2017 Will Be First World Championships Without Phelps/Lochte Since 1998

Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte will both be absent for 2017 FINA World Championships, which take place July 23-30, 2017 in Budapest, Hungary, at the Dagály Aquatics Arena. It will be the first major swim meet that both swimmers are absent since 1998.

Jul 19, 2017 by Maclin Simpson

2017 Will Be First World Championships Without Phelps/Lochte Since 1998

2017 FINA World Championships

July 23-30, 2017
Budapest, Hungary
Dagály Aquatics Arena
SCHEDULE
LIVE RESULTS

Name a more iconic duo than Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. We dare you.

Ok, fine: maybe Shaq and Kobe. Or Tom and Jerry. Batman and Robin. Peanut butter and jelly. But, still, Phelps and Lochte are definitely up there.

The last time a long course world championships happened without both Phelps and Lochte was way back in January 1998 in Perth, Australia. Yes, you read that right. 1998. Almost 20 years ago.

We take it for granted that Phelps and Lochte played massive roles in transforming the sport of swimming -- especially on the men's side -- but just how influential were they?

Below are the champions and their winning times from the 1998 World Championships alongside the winning times from the 2015 World Championships.

Event	Champion (1998)	Winning Time (1998)	Winning Time (2015)
50m Freestyle	Bill Pilczuk (USA)	22.29	21.19
100m Freestyle	Alexander Popov (RUS)	48.93	47.84
200m Freestyle	Michael Klim (AUS)	1:47.41	1:45.14
400m Freestyle	Ian Thorpe (AUS)	3:46.29	3:42.58
1500m Freestyle	Grant Hackett (AUS)	14:51.70	14:39.67
100m Butterfly	Michael Klim (AUS)	52.25	50.56
200m Butterfly	Denys Sylantyev (UKR)	1:56.61	1:53.48
100m Backstroke	Lenny Krayzelburg (USA)	55.00	52.40
200m Backstroke	Lenny Krayzelburg (USA)	1:58.84	1:53.58
100m Breaststroke	Frédérik Deburghgraeve (BEL)	1:01.34	58.52
200m Breaststroke	Kurt Grote (USA)	2:13.40	2:07.76
200m IM	Marcel Wouda (NED)	2:01.18	1:55.81
400m IM	Tom Dolan (USA)	4:14.95	4:08.50
4x100m Freestyle Relay	United States	3:16.69	3:10.74
4x200m Freestyle Relay	Australia	7:12.48	7:04.33
4x100m Medley Relay	Australia	3:37.98	3:29.93

Talk about a stark contrast. Now, Phelps and Lochte are not the only reasons why swimming has progressed over the last 20 years -- we fully understand that. We have seen pool improvements, technology improvements (suits, caps, goggles, training equipment, etc.), and training improvements among a long list of items.

However, one could argue that Phelps and Lochte set benchmarks in swimming that are unparalleled.

Take the men's 200m IM, for example, an event in which these two swimmers excelled. Phelps and Lochte hold the top 16 performances of all time. Lochte still holds the world record with a 1:54.00 from the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai. Phelps also completed his best time of 1:54.16 in that final in Shanghai -- proving just how much these guys pushed one another. The next fastest performance is a 1:55.07 from Japan's Kosuke Hagino at the 2016 Japanese Olympic Trials.

Phelps and Lochte still hold a combined seven world records (including relays).

Michael Phelps won his first individual world title at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in the 200m butterfly (1:54.58).

Ryan Lochte won his first individual world title at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Australia, in the 200m backstroke (1:54.32).

Strikingly similar, right? Both of these performances were new world records.

Looking forward, what will the 2017 World Championships in Budapest look like without these two giants of swimming?

There is no doubt that someone down the line will fill the shoes of Phelps and Lochte. There is also no doubt that their presence will be sorely missed.

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