The 2024 Swimming World Aquatic Athletes of the Year: Honors in Water Polo, Diving, Open Water, Artistic, Paralympics
Swimming World annually recognizes the best athletes from the world of aquatic sports, and it is time to unveil the 2024 athletes of the year in diving, open-water swimming, artistic swimming, water polo and Paralympic swimming.
QUAN HONGCHAN, CHINA
FEMALE DIVER OF THE YEAR
Although just 17 years old, China’s Quan Hongchan is already a legend in the sport of diving. Heading into 2024, she was already an Olympic and world champion, and her status as an all-time great only grew last year when Quan doubled in the platform diving events at both the World Championships and Olympic Games.
Quan initially excelled at the World Championships in Doha, where she claimed gold in the 10-meter platform over countrywoman Chen Yuxi, Swimming World’s 2023 Female Diver of the Year. Quan and Chen combined to win the world title in the synchro platform event and repeated the feat several months later at the Olympic Games. In Paris, Quan retained her title from three years earlier in Tokyo with a tight victory over Chen.
CAO YUAN, CHINA
MALE DIVER OF THE YEAR
When an athlete places his name alongside that of a legend, heads turn. China’s Cao Yuan definitely opened people’s eyes during 2024, when he accomplished a feat that hadn’t been achieved since the great Greg Louganis was on the diving boards.
At the Olympic Games in Paris, Cao registered a runaway victory in the 10-meter platform diving event. In compiling a score of 547.50, Cao not only stormed to gold by nearly 40 points, but he retained the title he won three years prior in Tokyo. In the process, Cao became the first repeat platform winner since Louganis doubled in 1984 and 1988. For good measure, Cao’s 2024 season also included a silver medal in the 10-meter platform from the World Championships in Doha.
BEATRIZ ORTIZ, SPAIN
FEMALE WATER POLO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Spain’s Bea Ortiz. Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
There was optimism within the Spanish camp that an Olympic title was in reach at the 2024 Games, and Beatriz Ortiz made sure those hopes were satisfied. As Spain surged to the gold medal, thanks to an 11-9 win in the final over Australia, Ortiz flourished. She finished the Games with 19 goals, which tied for second in the tournament, with four of those goals arriving in the championship match.
Beyond leading Spain to the Olympic crown, Ortiz helped Spain to the bronze medal at the World Championships and the silver medal at the European Championships. In club play, her influence propelled Astralpool CN Sabadell to the Champions League trophy.
DUSAN MANDIC, SERBIA
MALE WATER POLO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The qualifying matches at the Olympic Games did not go smoothly for Serbia, as the water polo power narrowly advanced to the quarterfinals after posting a 2-3 record. But with a leader like Dusan Mandic on the roster, Serbia quickly found momentum and collected a third straight Olympic gold medal, a 13-11 win over Croatia completing the title run.
En route to being named the tournament MVP, Mandic was a catalyst for Serbia through his play and leadership. Mandic finished the Olympics with a tournament-leading 26 goals, and he also excelled at the club level throughout 2024. Mandic led Hungary’s Ferencvaros to three major titles: the Champions League, European Super Cup and Hungarian nationals.
WANG QIANYI/WANG LIUYI, CHINA
ARTISTIC SWIMMERS OF THE YEAR
There was simply no separating Wang Qianyi and Wang Liuyi during the 2024 artistic swimming season, as the Chinese twin sisters dominated together. At the World Championships in Doha, the tandem earned double gold for its performances in the duet free routine and duet technical routine. The duo also helped China sweep the team events.
At the Olympic Games, Wang and Wang were just as unstoppable. Together, they won the duet competition by nearly eight points. Their contributions also helped China to a dominant triumph in the team competition, as the Chinese squad topped runner-up United States by nearly 82 points.
SHARON VAN ROUWENDAAL, NETHERLANDS
FEMALE OPEN WATER SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
In the future, Sharon van Rouwendaal will be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, a reward for her career dominance and consistency. When she is enshrined, her 2024 season will undoubtedly stand out, as she left no doubt about her status as the Queen of Open Water.
Van Rouwendaal opened the year by capturing a pair of gold medals at the World Championships in Doha. The Dutch star backed up her crown in the 10K discipline by prevailing in the 5K as well. But those performances were just a precursor for what was to come. At the Olympic Games, van Rouwendaal earned the gold medal with a five-second triumph over Australian Moesha Johnson. That showing marked her third consecutive Olympic podium, complementing gold at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro and silver at the Tokyo Games.
KRISTOF RASOVSZKY, HUNGARY
MALE OPEN WATER SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
Kristof Rasovszky: Picture courtesy: Giorgio Perottino / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
As Kristof Rasovszky looked ahead to the 10K open-water event at the Paris Olympics, the Hungarian was comfortable with his preparation. By training in the Danube River, Rasovszky knew he was working in an environment that was challenging and would have him ready for the demands of the Seine.
Rasovszky’s preparation clearly paid off, as he claimed his second Olympic 10K medal in 2024. After finishing in the silver-medal position in Tokyo, Rasovszky upgraded to gold in Paris, winning the event in 1:50:52.7, more than two seconds clear of Germany’s Oliver Klement. The victory enhanced an already banner year for Rasovszky, who won the 10K world title at Doha in February.
JIANG YUYAN, CHINA
FEMALE PARALYMPIC SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
When you are given the nickname, “The Flying Fish,” there is pressure to live up to the hype. China’s Jiang Yuyan has been able to answer the challenge, evident in the seven gold medals she collected at the Paralympic Games in Paris. Competing in the S6 and S7 classifications, Jiang won gold medals in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 50 butterfly. She also contributed to a pair of Chinese relays that claimed gold.
During her seven-gold run, Jiang heavily edited the world-record book, setting new standards in her classification in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 back. Combined with her efforts from the Paralympics in Tokyo, Jiang now owns 11 Paralympic medals for her career.
IHAR BOKI, BELARUS
MALE PARALYMPIC SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
Because of Belarus’ support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ihar Boki’s latest Paralymypic Games appearance forced him to compete under the umbrella of the Neutral Athletes. In the water, though, Boki delivered what has been familiar: dominant performances.
Racing in the S13 classification (visual impairment), Boki won five gold medals inside Paris’ La Défense Arena. Boki’s latest titles arrived in the 50 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley. His victory in the 200 IM resulted in a world-record time of 2:02.03, and Boki now owns 23 Paralympic medals, 21 of which are gold. Boki has won at least five medals at each of his Games, with his debut coming in 2012 in London.
