Put Katie Ledecky, Sarah Sjöström, Cam McEvoy, Adam Peaty, Caeleb Dressel, Apostolos Christou, Xu Jiayu, Ryan Murphy, James Guy, Duncan Scott, and a fair few others, on a list together and you're looking at a specific club in the league of world top 20 swimmers in 2026.

Some are already in their thirties but by the time Los Angeles lights the flame for the XXXIV Olympiad (the 34th Games since 1896), all of them will be, and most of them will be gunning for finals as podium contenders. And should they get to the ultimate blocks once more, five of the above, and others unnamed (so far) have children to cheer them on.

Gold is a mission unprecedented for all of them barring McEvoy, who at 30 claimed the Olympic 50m freestyle crown at Paris 2024 and, two years on, is World record holder and very much the man to beat:

Cameron McEvoy - 20.88 World Record 50m Free - Cielo’s 2009 Shiny Suit Standard Sunk

At The China Open in Shenzhen, Australian Olympic and World 50m freestyle champion has cracked the 20.91 global mark set by Brazil’s Cesar Cielo in the dying days of the short-lived shiny suits crisis in 2009

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

McEvoy (20.97!) & Pallister Lead Dolphin Charge On 1 & 30 Laps

Cam McEvoy, 32, has mastered the art of perpetual swim sprint motion. 0.55 reaction. No lumps, no bumps, everything moving as one in the right direction, resistance low, power high go to gold, not even a break of breath halting the speedy glide and tide of it all

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

We'll take a slightly deeper dive later into how the sport is 'ageing', while retaining its tradition for throwing up teenage terrors to torment the wave that went before them, but for now, here are some top liners from the book of 'oldest' swimmers to make the Olympic podium:

It's against that backdrop that we return to Paris 2024, and the last words spoken by GBR head coach Steve Tigg in part 1 of this mini-series:

"Sometimes with just a little bit better driving, the car can go a bit faster. But when there are other things at play, sometimes they get a little bit desperate, they try too hard, and that's the problem."

Part 1:

Tigg & The Britain Bounce Building A Vision Of California Dreamin’ 2028

Part 1: ”... they’ll come out of this better athletes for it and more confident, and that’s what we’re going to need going into LA[2028] ... the level of the meet here is obscene in some events ... this is world-championship level swimming.” Steve Tigg on his GBR charges

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

• In part 2 of an interview with Steve Tigg, GB head swim coach, we look at why he tells his shoal "Comparison is a thief of joy", and step into the mindset of Britain's 4x200m men with Scott, Guy and Richards...

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