British swimmers are having to wait longer than expected to get off the blocks in the Tokyo Aquatics Centre - but they have shown what could be to come next summer over the past 12 months.
From the European Short Course Championships in Glasgow and Manchester's National Para-Swimming Championships in December 2019 to the recent Budapest-bubble-based International Swimming League, all four of these nominees put in record-breaking performances.
Freya Anderson
After impressing at the World Championship earlier in the year, Freya Anderson would go on to enjoy a stunning few days at the European Short Course Championships in December 2019.
The then-Ellesmere College Titan had already won 100m Freestyle gold by the time she produced this superb performance in the 200m event, holding a steady pace from the blocks before powering through the final 50m to reel in Federica Pellegrini and Femke Heemskerk and touch first by 0.11 seconds.
It was a brilliant British record that Anderson would go on to break 11 months later, in the ISL, as her swimming stock continues to rise.
Duncan Scott
Duncan Scott just got better and better as the second ISL season progressed at Budapest's Duna Arena - and it culminated with him lopping a huge chunk off his own British record in the Men's 200m Freestyle on the final day.
The Steve Tigg-coached all-rounder also won the 400m Individual Medley and finished third in the 200m Individual Medley as the quality performances just kept coming from him for London Roar in the final.
But this display was arguably the most impressive. In an outside lane, Duncan focused on his own pacing and finished strongly to clock a 1.40.24 - nearly half-a-second faster than his and the nation's previous best, and quicker than the previous Commonwealth record as well for good measure.
Reece Dunn
Reece Dunn only joined the British Para-Swimming setup in 2019. By the end of the year, though, he had secured a trio of World Para-Swimming Championship titles in London, broken two world records and then clocked a best-ever British time to round out the year at the Activity Alliance National Para-Swimming Championships.
Dunn had picked up medals in freestyle, butterfly and individual medley events at the Worlds - so to further outline his versatility, the Plymouth Leander man decided to power out a brilliant S14 100m Backstroke performance at the year-ending event.
"I'm doing some more events than I usually do just to get some fitness back. So breaking the British record in an event which isn’t my main event is great," he humbly said after the result.
Adam Peaty
Adam Peaty always seems to know when it matters most - and this swim in the ISL final last month was further proof of his big-game mentality.
The reigning Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth champion had already broken Cameron van der Burgh's Men's 100m Breaststroke short-course world record earlier in the competition, exactly 11 years after the South African had set the bar.
And with every ISL point vital on the final day of competition, Peaty powered past Energy Standard rival Ilya Shymanovich in a dramatic final 10m to go better again, stopping the clock at 55.41 to claim a nerve-shredding win and adding to his ever-growing list of world-best marks. He was then back in the pool a little later to close out the entire ISL campaign with victory in the Men's Breaststroke Skins.
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