Alarm bells have been ringing around USA Swimming for a year now, since Australia won 13 gold medals to America’s seven at the 2023 World Championships. Was this a sign of star-spangled decline, a sign of an international surge, or a correctable blip?
Perhaps all of the above. For the first time since 1945, no U.S. swimmer set a world record in 2023 in either long-course or short-course meters. Meanwhile, 17 world records were taken down, which is an indication of the world collectively getting faster.
