Who Will Rule the 2015 World Aquatics Championships?June 16, 2015

The 2015 World Aquatics Championships will be held in Kazan, Russia from July 24 to August 9. This will be a highly-anticipated event, as the 2016 Summer Olympics will be a year away. Michael Phelps, who will bid for his fifth successive appearance in the Olympics, won't be part of the US team. It hardly matters, as the event will give fans a preview of who will shine in Rio de Janeiro.

Australia only won three golds in the 2013 worlds, but it's a good sign. At the 2012 Olympics, the Aussies didn't finish first in the individual events. It would have been an embarrassment if not for the women winning the 400 freestyle relay. Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky will lead Team USA, and both are strong favourites. The men's side is wide open, unless Ryan Lochte is in top form.

Here are the Aussie swimmers to watch out:

James Magnussen. The two-time winner of the 100-meter freestyle didn't finish first in the Australian Swimming Championships last April. He was aiming to break the world record, which Brazil's César Cielo set during the 2009 worlds. But he finished second behind Cameron McEvoy. (The event doubled as the national trials for this year's worlds.) This wasn't the first. (Magnussen was tipped to win the gold in the blue-ribbon event in London, but he was edged out by American Nathan Adrian by a hundredth of a second.) Eamon Sullivan (a.k.a. Sullo) was a former world holder of the 100 meter, but he didn't finish first in the Olympics and worlds. It won't be the case with the Port Macquarie native, nicknamed "The Missile". He has a good chance of matching Russia's Alexander Popov's record of winning the event three times, but he'll have stiff competition.

Christian Sprenger. Australia doesn't have an Olympic winner in the men's 100-meter breaststroke, but that might change in Rio. The native of Brisbane won the event in Barcelona, becoming the second Aussie to do so. (Brendan Ricker was the winner in the 2009 worlds in Rome.) Kosuke Kitajima and Brendan Hansen, who have dominated the event for years, might not be around in Rio. This makes Sprenger a slight favourite. South Africa's Cameron van der Burgh, the 2012 Olympic champion, will likely defend his title in Rio. Great Britain's Adam Peatty set a new world record of 57.92 in London last April. Fans know who will make it to the podium.

Cate Campbell. Some thought that Campbell's win in the 100 meters in the 2013 worlds was a huge upset, as Missy Franklin also entered in the event. The American finished fourth, but she ended up with six golds. Expect another showdown between the two in Kazan. The 22-year-old, who completed her secondary school studies at Kenmore State High School in Brisbane, could be the next great Aussie swimmer. The expectations are high, but she seems to handle it.

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