By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
2025 SWIMMING WORLD CUP – CARMEL
- October 10-12, 2025
- Carmel, Indiana
- SCM (25 meters)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- All The Links
- Day 1 Finals Recap
Day 1 of the 2025 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup had plenty of headlines, with an American Record and five U.S. Open Records, among many other national records, falling in 12 events on the night.
But beyond the headlines, there were a number of swims down the ranks worth noticing. Here’s four big ones from Friday night in Carmel.
Rebecca Meder Just Misses South African Record in the 200 Breast
After going a 2:19.11 in prelims, South African Rebecca Meder finished 3rd in finals in 2:18.14. That just-missed the South African and African records of 2:18.02 swum by Olympic gold medalist Tatjana Schoenmaker in 2020.
A versatile 200 IM’er, Meder has not historically been very good in this 200 breaststroke. At the World Cup in 2022, for example, she swam 2:23.64 in the event. But in late 2024, she really started showing good results in this event, going 2:19.77 in SCM at the South African National Championships in September 2024.
It has been mostly short course meters, though she popped a 2:23.61 in long course in April 2025 at the South African National Championships.
She wound up racing the event at the World Championships, but was just 2:28.40 at that meet in long course.
South Africa has had a ton of success lately with turning out women’s breaststrokers, and it is the stroke that has produced most of the country’s global stars (including tFhe legendary Penny Heyns). At 23, this shift should benefit the breaststroke leg of her IM, which was previously a weakness of that event for her, but has become a strength.
At the 2023 World Championships, for example, she placed 10th in the 200 IM. Only 2 (legally finishing) swimmers in the semis split slower than her 38.18 on the breaststroke leg. In 2025, she finished 10th again, but this time split 37.56 on the breaststroke leg. That ranked 7th of the 16 semifinalists.
A New Belgian Record for Roos
20-year-old Roos Vanotterdijk from Belgium was one of the breakout swimmers of 2025, and she’s not slowing down into the short course season.
She finished 3rd in the 100 IM in 57.44 on Friday, which took almost half-a-second off her own Belgian Record of 57.92. That swim was done at a meet in Denmark in December 2024.
All of that came on the front half, where she was six-tenths faster on Friday than she was in December. Primarily a sprint freestyler and backstroker, her finding more front-end speed is scary for her future potential.
Japanese Teen Phenom Yumeki Kojima Swims a Best Time
In August, Japanese 16-year-old Yumeki Kojima dropped a 1:57.32 in the 200 IM, which is the fastest swim in history by a 16-year-old.
After scratching the 200 back at the World Junior Championships, he now seems to be leaning into the event, finishing 7th in 1:53.61 (behind 20-year-old teammate Tomoyuki Matsushita, who was also a best time of 1:53.29).
While that time would not have final’ed at the last World Short Course Championships, he is younger than any swimmer in that field, and this is not a primary event for him.
Charlotte Crush Drops Half a Second in the 50 Back – 26.60
Crush, a 17-year-old from Louisville and the #1 recruit in the high school class of 2026, swam a 26.60 in the 50 back final to finish 7th. That was .04 seconds faster than she swam in prelims.
Crush, a very good swimmer in short course yards, last swam this race at the 2022 World Cup in Indianapolis, where she finished 11th in 27.16. Crush is the defending World Junior Champion in the 100 back (in long course).
She now ranks as the 17th-fastest American woman in history in this event, just behind Alex Walsh.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: World Cup Carmel Day 1: Swims You Might Have Missed (Records, Near Records, and New Races)
