9th October 2017. Who is the best swimmer in the world? Before you can answer that question, you'll need to be more specific: male or female? Men and women compete on different levels, and their accomplishments can be quite different from one another. After that, you'll need to be even more specific: what do you mean by "the best"? Even the most elite swimmers can have an off day and end up blown out in a race that they would usually win. Taking the time to figure out who qualifies as the best based solely on statistics may not work well, either ? so how can you answer the question? Luckily, we don't have to do it on our own: many official bodies help us judge a swimmer based on the totality of what they've accomplished in their career or during a given year. Such is the case with the US-based publication Swimming World, which for more than 50 years has named its "World Swimmer of the Year" for both men and women. A distinguished title, being named World Swimmer of the Year means that the individual has achieved a standout performance over the course of the entire year. For 2016, the honours went to the illustrious Michael Phelps in the men's category and the indomitable Katie Ledecky in the women's arena. These are two swimming champions who need no introduction, but what was it about their 2016 performances that led to their ability to claim these titles? 2016 did see an exciting Olympics in Rio, after all, but there's more to it than those performances alone. Their action-packed careers also speak for themselves. Let's take a closer look at their lives, their accomplishments, and the way these two incredible American swimmers continued to dominate on the world stage.

Michael Phelps: contender for the Greatest of All Time?

Michael Phelps is no stranger to the world stage of swimming, and he's certainly no stranger to Swimming World Magazine's annual list ? this is his eighth time as the winner! His first win came all the way back in 2003, and he has continued to capture the title year after year. Given his outstanding performances in many Olympic Games, it's no surprise that he has so many honours. However, it was a long and hard road to reach that point, and it hasn't been without some stumbling blocks along the way. His story begins way back at the age of seven when he first started swimming seriously. Believe it or not, Phelps was initially afraid to submerge fully in the water; the idea of putting his head underwater was terrifying! As a result, the first swimming stroke he mastered was the backstroke. While it was an early source of swimming passion for Phelps, it's certainly his weakest stroke, and he has only one silver medal in that category. Nonetheless, it ignited a passion that was only further inflamed by the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Watching world-class swimmers compete on that level inspired Phelps to train harder with the goal of ultimately making it to the Olympics himself. By the time he reached high school, his talent started to manifest more fully. Joining his school's swim team, he met Bob Bowman, the man who would become his long-time coach and help lead Phelps to greatness. It didn't take Bowman long to realise he had a special talent on his hands, and he and Phelps began working together to train harder every day. By the age of 15, he achieved the first part of his dream: he qualified for the US Olympic Team that went to Sydney for the 2000 Games. Though he returned home empty-handed, it ignited a thirst for more. Phelps has set numerous world records over his career, with his first coming in 2001 ? making him the youngest person to ever set a swimming world record. His abilities continued to mature, and throughout the early 2000s, Phelps continued to set and break world records in his best events such as the freestyle and butterfly strokes. All this hard work finally culminated in the 2008 Olympics, known to many as one of the most impressive displays of swimming talent ever. That year, Phelps broke a long-standing record and took home an incredible eight gold medals. With only one exception, each of these medal performances set a brand-new world record. These eight medals added to those he had already won, giving him an impressive 18 in total. Over the next two Olympic Games, Phelps would go on to capture even more gold, settling on 23 in total ? the most in history. It's no surprise that this final performance before his retirement would put him at the top of Swimming World Magazine's list once more. Despite problems outside of the pool with drinking, resulting in several arrests for driving while intoxicated, Phelps remained committed to achieving his goals.

Katie Ledecky: an unstoppable powerhouse in the pool

Like Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky is no stranger to being named the World Swimmer of the Year ? she's already taken the title down four times now. More impressively, Ledecky's four wins all come in consecutive years beginning with the 2013 title, when she was just sixteen years old. Just a year prior, in 2012, she competed in the London 2012 Olympics, becoming the youngest American participant in the Games that year. She even took down a gold medal in the 800-metre freestyle to prove that she means business. It didn't all begin at the Olympics, though, so how did Ledecky make it to the top of her field? The daughter of a collegiate swimmer, Ledecky also took the pool at a young age, first beginning her efforts at the age of six. Her talent and drive for achievement were obvious almost from the start, and her parents moved to set her up with an established and experienced training coach. The effort paid off in no time as Ledecky began to dominate the competition in her age bracket, eventually booking wins in the USA's Junior Championships. From there, it was no sweat for Ledecky to qualify for the US Olympic Team with a win against swimmers several years her senior. That led her to secure her first gold medal in the 800-metre freestyle in London. In the years between the London and the Rio Games, Ledecky continued to blow her competition away in both the World Championships and the Pan Pacific Championship, winning multiple events in each competition. As for world records? Ledecky is a killer competitor in that area, too, sometimes posting up records in consecutive events in the same competition. Today, she has more than a dozen world records to her name. The Rio Games brought Ledecky to prominence and a much wider audience, though, as she edged out close wins against competitors and stunned the crowd with her comeback abilities. Altogether, she brought home four gold medals from Rio, three in individual events and one in a group relay. For all these accomplishments, she received her fourth World Swimmer of the Year title ? but she didn't stop there. Even as recently as earlier this year, Ledecky has continued to dominate as she enters the collegiate world. The 2017 World Championships brought her another five gold medals. With youth on her side, Ledecky is just getting started regarding her professional career. As someone known for setting lofty goals and then working tirelessly to achieve them, it's exciting to see what she will strive to achieve in the future.

Who will be next year's World Swimmer of the Year?

These two swimmers are undoubtedly at their peak. With Phelps hanging up his swim goggles for good and potentially looking to transition into a coaching role, it's anyone's guess as to who will rise to the top of the men's field next year. As for Ledecky, her career is still just getting started. At the age of 20, she has many more years of competition and even a few more Olympic Games ahead of her ? don't be surprised if she makes it to the #1 spot in Swimming World next year, too. Will we see an as-yet unknown swimmer rise to the peak of their talent? It could happen! For now, we'll just have to wait and see while we continue to enjoy the sport at its highest levels.