By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam
2025 SWIMMING WORLD CUP – CARMEL
- October 10-12, 2025
- Carmel, Indiana
- SCM (25 meters)
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The first prelims session of the 2025 World Cup– Carmel went off this morning and many of the stars were out, but World Record Holder Gretchen Walsh will be in one less event tonight.
After qualifying 2nd in both the 50 free and 100 IM this morning, Walsh has scratched out of the 50 free final, moving 9th place finisher Katharine Berkoff into her spot. Berkoff is also in the 50 backstroke as the 2nd event, which is estimated to swim about 40 minutes before the 50 free.
This morning, she swam the events back-to-back with only eight heats of men’s 50 free and three heats of women’s 100 IM between. Tonight, that break would have been cut down to just a single heat of men’s 50 fee with an estimated 11 minutes between events.
Walsh was originally entered in three events this morning, adding the 50 backstroke to her schedule, but she no-showed the event earlier in the session.
Her scratch has implications beyond just tonight’s final. She has confirmed her presence at all three World Cup stops, and as the World Record holder in the 50 free, she would have been the favorite to win the event at all three stops, earning a $10,000 bonus in her prize money.
She will no longer be able to win the Triple Crown in the 50 free, but if she wins the 100 IM tonight, where she is also the World Record holder and favorite, she will check off the first win for the Triple Crown in that event.
She was the only scratch of the session.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2025 World Cup — Carmel: Gretchen Walsh Scratches 50 Free Final
