Swimming's greatest rivalries of all time!

Every sport has its own share of the best rivalries that fans love to keep going back to as a point of reference. These rivalries define some of the most poetic moments that one has ever experienced and become a landmark in the minds of sports lovers across the world. Here, we bring to you some of the greatest rivalries in the sport of swimming which will be spoken of in revered tones for many years down the line.
1) Ian Thorpe vs. Pieter Van den Hoogenband (2000-2006)
Like in any sport, there can be only one number one, and this list of rivalries is no different. This duo came out on top because of all the different elements that made it up, including the huge amount support that both these athletes provided to each other. World records fell to the might of these two powerhouses, both of whom came from nations other than the usually-dominant America.
2)  Michael Phelps vs. Ryan Lochte (2004-Present)
So here we have the two American powerhouses in swimming, Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps himself. In the beginning, Phelps was always finishing ahead of Lochte. Now it seems that the tables have finally turned for Lochte, going undefeated on an international stage to Phelps since Rome 2009 where their events overlapped and even breaking Phelps’ 200 IM world record from 2008 using an inferior suit.

3) America vs. Australia vs. France (2008-Present)
Traditionally, America has dominated the swimming field. In particular, their men’s 4×100 freestyle relay team has gone undefeated on an international stage until just a decade ago, where they were upset in the Sydney 2000 Olympics by none other than Australia, the US’s biggest rivals in swimming yet. Since then, the Americans have been defeated once more by both South Africa and the Netherlands in the following Athens 2004 Olympics and again by both Australia and France in the Shanghai 2011 World Championships. With France thirsty for revenge after losing the gold medal in 2008 by a fingernail touch and Australia with their most recent gold medal tucked under their belt, you can bet that the competition is going to become intense, for lack of a better adjective.
4) Rebecca Soni vs. Leisel Jones (2008-Present)
Swimming just isn’t complete without its girls, and I think this rivalry is one to behold. International competitions featuring Soni and Jones have always ended up with 1-2 finishes, with Soni gaining more of an upper hand in the 100 and Jones in the 200.

Other notable rivalries:
• 2008-Present: Ryan Lochte (America) vs. Park Tae Hwan (Korea) vs. Michael Phelps (America) vs. Paul Bidermann (Germany) vs. Yannick Agnel (France) – 200m freestyle
• 2008-Present: Kosuke Kitajima (Japan) vs. Brenton Rickard (Australia) vs. Brendan Hansen (America) – 100/200m breaststroke
• 2006-2011: Aaron Piersol (America) vs. Ryan Lochte (America) – 100/200m backstroke
• 2008-2009: Michael Phelps (America) vs. Milorad Cavic (Serbia) – 100m butterfly
• 2003-2008: Ian Crocker (America) vs. Michael Phelps (America) – 100m butterfly