With the US announcing its 18 swimmer roster for the 2024 World Championships, it is time to look at the biggest names that will not be in attendance at the meet.
The meet is not at a typical time as the swimming portion of the Championships will take place from February 11-18. As the Paris Olympics will take place later this summer, it was expected that some swimmers would choose not to attend the meet as they prepare for the Olympics. The meet was originally scheduled for November 2023 but pushed back to February 2024 back in July 2022.
Without further ado, here are the biggest names that will not be in attendance at the meet.
David Popovici, Romania
Back at the beginning of October, it was reported that Popovici would skip 2024 Worlds in favor of focusing on Short-Course Europeans as well as his schooling.
Popovici had a huge summer in 2022, highlighted by a World Record in the LCM 100 freestyle as he swam a 46.86 to win the European Championships. He also won the 200 free there in a 1:42.97.
James Guy, Great Britain
Adam Peaty, Great Britain
Duncan Scott, Great Britain (Update: November 26, 2023, Scott has now implied that he will attend the meet)
Back when the meet was moved from November 2023 to February 2024, Guy, Peaty, and Scott took to Twitter to express their opinion on the move. Guy said “I ain’t going”.
Peaty, the World Record holder in the LCM 50 and 100 breaststroke missed this past summer’s Worlds. Guy and Scott were both on Great Britain’s men’s 4×200 freestyle relay that won gold this past summer.
Kylie Masse, Canada
Josh Liendo, Canada
Mary-Sophie Harvey, Canada
Summer McIntosh, Canada
Maggie MacNeil, Canada
At the beginning of the month, Canada announced a 26-strong swimmer roster for the meet. The five names above were the most notable absences.
Josh Liendo is in the midst of his NCAA season at Florida and SEC’s begin February 20th so there is an easy conflict with Worlds. Liendo won silver this past summer in the 100 butterfly
Although she will not attend Worlds, Summer McIntosh is on the psych sheets for the US Open next week. McIntosh is the LCM World Record holder in the 400 IM and the defending World Champion in both the 200 butterfly and 400 IM.
Katie Ledecky, USA
Torri Huske, USA
Regan Smith, USA
Bobby Finke, USA
Ryan Murphy, USA
The list for the US is quite extensive as only 18 swimmers will be in attendance with 13 men and 5 women. The US selection procedures allowed the top 10 swimmers in each event to attend so an easy full list of a place to start is the US National Team which includes the top 6 swimmers from each event.
The women’s team is much smaller for the meet but there is also more versatility (and less specialization) on the women’s side than there is the men, leaving fewer women the option to even go to the meet in the first place.
The most notable absence will be Katie Ledecky who became the first swimmer to earn six straight world titles in an event after winning the 800 freestyle every Worlds since 2013. After a decade, that streak will now come to an end.
Even though Torri Huske is taking an Olympic Redshirt from Stanford, she also will not be in attendance at the meet. Huske won the World title in the 100 fly in 2022 and won bronze this past summer.
Regan Smith will also not be in attendance. Smith was on the podium this past summer in four individual events this past summer as she was second in all three backstroke events and third in the 200 fly.
Bobby Finke and Ryan Murphy are the biggest names to opt out of the meet on the men’s side. Finke was second in the 1500 free and third in the 800 free while Murphy won the 2023 World title in the 100 back and was second in the 200 back.
Ariarne Titmus, Australia Update: November 25, 2023
Titmus, the World Record holder in the 400 free, will not attend Worlds in preparation for the Olympics.
is this really a shocker??
Ariarne Titmus has been missed off this.
Easier to say who is going
Stars come, stars go. The World Championships won’t suffer from the MIAs. It’s just more open lanes for ”Unknowns” to become ”Unforgettables.”
Unless someone breaks a world record I don’t see Doha making anyone unforgettable
Maybe Douglass in 200im
Something only becomes unforgettable after the fact, not before. Not all world records are memorable. Sergey Bubka broke the pole vault world record 17 times outdoors and 18 times indoors. It’s doubt if all are unforgettable, even in the Bubka household. What’s truly unforgettable is he only lost his outdoor world record once.
An opportunity (the only opportunity) for MA to win 3-4 golds at an international long course meet.
Gotta beat Armstrong in the 50 back, McEvoy in the 50 free and possibly Qin in the 50 breast (Chinese selection meet is mid December).
If those 3 swim, MA can say goodbye to the 3 golds.
Serious question. What is the difference between someone choosing to go to Worlds or swimming NCAAs? If you or your coach (Cal, ASU, UF) thinks the pros shouldn’t attend Worlds this year but have their other studs doing NCs?
In my mind the major differences are that NCAAs are only 3 days instead of 8, limit you to 3 events and don’t involve major international travel. Whether there’s a huge impact by either is opinion I guess.
I think Duncan has said that he is going now (I’m sure I read that somewhere but now I can’t seem to remember where). Also Titmus is 100% confirmed not going.
I read an article from an Australian journalist quoting Dean Boxall saying that “there will be others in his group who will go to Doha-I want a lot of guys to go to the Worlds.” Obviously Ariarne is not going but what about MOC and any speculation on you or any other Aussie commenters about who may or may not attend?
The quote gives the impression some big names will be going but I’d be guessing if I listed names.
Other than St Peters McEvoy has committed to going and the Campbells and Chalmers have said they’re considering it.
if we’re gonna speculate I’ve always thought it was just gonna be McEvoy + swimmers with little international experience and that SPW specifically would be most likely to just skip it considering MOC was the only one that bothered with short course worlds in Melbourne, but idk if Dean is open to his top swimmers going *maybe* MOC would consider it as a good opportunity to do the 100 back/200 free double with low stakes
I would assume Scott has to go to help GB qualify some of the relays.
75% of the USA top tier.