims with a 21.73 for 4th and semis with a 21.60 PB for 2nd. In the final, Cam McEvoy took the lead and won with a 21.06 (and the largest margin of victory in championship history), but Alexy finished 2nd in 21.57, just .01 ahead of Ben Proud.

After his silver, Alexy led off the American Mixed 400 free relay in 47.68, the fastest lead-off in the field. The US team ended up 2nd to Australia. He wrapped up his meet by anchoring the 400 medley relay in a 47.00 as they dominated the field with a championship record of 3:27.78.

2. Chris Guiliano

In 2020, Guiliano won the 200 free at the 2020 Pennsylvania High School 3A State Championships with a 1:35.81. That was a huge drop for Guiliano, who had never broken 1:39 before. His big improvement in the 200 as well as dropping to 44.29 in the 100 free and 20.27 in the 50 free earned Guiliano the #17 ren in the SwimSwams class of 2021 Junior Year Re-rank. He announced his verbal commitment to Notre Dame’s class of 2025 in May 2020.

Guilano put up an impressive 22.93/50.54/1:55.95 50/100/200 LCM free at the Richmond site of the 2020 U.S. Open. He dropped his 50 free down to 20.15 at the 2020 Pennsylvania Winter 18 & Under Championships. At his high school conference championships, Guiliano dipped under 44 seconds in his 100 free for the first time with a 43.91. At the 2021 Pennsylvania 3A Championships, he dropped further to a 43.40 50 free and posted a solid 1:36.53 200 free.

At the ISCA International Senior Cup, which had SCY prelims and LCM finals, Guiliano posted solid times. He was 20.20 (SCY)/23.10 (LCM) in the 50 free and 43.72/50.72 in the 100 free. 

At the 1st wave of the 2020(1) Olympic Team Trials, Guiliano placed 4th with as 22.65 in the 50 free. He also did a personal best of 50.53 in a 100 free time trial.

After that time, Guiliano is improving day by day.

3. Caeleb Dressel

Caeleb Dressel is an American swimmer who specializes in freestyle and butterfly. He has an impressive record of winning gold medals at various championships, including seven gold medals at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, six gold medals at the 2018 World Swimming Championships in Hangzhou, and six gold medals at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju. Dressel is a seven-time Olympic gold medalist and holds world records in the 100-meter butterfly (long course and short course), 50-meter freestyle (short course), and 100-meter individual medley (short course).

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Dressel won five gold medals, which made him the fifth American to win five gold medals in a single Olympic Games after 1970. He joined the ranks of legendary American swimmers such as Mark Spitz, Michael Phelps, Eric Heiden, and Matt Biondi. He also made history by becoming the first male swimmer to win gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle, the 100-meter freestyle, and the 100-meter butterfly at the same Olympics. Dressel holds American records in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle, 50-meter and 100-meter butterfly (all long course meters). He also holds American records in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events and the 100-yard butterfly. In college, he won NCAA titles in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, and 100-yard butterfly individual events. Dressel is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter in swimming history.

At the 2022 World Championships, Dressel led off the 4×100 meter freestyle relay in a time of 47.67 seconds, helping achieve the first relay gold medal of the Championships for the United States. The next day, he won a gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle, finishing first with a time of 22.57 seconds, which was over two-tenths of a second faster than silver medalist Nicholas Santos of Brazil.

However, on the fourth day of the world championships, Dressel decided to withdraw from further competition due to health reasons after achieving the second-fastest seed going into the semifinals of the 100-meter. As of now, he is taking a break from competitions to regain his form, and he is expected to return at the Paris Olympics. Caeleb Dressel is a world-renowned swimmer who specializes in freestyle and butterfly. He has won numerous gold medals and holds world records in different categories. At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Dressel made history by bagging five gold medals, becoming the fifth American ever to achieve this feat. He is considered one of the greatest sprinters in swimming history.

At the 2022 World Championships, Dressel led the 4×100 meter freestyle relay, helping achieve the United States’ first relay gold medal. The next day, he won a gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle, finishing ahead of the silver medalist from Brazil. However, Dressel withdrew from further competition for health reasons after achieving the second-fastest seed in the 100-meter prelims heats. He is expected to return at the Paris Olympics.

4. Maximus Williamson

17-year-old Maximus Williamson showed at World Juniors that he could be an Olympian next year by becoming the fastest 17-year-old. Williamson, who is likely to be selected in 200 IM also throwing down numerous 47-mid 100 free relay splits that could get him on a senior 400 free relay.

At junior pan Pacific 2022, Williamson took on a big schedule with the 50/200 free, 100/200 back, and the 200/400 IM plus the 800 free relay. 

Williamson was full steam ahead from the first session. In the 200 free prelims, he posted a big PB of 1:48.45. That knocked about 2 seconds off his best time and ranked him 3rd all-time in the 15-16 NAG despite only being 15. 

Williamson doubled down in finals with a 1:48.21, good for 2nd behind Flynn Southam (1:47.11). His new best time also moved him up one spot in the 15-16 NAG, passing Henry McFadden.

Williamson’s 4:17 made him just the 2nd American 15-year-old under 4:20 IM behind the GOAT Michael Phelps who crushed a 4:15.20 back at the 2001 Spring Nationals. Just a few minutes later, Williamson anchored the 800 free relay in 1:49.68, enough to keep the Americans in 2nd behind Australia.  

at 2023, Pro swim series Mission Viejo, Williamson had a slew of season bests and 1 personal best at the Mission Viejo PSS. The sole PB came in the form of a 50.17 100 free. His other notable results included a 56.32 100 back, a 2:03.44 200 IM, and a 4:28.01 400 IM. 

At 2023 Summer Junior Nationals (Irvine, California) Willimason stole the show with his relay performances. On night 2, he stunned with a 1:47.29 leadoff in the 800 free relay. That was a new 15-16 NAG record, downing his own mark of 1:47.62 set in June. Williamson’s improvement came on his back 150. If a NAG record on the leadoff want good enough, Lakeside clocked a new 15-18 NAG record with Willimason, Cooper Lucas (1:48.95), River Paulk (1:54.19), and Max Hatcher (1:51.00) combining for a 7:21.43.

Another day came and another 15-18 NAG relay record went at the hands of Lakeside. This time, Williamson (22.89), Paulk (22.43), Lucas (23.13), and Keaton Rice (22.64) smashed Dynamo’s NAG and meet record set a year prior by 1.17 seconds with a 1:31.09. Lakeside had 3 swimmers swim splits/leadoffs under 23 seconds versus Dynamo’s 2.

Breaking 15-18 NAG record in both the shorter and longer relays, it came as no surprise when Lakeside destroyed the 400 free relay meet record by about 4.5 second and the NAG record by just under 2 seconds. Williamson led off in a 48.84, a mere .03 seconds off Kaii Winkler’s 15-16 NAG record. He was followed by Lucas with a 49.79, Paulk with a 50.77, and Rice with a 50.69 anchor. Their final time was 3:20.09.

Individually, Williamson went PBs in the 50 free (22.87), 100 fly (54.11), and 200 fly (2:02.32). In those events, he placed 5th, 8th, and 20th respectively. 

He blasted at 2023 World Junior Championships (Netanya, Israel).Team USA’s boys ended the first night of finals at the 2023 World Junior Swimming Championships with a bang. In the 400 freestyle relay, Daniel Diehl (49.93), Williamson (47.78), Hudson Williams (49.14), and Jason Zhao (48.64) set a new world junior record with a blistering 3:15.49. Williamson’s split made the difference for this record-setting team. He was the fastest in the field by a wide margin, as he was the only one to break the 48-second barrier. 

In the final, it was all Williamson as he led wire to wire. He was out just .16 seconds off his PB pace with a 25.29/29.72 but found significant gains on breast with a 35.02 split and crushed a 27.26 final 50 to destroy the championship record and his PB with a 1:57.29. The swim made Williamson the fastest 17-year-old, despite turning 17 a day prior, surpassing Kosuke Hagino‘s previous “17-year-old record” time of 1:57.35 from the 2012 Olympics. Third, it moves Williamson up to 2nd 2 all-time in the U.S. 17-18 age group, only behind Michael Phelps. Had Williamson clocked this 1:57.29 at U.S. Nationals earlier this summer, he would have surpassed Shaine Casas’ second-place time of 1:57.47 and qualified for the 2023 World Championships.

Only about 15 minutes post-200 IM, Williamson, brought home the Americans in the 400 mixed medley relay in a final split of 47.74. That represented the quickest free split in the field and netted the Gold. The next night, Williamson splashed his way to a new best time of 48.38. That time made him the fastest 18-and-under American in history, surpassing 18-year-old Jonny Kulow‘s mark of 48.47 from 2023 U.S. Nationals. The US took silver to Australia in that race. 

Williamson put up another PB, leading of the 800 free relay in 1:47.11, making him the #8 performer in his new NAG. The rest of the squad widened the leef to over 4 seconds as they dominated the race and took gold. 

Williamson moved through the 100 free prelims with ease in 4th  via a 50.07. In the semis, he took the top seed with a 49.38. In the final, Williamson dominated from start to finish with a 48.45. His time was just off his PB but represented the only time in the final under 49 seconds. Williamson put an exclamation point on his meet by firing off a 47.57 anchor on the 400 medley relay as the US took gold.

As a whole, Williamson netted 2 individual golds: the 100 free and 200 IM, 4 relay golds: all relays except the mixed 400 free relay, and a silver: in the mixed 400 free relay.

5. Jonny Kulow

19There’s a swimmer named Jonny Kulow, who is currently a sophomore at Arizona State. Before 2023, his best time in the 100 free in long course was 50.39 at the 2021 US Olympic Trials. However, he surprised everyone when he split 47.44 at the Pan American Games, making him a potential relay spot. He threw down a 47.44 split on the American mixed 400 free relay on Sunday in Santiago, Chile, helping the team win a silver medal.

The split was faster than two of the three rolling start legs that Team USA had on the men’s 400 free relay at this summer’s World Championships that took bronze, bettering Jack Alexy’s 47.56 and Chris Giuliano’s 47.77. The difference between his split and that of Giuliano’s would have been enough to bump the Americans ahead of Italy for silver in a hypothetical race.

That swim is much better than Kulow’s 48.45 leading off the men’s 400 free relay on the same tour earlier, which led to a silver medal behind Brazil. Kulow is highly expected to drop sub-48 this summer.

6. Kaii Winkler

Kaii Winkler made history by becoming the youngest swimmer to ever break 49 seconds in the 100 free. Unfortunately, he could not compete at a taper meet this year due to an injury. Winkler is among several young American male swimmers who have the potential to become stars on the world stage. They must carry their momentum into Paris, take the next step, and try to defeat the top swimmers.

At the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Winkler swam a personal best time of 1:50.07 in the preliminary heats of the 200-meter freestyle, placing fourth in the b-final with a time of 1:50.81. He also swam a personal best time of 49.47 seconds in the preliminary heats of the 100-meter freestyle. In the b-final, he placed second with a time of 50.12 and contributed a split of 1:51.27 for the fourth leg of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay to help win the exhibition heat with a time of 7:22.66. Additionally, he and his relay teammates won the gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay final with a Championships record time of 3:36.65. He contributed a split time of 49.18 seconds for the freestyle leg of the relay.

Winkler tied for nineteenth place in the 50-meter freestyle on day two of the 2022 U.S. Open Swimming Championships with a time of 22.97 seconds, which qualified him for the C-final. He won the C-final with a time of 22.82 in the evening after lowering his time. On the following day, he swam a 1:50.97 in the preliminary heats of the 200-meter freestyle to qualify for the b-final ranking eleventh across all preliminary heats. He won the b-final with a time of 1:50.26 in the evening finals session, which was 2.88 seconds slower than a-final winner Jake Mitchell. In his final event, the 100-meter freestyle on day four, he ranked seventh in the preliminary heats and qualified for the a-final with a time of 49.56 seconds. In the evening final, he achieved a sixth-place finish with a personal best time of 49.45 seconds.

At the second stop of the 2023 TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Winkler broke the national age group record for the boys 15–16 age group in the 100-meter freestyle, finishing in a time of 48.81 seconds in the preliminaries and qualifying for the final ranking third.

In the evening, he finished in 49.11 seconds to place fourth, 0.83 seconds behind gold medalist Dylan Carter. The following day, he placed second in the b-final of the 200-meter freestyle with a personal best time of 1:49.02.

Kaii Winkler, who is America’s brightest young sprint talent, reportedly missed the U.S. Nationals in 2023 due to an undisclosed injury. The 17-year-old is ranked as the top recruit in the class of 2024. Winkler was seeded 12th in the 100 free (48.81), 23rd in the 200 free (1:49.02), 17th in the 100 free (52.64), and 25th in the 50 free (22.49).

His 48.81 100 free from the TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale in March made him the youngest American ever under the 49-second barrier in the event, ranking seventh in the world at the time.

7. Matt King

After having promising results at Pro Swim Series stops during the season, King capped off his comeback at the 2023 US Trials in Indianapolis. On Day 1 in prelims of the 100 free, King swam a 47.93, marking his first time under the 48-second threshold and placing him in the A-final. In the final, King touched at 47.99 for 3rd, qualifying him for his first world championships team.

On the last day of the meet, King also placed 4th in the 50 free in a new lifetime best of 21.80.

King stepped up on the American relays. In his first swim, King was 47.50 on the prelims 400 free relay. He anchored that same relay in finals with a 47.32, well under his flat start best but Kyle Chalmers was too good for King and the US took bronze. On the mixed 400 free relay, King was 48.32 to lead off the prelims squad. On the finals squad, King swam a 47.78 and the US took silver. King also anchored the prelims 400 medley relay with a 47.33. He was replaced by Jack Alexy on the finals relay and the team took gold. King ended up taking 3 medals away, 1 of each color. He swam at 2024,World Championship. Where he seems capable for sub 48 relay spilt every time.

In his first international meet 2023 World Aquatics Championships (Fukuoka, Japan)

He is consistent for sub-48 relay spilt.

8. Joseph Hunter Armstrong

Joseph Hunter Armstrong is an accomplished American swimmer who holds the world record for the long-course 50-meter. He has won several medals at major international events, including a silver medal in the 50-meter and a bronze medal in the 100-meter at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships. He also won gold medals in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay and 4×100 meter mixed medley relay, as well as a silver medal in the 4×100 meter medley relay at the same event. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in the 4×100 meter medley relay, where he swam backstroke in the preliminaries, and also placed ninth in the 100-meter. He even won the 100 back at the Swimming World Championship in Doha.

Hunter Armstrong is a versatile swimmer who is also capable of 100 free relays. His 47.83 lead-off mixed free relay helped the USA clinch the Bronze medal. He is also considered a strong contender for the Paris Olympics, especially for relay events in freestyle.