COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — There’s no shortage of storylines in the pool at this summer’s Paris Olympics. The Americans bring a strong contingent as they have at nearly every Olympics that they’ve competed in. But there’s plenty of international talent that look to challenge Team USA for a spot on the podium.

From Katie Ledecky to Caeleb Dressel, there are plenty of familiar American faces who are back from the Tokyo Games. But there’s plenty of fresh talent as well, including Ohio native Carson Foster and the 17-year-old phenom from Virginia, Thomas Heilman. And in Paris, it’s set to be Team USA against the world, with Canada’s Summer McIntosh and Australia’s Emma McKeon set on winning gold.

Here’s a look at some of the major storylines to watch when the Olympic swimming competition gets underway on July 27 in Paris.

The basics

• Men’s and women’s events: 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x200m freestyle relay, 4x100m medley relay, 10km open water
• Mixed event: 4x100m medley relay
• Venues: La Défense Arena and the Seine River (open water)
• Dates: July 27-Aug. 4, Aug 8-9 (open water)

Returning faces, new expectations

A number of American swim stars from past Olympics are back, but expectations are slightly different for some of them. Caeleb Dressel won five gold medals for the United States at the Tokyo Olympics. But then a year later, he dropped out of the world championships in the middle of the meet for mental health-related reasons. Dressel stayed out of the pool for nearly a year until he began his comeback at the 2023 U.S. national championships. Now he enters Paris in a better headspace and will race in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly and the 4×100-meter free relay.

Simone Manuel also has thoughts of redemption entering the summer Games, looking to bounce back after suffering from overtraining syndrome in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The first African-American female swimmer to win an individual gold had doubts that she’d return to Olympic form but Manuel is qualified to swim in the 50m freestyle and the 4x100m freestyle relay.

One swimmer who has the same goals as she’s had for past Olympics is Katie Ledecky. The seven-time gold medalist will make her fourth Olympic appearance and will compete in the 400m, 800m and 1500m as well as the 4x200m free relay. Ledecky seeks her fourth straight gold in both distance races while she looks to get revenge in the 400m after losing to Australia’s Ariarne Titmus in Tokyo.

New kids on the block

Cincinnati’s Carson Foster will make his Olympic debut in Paris after winning the U.S. trials in both the 400m individual medley and the 200m individual medley. Foster is the next in line of a long list of successful American swimmers, including Chase Kalisz, Ryan Lochte and of course, Michael Phelps. But Foster will face tough competition in Paris, especially from France’s Léon Marchand, who is the world record holder in the 400 IM and will have the home crowd on his side.

Then there’s Thomas Heilman, who many have referred to as the next Phelps. While it’s quite the title to crown a 17-year-old with, there’s some truth to the comparison. The Crozet, Virginia, native won the 200 meter butterfly at the U.S. trials and finished second in the 100 fly, becoming the youngest American man to swim in multiple individual events at an Olympics since 1976.

Global stars ready to challenge

While Ariarne Titmus vs. Katie Ledecky is the headline battle in the women’s 400m freestyle, a Canadian phenom looks to spoil the duel between the past two Olympic champions in the event. Summer McIntosh is only 17 but she owns the world records in both the 400 free and the 400 individual medley.

The rest of the meet will likely be shaped as a rivalry competition between the Americans and the Australians. The swimmers from down under own seven world records in the women’s events, including Titmus, who has the fastest times in the 200 and 400 freestyle events. Australia also defeated the U.S. in both women’s freestyle relays at last year’s world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

Also worth noting …

• A doping scandal may overshadow the competition after a recent report revealed nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers tested positive for banned substances ahead of the Tokyo Games. Five of them won medals at the last Olympics. Entering Paris, there’s a level of mistrust surrounding the Chinese and the World Anti-Doping Agency that threaten to cloud the meet.
• Former Buckeyes swimmer Hunter Armstrong may not be the favorite in the individual 100m backstroke. But the Dover, Ohio, native is a contender to make the podium with his teammate Ryan Murphy. And after winning gold in the medley relay in Tokyo, Armstrong can add another medal as a member of the 4x100m freestyle relay team.
• After being the youngest athlete on the U.S. Olympic team in Tokyo, Katie Grimes will be swimming both outside and inside at the Paris Games. The 18-year-old is poised to be the first American woman to do both after qualifying in the open water competition as well as the 400m medley and the 1500m freestyle.

NBC4 Paris Olympics Previews

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• Six sports to learn more about
• Memorable moments for host nations
• Golf preview
• Water and extreme sports preview
• Team sports preview
• 22 international athletes to watch