World Cup Carmel – Day Two Prelims: Gretchen Walsh Puts Own 50 Fly World Record on Alert
The opening day of the 2025 World Cup brought an American record from Regan Smith in the 200-meter butterfly and an impressive victory from Gretchen Walsh in a showdown with teammate Kate Douglass in the 100 individual medley. Douglass was dominant in the 200 breaststroke while Canadian Ilya Kharun and Hungarian Hubert Kos headlined the men’s competition with victories in the 100 butterfly and 200 backstroke, respectively.
What will the second day of action in Carmel, Indiana bring? Eleven events are scheduled for Day Two, with Smith returning to the pool for a matchup in the 100 backstroke with Australian Kaylee McKeown. While Smith won the 200 butterfly on Day One, McKeown bested the field in the 50 backstroke.
Here is an event-by-event recap of the Day Two prelims.
Women’s 400 Individual Medley
Jane Chevalier recorded the top time of the morning session in the 400 IM, which is being contested as a timed final. Chevalier turned in a swim of 4:50.20, but the big guns are slated to race at the start of the night session. Great Britain’s Abbie Wood and Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey are the top seeds.
Men’s 50 Backstroke
Coming off a victory in the 200 backstroke from Night One, University of Texas star Hubert Kos tied for the top seed in the 50 backstroke. Kos was clocked in 22.92, an effort that was matched by Trinidad & Tobago’s Dylan Carter, who has always been a major factor in World Cup competition. Also dipping under the 23-second barrier was Poland’s Kacper Stokowski, who checked in at 22.99.
Women’s 200 Freestyle
The Australian duo of Lani Pallister (1:53.58) and Mollie O’Callaghan (1:54.01) nailed down the first and third seeds for the final, with American Anna Peplowski in between on the strength of a 1:53.90 marker in the morning. Pallister was the runaway winner in the 400 freestyle on Friday night, securing victory by more than four seconds. To make it back-to-back wins, she’ll have to fend off O’Callaghan, the reigning Olympic champ in the 200 freestyle.
Men’s 200 Individual Medley
Already the winner of the 100 IM, the United States’ Shaine Casas booked Lane Four for the final of the 200 IM. Casas covered his prelims heat in 1:53.54, which landed him ahead of the 1:54.29 by Frenchman Leon Marchand, the world-record holder in the event. Over the summer, Marchand claimed the world title in the 200 medley, with Casas earning the silver medal. Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita qualified in the third spot in 1:54.34.
Women’s 100 Backstroke
All three medalists from the 2024 Olympic Games and the 2025 World Championships will be in action at night in Carmel. Reigning Olympic and world champ Kaylee McKeown grabbed the third seed at the World Cup in 55.98 while Regan Smith, the silver medalist at both international meets, grabbed the No. 1 seed in 55.59. Bella Sims went 55.78 for the second seed while Katharine Berkoff, the bronze medalist in Paris and Singapore, was fourth in 56.26.
Men’s 50 Breaststroke
Finlay Brooks of Indiana University delivered the top time of prelims in the 50 breaststroke, as his mark of 25.84 was just ahead of the 25.93 by South African Chris Smith. Also going sub-26 was Belarus’ Ilya Shymanovich, the world-record holder in the event. Shymanovich was timed in 25.98. Squeezing into the final in the eighth spot was Great Britain’s Adam Peaty, who covered his two laps in 26.48.
Women’s 50 Butterfly
Gretchen Walsh will chase her own world record in the 50 butterfly during finals after popping a prelims performance of 24.13 in the event. That mark was comfortably ahead of the 24.79 managed by Aussie Alexandria Perkins. Walsh owns the world record at 23.94, which she posted at the 2024 World Short Course Championships. Her effort this morning is the fourth-fastest in history, with Walsh owning all three marks that are faster.
Men’s 100 Freestyle
United States Olympians Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano easily led the field into the final of the 100 freestyle, with Alexy posting the top time of 45.36. Alexy has enjoyed a superb 2025 campaign, which included a bronze medal in the 50 freestyle and a silver medal in the 100 freestyle at the World Championships. Guiliano took the second seed in 45.50, the Americans the only athletes to go sub-46 in the morning.
Women’s 100 Breaststroke
Estonia’s Eneli Efimova and the United States’ Kate Douglass both cracked the 1:04 barrier in the heats of the 100 breaststroke, with Efimova claiming the middle of the pool for the final in 1:03.74. Douglass, who was the silver medalist in the 100 breast at last summer’s World Champs, went 1:03.99 for Lane Five in the evening. The impressive field will also include Mona McSharry (1:04.49), Alex Walsh (1:04.56) and Anna Elendt (1:04.95) in the final. Elendt is the reigning world champ in long course.
