The 2015 Kazan World Aquatics Championships are just around the corner ~ American athletes to keep an eye on before the Rio Olympics

With just a few days to go until the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, USA Swimming recently held a discussion with key coaches and athletes in preparation for the Olympic Trials (selection for the US national team) for next summer's Rio Olympics.

During the nearly two-hour discussion, the current top athletes in each event and highlights of the events were discussed from various angles.

So, I'd like to condense the two-hour discussion and quickly cover the athletes I want to keep an eye on from the Kazan World Aquatics Championships to the Rio Olympics in 10 slides. The athletes in the photos are the ones the US national team coaches have high hopes for.

First,,,

When it comes to freestyle, Katie Ledecky comes first. She is currently leading the freestyle rankings in other events. Furthermore, Ledecky is currently the only female athlete to have been selected for the Olympic team for men's freestyle. She is truly the queen of freestyle!

There are also gold medalists on the men's freestyle list.

In the women's backstroke, in addition to familiar names like Beisel and Franklin, Rachel Bootsma is not currently at the top, but her coaches have high expectations for her growth.

Lawrence is the current breaststroke queen. Also, keep an eye on Larson, who carries a lot of expectations!

When it comes to American men's breaststroke, Cordis is the clear winner!

Stewart (currently the top 100m athlete) is in the 57 second range, and Adams (top 200m athlete) is the only one to be in the 2 minute 6 second range.

In addition to the familiar swimmers Phelps and Clary, there is Shields, the hottest man in the US men's butterfly. He is a rising star from Southern California. He is currently ranked first and second in the 100m and 200m. His coaches have high expectations of him.

Beisel, who was also the guest athlete at the discussion, was charming in his talk but his dignity as a veteran member of the U.S. team remains undiminished.

This is likely to be a hotly contested battle. It is still unclear when Phelps will fully return to international competition, but his records and rankings suggest he is on the way to a comeback.

Taking into account the rankings from this summer, it would be interesting to use this as material for watching the Kazan World Aquatics Championships, which are just a few days away.