Five to watch and five notable absentees in Kazan 2015

Sport360 staff 10:37 30/07/2015
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  • Adam Peaty (L) will be one to watch in Kazan having set a world record earlier this year.

    With one eye on Rio, swimming's stars begin the battle on Sunday for World Championship medals in Kazan to prove their form heading into the 2016 Olympics. 

    As ever, Sport360 looks at five swimmers set to impress in Kazan and five notable absentees.

    FIVE TO WATCH

    ADAM PEATY

    The only swimmer to set a world record so far in 2015 (57.92 in the 100m breast), Peaty has been the breakout breaststroke star of the world for the past two years. He’s the first man ever under 58 seconds in the 100 breast, and is currently the fastest sprint breaststroker in history.

    At age 20, he’s still got plenty of room to improve, which means we haven’t seen the best of him yet.

    The Brit feels he can break his world record next week in Russia.

    CHAD LE CLOS

    While we’ve once again been denied a chance to witness a duel between Chad Le Clos and Michael Phelps in the 200m butterfly – the pair haven’t gone headto- head since the latter’s return from retirement – it will be interesting to see how Le Clos will fare in his title defence in the event.

    Typically a swimmer who opts for a heavy schedule, Le Clos, a reigning Olympic champion, will only be competing in the 50m, 100m and 200m fly in Kazan next week.

    VLADIMIR MOROZOV

    A frequent sprint champion in the short course pool over the past two years, Morozov, a long course silver-medallist in the 50m freestyle at the 2013 Worlds in Barcelona, could be in line fo a World Championship gold next week.

    The 23-year-old Russian won a 4x100m freestyle bronze with the Russian team at the 2012 Olympics, and has been improving his times.

    He has posted the fastest time for 2015 in the 100m free and he beat Olympic champion Nathan Adrian earlier this month.

    KATINKA HOSSZU

    The Hungarian individual medley queen has gone from strength to strength since winning both the 200m and 400m world titles in Barcelona two years ago.

    The ‘Iron Lady’ posted the fastest time of the year with 2:08.66 in Charlotte, USA, and won last season’s six-meet USA Swimming Pro Series. In the final meet in Santa Clara last month, she won the 200m backstroke, in which reigning world and Olympic champion Missy Franklin finished third.

    KATIE LEDECKY 

    The 18-year-old world record-holder in the 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyles is the woman to beat in all three races and will also take a crack at what promises to be a tough 200m free field led by defending champion Missy Franklin and featuring 2015’s fastest Femke Heemskerk, short-course world record-holder Sarah Sjostrom, and Commonwealth Games winner Emma McKeon. Ledecky beat Franklin in the 200m free at the US Champs and Pan Pacs.

    NOTABLE ABSENTEES

    MICHAEL PHELPS

    The sport’s greatest star withdrew from USA’s world championships’ team after a drink-driving arrest last year.

    JAMES MAGNUSSEN 

    Australia’s 100m freestyle world champion will not be able to defend the title after shoulder surgery.

    YANNICK AGNEL 

    France’s 200m freestyle world and Olympic champion will sit out Kazan with pleurisy.

    PARK TAE-HWAN 

    South Korea’s Olympic medallist is serving a doping ban while Japan’s Olympic bronze medallist swimmer Kosuke Hagino is also missing after fracturing his elbow in a bicycle accident.

    MIREIA BELMONTE 

    The Spanish two-time Olympic silver medallist, who was in line to win multiple open water and pool swimming medals, has withdrawn with a shoulder problem.

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