By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam
2025 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – Westmont
The final session of the 2025 Swimming World Cup stop in Westmont is about to unfold, with the series set to conclude in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, from Thursday, October 23, to Saturday, October 25.
Tonight’s session will feature the fastest heats of the men’s 400 IM and women’s 1500 freestyle, as well as the finals of the women’s 100 butterfly, men’s 50 butterfly, women’s 200 backstroke, men’s 100 backstroke, women’s 50 breaststroke, men’s 200 breaststroke, women’s 100 freestyle, men’s 200 freestyle, and women’s 200 individual medley.
Follow along below for real-time updates.
Men’s 400m Individual Medley – Fastest Heat
- World Record: 3:54.81 – Daiya Seto (JPN), 2019
- World Cup Record: 3:57.25 – Daiya Seto (JPN), 2019
- World Junior Record: 3:56.47 – Ilia Borodin (RUS), 2021
- U.S. Open Record: 3:54.81 – Daiya Seto (JPN), 2019
Top 8 Finishers:
- Shaine Casas (USA) – 3:57.41
- Carson Foster (USA) – 3:58.18
- Tomoyuki Matsushita (JPN) – 4:02.26
- Alberto Razzetti (ITA) – 4:04.53
- Max Litchfield (GBR) – 4:06.35
- Brendon Smith (AUS) – 4:07.36
- David Schlicht (AUS) – 4:07.65
- Lucas Henveaux (BEL) – 4:08.56
American Shaine Casas made his presence known early, taking the lead on the butterfly leg with a 24.24 opening 50 before hitting the 100-meter mark at 52.87. He held an advantage of 1.11 seconds over Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita and 1.99 seconds over fellow American Carson Foster.
On the backstroke, Casas’ lead was trimmed to just 0.46 by Matsushita through the first 50, with Foster also gaining about half a second to sit 1.46 seconds back. At the halfway turn, Casas picked up the pace slightly to extend his lead to just over a second, while Foster inched closer to Matsushita, sitting just over three-tenths behind.
Despite breaststroke being considered his weaker leg on paper, Casas pulled ahead, extending his lead to 1.68 seconds. Foster moved into second place ahead of Matsushita, who trailed 2.17 seconds behind Casas.
Heading into the freestyle, Casas maintained a 1.79-second lead, with Matsushita more than 2.5 seconds behind the two Texas training partners. Foster made a big push on the final 100, as expected given his strong freestyle performances of late — winning the 400 free last week in Carmel, finishing runner-up this week, and taking silver in the 800 free last night. It wasn’t to be, though, as Casas held him off to win in 3:57.41 to 3:58.18, with Matsushita earning bronze in 4:02.26.
Casas’ time obliterated his previous lifetime best of 4:03.10 from last week’s Carmel stop, where he earned bronze. He now ranks as the seventh-fastest performer in history, leapfrogging Foster’s personal best of 3:57.45 from the Short Course World Championships last December.
While Foster downgraded from gold last week, he did crush his season best of 3:59.58 in the process. Matsushita finished just shy of his 4:01.82 lifetime best, which earned him the same position a week ago.
Speaking poolside after the race, Casas reflected on his massive improvement from last week, saying, “You know, from last week — I was struggling in the morning then — but coming in tonight and actually getting to race these boys definitely adds to your performance. Last week was pretty tough; I definitely struggled on the breaststroke, and it’s something I’ve been working on, but I didn’t really have it then. I was just super happy to be able to race in front of the crowd this time and show a lot more of where I’m at with this event.”
Asked about holding off Foster over the final 100, Casas stated, “I normally breathe to my left, but on the last lap I switched to the right so I could see him. I was kind of just staring, like, ‘Please don’t catch me.’”
Women’s 1500m Freestyle – Fastest Heat
Top 8 Finishers:
- Lani Pallister (AUS) – 15:13.83 *U.S. Open Record*
- Erika Fairweather (NZL) – 15:30.22
- Caitlin Deans (NZL) – 15:42.18
- Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN) – 15:49.06
- Molly Walker (AUS) – 15:58.43
- Karolina Ann Valko (SVK) – 16:45.50
- Laila Oravsky (CLB) – 16:49.62
- Kylie Thompson (CLB) – 17:15.38
As expected, Australia’s Lani Pallister was untouchable in the women’s 1500 freestyle, seizing control from the opening stroke and never relinquishing her lead. She flirted with world-record pace through the first 400 meters but gradually faded, ultimately finishing just over 5.5 seconds shy of Katie Ledecky‘s 2022 mark.
Pallister touched the wall in 15:13.83, the second-fastest performance in history, trailing only Ledecky’s three-year-old world record of 15:08.24. She obliterated her previous personal best and Australian record of 15:21.43, set when she captured the 2022 World Short Course title, and also shattered the U.S. Open record of 15:42.05, held by Katie Grimes from the 2022 Indianapolis World Cup.
The battle for silver and bronze was equally decisive, with New Zealand teammates Erika Fairweather (15:30.22) and Caitlin Deans (15:42.18) both posting new personal bests. Fairweather broke the 16-minute barrier for the first time, while Deans crushed her previous mark of 15:51.98 from 2022.
Speaking poolside after the race, Pallister reflected on her record swim, saying, “I remember racing the 1500 at the 2022 Short Course Worlds, just before Katie swam at the World Cup, and the world record was 15:19. So to go 15:13 tonight, I’m happy with that for now. It actually felt pretty awful at the 200, so I didn’t think it would be that quick — but I’ll take it for the second week of the World Cup. Hopefully, I can get that 800 cracked next week.”
Asked about chasing Ledecky’s pace early on, she smiled and added, “She’s raised the bar so high in distance swimming, and it’s really cool to be edging closer. I grew up idolizing Katie, and it’s pretty surreal to be in the pool racing her now and going to world champs with her. But I’ve also got big goals for my own career moving forward. It’s been a pretty incredible year after moving to a new program at St. Peter’s in March, and I’m so excited to keep working with everyone there and keep making progress.”
Women’s 100m Butterfly – Final
Top 8 Finishers:
- Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 53.72
- Alexandria Perkins (AUS) – 55.43
- Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL) – 55.79
- Olivia Wunsch (AUS) – 56.71
- Ellen Walshe (IRL) – 56.74
- Brittany Castelluzzo (AUS) – 57.49
- Laura Lahtinen (FIN) – 58.30
- Vanessa Ouwehand (NZL) – 58.95
Gretchen Walsh collected her third victory of the meet after winning the 100 IM and 50 fly earlier in the week, and her triumph in the 100 fly marks her second consecutive week sweeping all three events.
Walsh was out in 11.29 at the 25-meter mark, just 0.13 behind her own world record pace, then hit the wall at 24.51 at the halfway point, 0.33 off the record split. She reached the 75-meter mark in 38.82, now 0.83 behind pace, and ultimately touched in 53.72—just 0.03 shy of her 53.69 World Cup record from Carmel.
Australia’s Alexandria Perkins touched second in 55.43, while Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk claimed bronze in 55.79—the same podium positions as a week ago, though both were slightly off their times of 54.93 and 55.64.
After the race, Walsh reflected on how she’s leading the overall standings, stating, “I’m definitely excited for the last stop to hopefully secure those crowns, but I love ending on the 100 fly.”
When asked about the enthusiastic crowds throughout the weekend, she said, “Thank you guys so much for being here. I had so much fun signing autographs last night and taking some photos, but your support is very valuable and it’s not going unnoticed, so thank you.”
Men’s 50m Butterfly – Final
Top 8 Finishers:
- Ilya Kharun (CAN) – 21.69 *U.S. Open Record*
- Noe Ponti (SUI) – 21.80
- Finlay Brooks (CLB) – 22.09
- Josh Liendo (CAN) – 22.31
- Tzen Wei Teong (SGP) – 22.39
- Simone Stefani (ITA) – 22.43
- Dylan Carter (TTO) – 22.48
- Ralf Tribuntsov (EST) – 22.75
Canadian Ilya Kharun claimed his second victory of the meet in the 50 butterfly with a time of 21.69, touching just 0.02 shy of his own Canadian Record while shattering his U.S. Open Record of 21.86 from Carmel last week.
Switzerland’s Noe Ponti, the world record holder at 21.32, settled for second in 21.80. The duo were deadlocked at the 25-meter turn in 9.99, but Kharun proved too strong on the back half for Ponti to catch.
Kharun won the 200 fly yesterday, and his Canadian record of 21.67 came when he took silver behind Ponti at last year’s Short Course Worlds.
Team USA’s Finlay Brooks, who trains at Indiana, clocked a best time of 22.09 to claim bronze, improving on his 22.22 from prelims.
After the race, Kharun talked about his win, saying, “It was very good, you know, very happy about it. We’re working on how we can get better, but it’s just such a privilege. I love racing with one of the best, so it’s just so amazing.” When asked if he could challenge for the series crown next week, Kharun kept it simple, “We’ll see next week.”
Women’s 200m Backstroke – Final
Top 8 Finishers:
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 1:57.87 *World Record*
- Regan Smith (USA) – 1:57.91 *American Record*
- Miranda Grana (CLB) – 2:01.96
- Phoebe Bacon (CLB) – 2:02.13
- Hannah Fredericks (AUS) – 2:03.11
- Anastasiya Shkurdai (NAA) – 2:04.72
- Madison Kryger (CAN) – 2:04.76
- Rhyan White (CLB) – 2:05.54
Kaylee McKeown of Australia swam to a new World Record in the women’s 200 backstroke, posting 1:57.87; the time broke the previous mark of 1:58.04 set by Regan Smith last December at the Short Course Worlds.
McKeown took the race out quickly, splitting 27.93 on the opening 50 to hold a tenth advantage over Smith, and she never relinquished the lead from there.
The Australian’s surge on the third 50 proved decisive—her 29.82 split was 0.24 faster than Smith’s 30.06, giving her just enough cushion to hold off the American. Though McKeown maintained a marginal advantage throughout, the two swam stroke for stroke over the final lap, with Smith outsplitting her by 0.37 over the final 50 to nearly clip her at the finish.
McKeown became the first woman in history under 1:58, while Smith’s runner-up finish of 1:57.91 also broke her previous World and American Records.
Tonight’s effort marked McKeown’s fifth career swim under the 2:00 barrier and extended her dominance in the backstroke events after also winning the 50 and 200 back titles in both Carmel and Westmont. Smith, meanwhile, remains the world record holder in the 50 and 100 backstrokes after tying her own 54.02 mark in the 100 last night.
For Smith, the performance represented a big-time rebound from her 2:00.07 last week, and she now sits just 0.04 shy of reclaiming the world record as the two continue their thrilling rivalry heading into the Toronto stop next week.
After the race, McKeown reflected on the battle with Smith, “I’ve had pretty poor swims so far, so I just wanted to see what I could do tonight, and I think having Regan there pushed me the whole way through. It’s something I’m used to—always racing one another—so it’s a fun time.”
With Smith having captured the 100 world record yesterday, McKeown knew she needed an aggressive strategy, “I just wanted to kind of go out hard and hold on. It’s something I’m not really used to doing, but obviously in short course, I can kind of afford to do that. But I have a feeling next week Regan will be a lot faster so we’ll see what happens.”
Men’s 100m Backstroke – Final
Top 8 Finishers:
- Hubert Kos (HUN) – 48.78 *World Cup Record & U.S. Open Record*
- Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 49.60
- Kacper Stokowski (CLB) – 49.95
- Finlay Knox (CAN) – 50.01
- Miroslav Knedla (CLB) – 50.35
- Enoch Robb (AUS) – 50.55
- Ksawery Masiuk (POL) – 50.95
- Grant Bochenski (CLB) – 51.18
Hungarian Hubert Kos completed his sweep of the backstrokes in Westmont with a victory in the 100, marking two consecutive stops where he’s won all three backstroke races. He’s now on track to claim three triple crowns in Toronto next week.
Kos hit the 50-meter turn in 23.42, three-hundredths under world record pace, but fell off by four-tenths over the closing 50 to win in 48.78. The time clipped his own Hungarian record of 48.79, which he swam en route to silver at Short Course Worlds last December, and also took down Shaine Casas‘ 48.84 World Cup Record and Matt Grevers‘ 48.92 U.S. Open standard.
Italy’s Thomas Ceccon claimed silver in 49.60, missing his personal best by just 0.01 but was way faster than the 50.20 he posted last week.
Poland’s Kacper Stokowski earned bronze in 49.95, just 0.03 slower than the 49.92 he swam in Carmel, when he took silver over Ceccon.
After the race, Kos acknowledged the toll of back-to-back racing weeks, stating, “It was pretty hard and I’m feeling that 100 back a little bit more than last week, but you know, this is what it’s all about. I keep saying this, but I love racing these guys, and maybe I can challenge the world record even next week, so we’ll see.”
Despite being under world record pace at the halfway point, Kos was pleased with his personal best, saying, “Especially after, you know, the 50 back wasn’t great, 200 back wasn’t really that good either, so finally we got a good swim in there. Yeah, faded the last 25, but we’ll see what we can do next week.”
Women’s 50m Breaststroke – Final
Top 8 Finishers:
- Mona McSharry (IRL) – 29.59
- Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR) – 29.66
- Florine Gaspard (BEL) – 29.70
- Sophie Angus (CAN) – 30.12
- Skyler Smith (CLB) – 30.24
- Satomi Suzuki (JPN) – 30.24
- Henrietta Fangli (HUN) – 30.40
- Emelie Fast (CLB) – 30.46
Ireland’s Mona McSharry captured her first victory of the 2025 World Cup Series, winning the women’s 50 breaststroke in 29.59 to equal her Irish Record. The performance was a significant improvement on her fourth-place finish from last week.
She defeated Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko, the 2021 world champion in the event, who touched in a season-best 29.66. Belgium’s Florine Gaspard rounded out the podium in 29.70, just off her 29.58 Belgian Record from Carmel, where she took silver.
McSharry has been strong across all three breaststroke events this week, breaking the Irish Record in the 200 breast en route to fourth place and taking silver in the 100 breast with a season best.
The 25-year-old said in her post-race interview, “That was kind of just one of those races where everything fell together, which is what you need for a 50, so I’m really happy with that. You know, people who aren’t watching don’t understand how perfect a 50 needs to be — everything has to come together.”
When asked if she thinks during the race or just lets it happen, she explained, “Definitely repetitions in training. I think a bit of visualization, and then once I get in, it’s all automatic.”
Men’s 200m Breaststroke – Final
Top 8 Finishers:
- Caspar Corbeau (NED) – 2:01.68
- Carles Coll Marti (ESP) – 2:03.61
- Shin Ohashi (JPN) – 2:03.62
- Joshua Matheny (CLB) – 2:03.77
- Ippei Watanabe (JPN) – 2:04.70
- David Schlicht (AUS) – 2:05.61
- Yamato Fukasawa (JPN) – 2:05.95
- Ilya Shymanovich (NAA) – 2:06.38
The Netherlands’ Caspar Corbeau cruised to his second consecutive victory in the men’s 200 breaststroke, touching in 2:01.68, just off his 2:01.63 Dutch record from last week. He led from start to finish, defeating reigning world champion Carles Coll Marti of Spain, who touched in 2:03.61, just 0.01 ahead of rising Japanese star Shin Ohashi (2:03.62).
Ohashi shattered his previous best of 2:04.03 from Japanese Nationals almost exactly a year ago, and with the 2012 World Junior Record of 2:03.23 held by Akihiro Yamaguchi now within reach, a potential time could be in the cards next week.
Coll Marti’s best remains the 2:01.55 he produced to win the 2024 world title.
After the race, Corbeau reflected on his performance: “That felt good, a little bit slower than last week. I was trying to get under 2:01—I had a bet with my coach for amusement—so it went well, but I’m still learning.” The stakes? “He would have to do a bodybuilding competition. I think that would be pretty funny for a middle-aged man to get spray-painted orange in front of his team and have to do it.”
Corbeau analyzed the race in comparison to last week, saying, “It was a few hundredths slower. I have to look at how I split it. I felt a little bit more rushed maybe. I should have relaxed a little bit more and glided, using my strengths.”
Despite his dominance this week, Corbeau remains focused on improvement: “I’m against a great field of competitors. Every week is a struggle. I’m just trying to take in little bits and pieces of the races throughout these weeks. And if I can get everything right, maybe next week we’ll see a sweep—I don’t know, I’m just trying to focus on the time.”
He also discussed the training environment this week, saying, “It was nice. I haven’t had a training partner at that super high level since Arno, and that was before Paris, so last year and part of this year I’ve been doing it by myself. Even for just a few days, it was nice to have somebody beating me in practice, which I haven’t had in a while. I also wanted to do a little bit less yardage in meters than originally planned this week. We’re training through. It’s just a build towards Europeans in a few weeks and Paris in the summer.”
Women’s 100m Freestyle – Final
Top 8 Finishers:
- Kate Douglass (USA) – 50.19
- Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) – 51.44
- Marrit Steenbergen (NED) – 51.56
- Olivia Wunsch (AUS) – 52.04
- Taylor Ruck (CAN) – 52.15
- Katarzyna Wasick (POL) – 52.29
- Sara Curtis (ITA) – 52.33
- Anna Peplowski (CLB) – 52.86
Team USA’s Kate Douglass added another World Record to her resume, dominating the women’s 100 freestyle with a time of 50.19. Her time shaved 0.06 seconds off the previous World Record of 50.25, set by Australia’s Cate Campbell in 2017, and also broke Gretchen Walsh’s American Record of 50.31, set at the 2024 Short Course Worlds.
Douglass was under World Record pace at the 50-meter mark, splitting 23.88, and held on over the final 50 meters with a 26.31 split. For comparison, Campbell’s 2017 splits were 24.21 / 26.04, while Walsh’s American Record splits were 23.90 / 26.41.
With this performance, Douglass now holds the SCM World Records in the 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, and 200 IM, and is part of the U.S. women’s 4×100 freestyle, 4×100 medley, and mixed 4×50 medley relay teams that also hold SCM World Records.
Coming into tonight, Douglass’s lifetime best was 50.76 from last December’s Worlds, while her season best was 50.83, set en route to her win last week.
Splits Comparison:
|
Douglass |
Campbell |
Walsh |
| 50 |
23.88 |
24.21 |
23.9 |
| 100 |
26.31 |
26.04 |
26.41 |
| Final |
50.19 |
50.25 |
50.31 |
Tonight’s podium was rounded out by Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan, who took silver in 51.44, slightly slower than her 51.13 that earned her silver last week. The Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen claimed bronze in 51.56, matching her season best to the hundredth and securing a second-straight bronze.
Speaking poolside after her record swim, Douglass said, “I feel like my first two races of the stop, I wasn’t super happy with. I wasn’t sure if I was going to go faster in that event. I had a good prelims swim, and after I watched a few of my friends break World Records, I thought I was just going to go for it tonight. Go out fast and see if I can hold on.
“This morning, I felt like I went out pretty fast, so my goal was to just go out a little faster,” she added. “I could feel myself being able to finish it pretty well. I wasn’t dying as bad as I thought. I’m definitely happy with the swim. I came in with a mission tonight to have a good swim. I’m proud of that.”
Men’s 200m Freestyle – Final
Top 8 Finishers:
- Luke Hobson (USA) – 1:40.62
- Chris Guiliano (CLB) – 1:41.34
- Grant House (CLB) – 1:41.52
- Matthew Richards (GBR) – 1:42.03
- Patrick Sammon (CLB) & Lucas Henveaux (BEL) – 1:42.35
- N/A
- Brooks Curry (CLB) – 1:42.86
- Kieran Smith (USA) – 1:44.45
American Luke Hobson led from start to finish to win the men’s 200 freestyle, lowering his own U.S. Open record with a time of 1:40.62. That erased his previous mark of 1:41.19, set just last week at the first stop of the World Cup Series in Carmel.
Hobson’s training partner, Chris Guiliano, touched the wall second in 1:41.34, replicating his runner-up finish from last week and setting a new personal best.
Grant House made it a 1-2-3 USA sweep with his 1:41.52 personal best for bronze, while Team GB’s Matthew Richards took fourth in 1:42.03, just behind his third-place 1:41.76 from last week. Richards’ career best remains 1:41.01 from December 2023.
Split Comparison:
| Split |
Hobson – This Week |
Hobson – Carmel |
Hobson – World Record (2024 SCM Worlds) |
| 50 |
23.27 |
23.71 |
23.18 |
| 100 |
25.42 |
25.43 |
24.69 |
| 150 |
25.75 |
25.81 |
25.09 |
| 200 |
26.18 |
26.24 |
25.65 |
| Final Time |
1:40.62 |
1:41.19 |
1:38.61 |
Hobson was nearly half a second faster on the first 50 meters compared to last week and only 0.09 seconds off his World Record pace at the 50 turn. He fell slightly behind World Record pace at the 100 mark but maintained faster splits for the remainder of the race, compared to Carmel.
Tonight’s 1:40.62 marks the #13 performance of all time. Hobson holds the top two swims in history, including his 1:38.91 former World Record set last December at the 2024 SCM World Championships.
“It feels great—really strong competition this week. These guys have been pushing me all week, and I couldn’t be happier with my results compared to last week. I just keep improving and want to carry that momentum through Toronto,” Hobson said after the swim.
“This fall has been great—we’ve all been working super hard at Texas. It’s probably one of the toughest two-month training blocks I’ve ever had. I’m really happy with these results and excited to see what I can do this summer and heading into 2028,” he concluded.
Women’s 200m Individual Medley – Final
Top 8 Finishers:
- Alex Walsh (CLB) – 2:04.44
- Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR) – 2:04.93
- Abbie Wood (GBR) – 2:05.73
- Ellen Walshe (IRL) – 2:07.48
- Rebecca Meder (RSA) – 2:07.60
- Freya Colbert (GBR) – 2:08.42
- Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN) – 2:09.92
- Mio Narita (JPN) – 2:12.56
American Alex Walsh and South Africa’s Rebecca Meder battled through the opening 50 meters, with Meder leading slightly at 26.73 to Walsh’s 26.78. By the 100-meter turn, Walsh had taken control, hitting the wall at 58.13 to Abbie Wood’s 58.20, while Meder slipped to third in 58.79.
Walsh extended her advantage through 150 meters, turning in 1:33.99 with Wood maintaining second (1:34.72) and Israel’s Anastasia Gorbenko moving into third (1:35.20). Over the final 50, Walsh closed strong to win for the second straight week in 2:04.44, surpassing her season best of 2:04.76. Gorbenko’s 14.23 final 25 split powered her past Team GB’s Wood, and she broke 2:05 for the first time at 2:04.93.
Gorbenko’s performance marked a new Israeli national record, eclipsing her previous standard of 2:05.04 set during the 2021 International Swimming League season.
Wood claimed bronze in 2:05.73, more than half a second shy of her season-best 2:05.14 that earned her silver last week. Meder dropped to fifth in 2:07.60, well off her national record 2:05.56 from Carmel that secured her bronze there.
Walsh said afterward she was happy to see her progress from one stop to the next, saying, “I’m learning a lot from the World Cup. I’m really happy with that swim—being faster than I was last week was the goal. Hopefully, I can get down to a 2:03, that would be really good by next weekend. I’ve just been re-understanding the importance of the little details and working on those at this point in the season. I thought I did a really good job underwater in this race, and that was one of my big goals. I’m happy with it.”
She added that having her coach, Todd DeSorbo, on deck at this stop has been a big help, stating, “It helps a lot that Todd is here. Having a familiar face, someone accessible and right on the pool deck to talk about race strategy and things to work on from prelims to finals, helps a ton. He’s also been our Uber driver, so I’m really going to miss him in Canada. I think Kate, Gretchen, and I have such a close group. We know what to expect out of each other and can rely on each other for that.”
Looking ahead to Toronto, Walsh said she’s still deciding her lineup, noting, “I think I’ll do the 200 breaststroke and 200 IM. That middle day, I’m not sure, we need to talk about it. I was really happy with my 100 breaststroke yesterday, so I’m going to have to make a decision. Might do the 400 IM, both of them. We’ll see. It doesn’t hurt to practice the hard events. At the end of the day, this meet is supposed to be a learning experience, just getting the reps in. I’ll be thinking about that.”
Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2025 World Cup – Westmont: Day 3 Finals Live Recap
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