When fans think of rivalries in sports, it’s all about tension. Rivals aren’t made to like each other. Most historic clashes are built on bad blood.
It’s incredibly rare to see a “healthy” rivalry โ which is what makes competitive spirit between the United States and Australia swimming so rare.
“Itโs super funny because we like the Aussies,” said Lilly King, an American breaststroke Olympic gold medalist. “Theyโre cool people and we do get along, but we also want to win and we want to win more medals. So it’s a really healthy rivalry.
“Sometimes I wish it was a little less healthy, Like, ‘Let’s get at it, guys. Come on, let’s fight a little bit!โ But yeah, the Aussies are a fun group to race and a fun group to beat. We take a lot of pride in that, and does it motivate the team? Yeah, I think it definitely does.”
The rivalry between the United States and Australia dates back to the mid-1990s. The two countries dominated every other nation in the pool, constantly battling between each other for the top of the podium. Despite the consistent contests between the Americans and the Aussies, it’s a rivalry built on motivation, not contention.
“Getting to race Australia last summer was super fun and the way they were able to get out on top in most of the relays has really helped boost our motivation going into the Games,” said Katie Grimes, an American multi-event swimmer. “That rivalry is a good thing to get us focussed in practice every day and more excited to race against each other.”
The two sides are poised to once again go head-to-head for the gold medal in a majority of the swimming events. Of course, there are a plethora of other nations hoping to knock off the two pool powerhouses. But expect swimmers form the United States and Australia to be the favorites in a multitude of races.
Who is shaping up to come up top in 2024? Here is a look behind the number of the United States and Australia swimming.
MORE: Who will win Olympics swimming? Medal odds, expert picks
USA vs. Australia swimming by the numbers
It’s been nearly 70 years since Australia beat the United States in Olympic swimming medal count. The last time that happened was at the 1956 Melbourne Games. At the last Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, the USA won 11 gold medals to Australiaโs nine, marking the closest differential since that Olympics in Melbourne.
Here is a comparison of the fastest Australian and USA swimmers heading into the 2024 Olympics, based on each athlete’s best time so far this year. Times are from the Sydney Morning Herald.
*Americans in bold
Women’s freestyle
| Event | Fastest | 2nd | 3rd |
| 50m | Shayna Jack (AUS) โ 23.99 | Simone Manuel (USA) โ 24.13 | Gretchen Walsh (USA) โ 24.15 |
| 100m | Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) โ 52.27 | Kate Douglass (USA) โ 52.56 | Shayna Jack (AUS) โ 52.65 |
| 200m | Ariarne Titmus (AUS) โ 1:52.23 | Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) โ 1:52.48 | Katie Ledecky (USA) โ 1:54.97 |
| 400m | Ariarne Titmus (AUS) โ 3:55.44 | Katie Ledecky (USA) โ 3:58.35 | Lani Pallister (AUS) โ 4:01.75 |
| 800m | Katie Ledecky (USA) โ 8:12.95 | Ariarne Titmus (AUS) โ 8:14.06 | Lani Pallister (AUS) โ 8:18.46 |
| 1500m | Katie Ledecky (USA) โ 15:37.35 | Lani Pallister (AUS) โ 15:53.79 | Katie Grimes (USA) โ 15:57.77 |
Women’s backstroke
| Event | Fastest | 2nd | 3rd |
| 100m | Regan Smith (USA) โ 57.13 | Kaylee McKeown (AUS) โ 57.41 | Katharine Berkoff (USA) โ 57.83 |
| 200m | Kaylee McKeown (AUS) โ 2:03.30 | Regan Smith (USA) โ 2:03.99 | Phoebe Bacon (USA) โ 2:06.27 |
Women’s breaststroke
| Event | Fastest | 2nd | 3rd |
| 100m | Lilly King (USA) โ 1:05.43 | Emma Weber (USA) โ 1:05.43 | Jenna Strauch (AUS) โ 1:06.90 |
| 200m | Kate Douglass (USA) โ 2:19.30 | Lilly King (USA) โ 2:21.93 | Ella Ramsay (AUS) โ 2:22.87 |
Women’s butterfly
| Event | Fastest | 2nd | 3rd |
| 100m | Gretchen Walsh (USA) โ 55.18 | Torri Huske (USA) โ55.52 | Emma McKeon (AUS) โ 56.40 |
| 200m | Regan Smith (USA) โ 2:04.80 | Lizzy Dekkers (AUS) โ 2:05.20 | Alex Shackell (USA) โ 2:06.1 |
Women’s individual medley
| Event | Fastest | 2nd | 3rd |
| 200m | Kaylee McKeown (AUS) โ 2:06.63 | Kate Douglass (USA) โ 2:06.79 | Alex Walsh (USA) โ 2:07.63 |
| 400m | Katie Grimes (USA) โ 4:32.45 | Emma Weyant (USA) โ 4:35.56 | Ella Ramsay (AUS) โ 4:36.56 |
Men’s freestyle
| Event | Fastest | 2nd | 3rd |
| 50m | Cam McEvoy (AUS) โ 21.13 | Caeleb Dressel (USA) โ 21.41 | Chris Guiliano (USA) โ 21.69 |
| 100m | Jack Alexy (USA) โ 47.08 | Chris Guiliano (USA) โ 47.25 | Kyle Chalmers (AUS) โ 47.63 |
| 200m | Luke Hobson (USA) โ 1:44.89 | Chris Guiliano (USA) โ 1:45.38 | Maximillian Guiliani (AUS) โ 1:45.83 |
| 400m | Elijah Winnington (AUS) โ 3:41.41 | Sam Short (AUS) โ 3:41.64 | Aaron Shackell (USA) โ 3:45.46 |
| 800m | Elijah Winnington (AUS) โ 7:42.95 | Sam Short (AUS) โ 7:43.98 | Robert Finke (USA) โ 7:43.98 |
| 1500m | Robert Finke (USA) โ 14:40.28 | David Johnston (USA) โ 14:52.74 | Sam Short (AUS) โ 15:03.25 |
Men’s backstroke
| Event | Fastest | 2nd | 3rd |
| 100m | Ryan Murphy (USA) โ 52.22 | Hunter Armstrong (USA) โ 52.68 | Isaac Cooper (AUS) โ 53.46 |
| 200m | Ryan Murphy (USA)โ 1:54.33 | Keaton Jones (USA) โ 1:54.61 | Brad Woodward (AUS) โ 1:56.22 |
Men’s breaststroke
| Event | Fastest | 2nd | 3rd |
| 100m | Nic Fink (USA) โ 58.57 | Sam Williamson (AUS) โ 58.80 | Charlie Swanson (USA) โ 59.16 |
| 200m | Matthew Fallon (USA) โ 2:06.54 | Zac Stubblety-Cook (AUS) โ 2:07.40 | Joshua Yong (AUS) โ 2:08.08 |
Men’s butterfly
| Event | Fastest | 2nd | 3rd |
| 100m | Caeleb Dressel (USA) โ 50.19 | Matt Temple (AUS) โ50.61 | Thomas Heilman (USA) โ 50.80 |
| 200m | Thomas Heilman (USA) โ 1:54.50 | Luca Urlando (USA) โ 1:54.64 | Bowen Gough (AUS) โ 1:56.18 |
Men’s individual medley
| Event | Fastest | 2nd | 3rd |
| 200m | Carson Foster (USA) โ 1:55.65 | Shaine Casas (USA) โ 1:55.83 | Will Petric (AUS) โ 1:55.83 |
| 400m | Carson Foster (USA) โ 4:07.64 | Chase Kalisz (USA) โ 4:09.39 | Brendon Smith (AUS) โ 4:10.18 |
