Swimming: Stars to watch

BBC Sport marks your swimming card with four names to watch out for at the Athens Olympics.

IAN THORPE

Thorpe is sport's true global superstar

The 'Thorpedo' is the man to beat in the water and few have come close to the feat in recent years.

Remarkably still only 21, the man with the size 17 feet already has three Olympic gold medals and two silvers under his belt after starring in front of his home crowd in Sydney four years ago.

Since then, world records and world titles have followed in abundance, so all eyes will be on him poolside in Athens.

His first world championship win came at the age of 15 when he remarkably defied his far more experienced peers to win the 400m freestyle in 1998.

Unsurprisingly he has been named Australian swimmer of the year for five consecutive seasons and has won countless other awards to boot.

For a man seemingly born to be in the water, unsurprisingly he lists the dolphin as one of his favourite creatures.

MICHAEL PHELPS

Phelps aims to overhaul Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals.

If Thorpe was the star of Sydney, it looks as though Phelps could be the main man of Athens.

The American is entered in eight events at this summer's Games as he attempts to surpass Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals.

At the tender age of 19, his list of achievements is already immense.

At the 2003 World Championships, he was named 'Swimmer of the Meet', after capturing six medals and breaking five world records.

Academy: Find out how Phelps handles the pressure

His performances made him the only person to ever break five individual world records at one international meet.

This year he has won five US national titles and goes to Athens as world record holder in the 200m fly, 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley.

The Maryland-born swimmer, who competes in five individual events and three relays at next month, made his Olympic debut at Sydney, where he was the youngest male competitor since 1932 at 15 years, nine months.

INGE DE BRUIJN

De Bruijn is a fearsome rival in the water

Holland's star of the pool has kept her outings on water to a minimum and may be very much in the twilight of her career at the age of 31, but she still leaves the majority of her rivals in her wake.

Four years ago she left Sydney with three gold medals - in the 50m and 100m freestyle and the 100m butterfly, in which she set a world record.

De Bruijn's determination to succeed has become legendary and is all the more bizarre considering she was left out of Holland's squad for the 1996 Games because of her "bad attitude".

She promptly moved to Oregon in the United States in a bid to build up her muscle mass, for which she has since reaped the rewards.

She is so strong, her physique is said to be on a par with many of the leading men.

This season she boasts the quickest time in the water in the 50m butterfly and remains in the top three in the 50m and 100m freestyle as well as the 100m butterfly.

YANA KLOCHKOVA

Thomas sets the standard at butterfly

When it comes to the individual medley, few do it better than the 21-year-old Ukrainian.

She won gold in the 200m and 400m individual at the Sydney Olympics and she has continued her dominance in both events in the short and long-course world championships since, continually snatching gold.

Already this year she boasts the fastest time in the 400m long-course, as well as the second quickest at the shorter distance.

And at this year's European Championships she doubled up with gold in the 200 and 400 medlies to help the Ukraine top the medal table.

She started to swim in 1989 and comes from a sporting background - both her parents are former track and field athletes.

Away from the pool, she lists her two passions as music and crosswords.