World Cup Toronto — Day One Finals: Lani Pallister, Kaylee McKeown, Caspar Corbeau Notch Series Records
The World Cup circuit is concluding this weekend in Toronto after a pair of stops in the midwestern United States. Almost all of the top performers from the Carmel, Ind., and Westmont, Ill., stops returned to race north of the border, and eight swimmers successfully won events for the third consecutive meet.
The triple crown winners included Lani Pallister in the women’s 400 freestyle, Kaylee McKeown in the women’s 50 backstroke, Hubert Kos in the men’s 200 backstroke, Regan Smith in the women’s 200 butterfly, Kate Douglass in the women’s 200 breaststroke, Kasia Wasick in the women’s 50 freestyle and the duo of Gretchen Walsh and Shaine Casas in the 100 IM.
A pair of world records went down in Thursday’s session, the first by any male swimmers in the three meets. Kos blasted a 200 backstroke record that had lasted for almost a decade while Canada’s Josh Liendo took down Noè Ponti’s world record in the 100 IM, busting Ponti’s chances at a third win in the event in the process. Liendo was the only double winner of the night as he returned to capture first in the 50 free. Additionally, Pallister, McKeown and Caspar Corbeau set World Cup records in their victories.
Women’s 400 Freestyle
Australia’s Lani Pallister was the first of many swimmers to earn a golden crown and $10,000 check in Toronto after she nabbed her third victory in three World Cup tries in the women’s 400 freestyle. Pallister was briefly challenged in this event during the first World Cup stop in Carmel, Ind., but she quickly pulled away and then dominated from start to finish in Westmont, Ill., and again in Toronto.
Pallister opened up a big lead on New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather, the 2024 world champion in the event, going up by two seconds at the halfway point and eventually winning by more than four seconds. Pallister put forth a time of 3:51.87, taking down her own Australian and World Cup records set at the Westmont stop. Pallister remains the third-fastest swimmer in history in the event, trailing only Canada’s Summer McIntosh and China’s Li Bingjie.
“I think it was just important building each week,” Pallister said. “I wasn’t super stoked with the first week, but I think coming off the flight (into the USA two weeks ago) I guess jet lag hurts you a little bit more than you anticipate. So yeah, pretty happy with the 3:51. I mean, I’d like to be under 3:50 eventually, but we’ll see where that event takes me in the future. I’ll take it as a win.”
Fairweather placed second here in 3:56.12 while Great Britain’s Freya Colbert was third in 3:58.46. The second swimmer from New Zealand, Caitlin Deans, was the only other swimmer to finish under 4:00 (3:59.89).
Men’s 400 Freestyle
The rubber match in the men’s 400 free went the way of Carson Foster, the American best known for his success in the individual medley events but also strong in the mid-distance freestyle races. Foster won the event at the opening World Cup stop in Carmel before Australia’s Sam Short got the top spot last week in Westmont. Foster battled back here, though, jumping out ahead and extending the advantage off each turn to secure a win by three-quarters of a second.
Foster checked in at 3:36.52, his fastest time during the three-meet circuit by more than a second. “It’s been great,” Foster said. “The plan was going to the first stop, use it as the training meet. I was telling my wife, first time, probably two and a half years where I’ve really had fun for me. last three weeks, so it’s an answered prayer to be able to come here and swim well, and more importantly, have fun. So I just want to take advantage of that. “
American swimmers occupied the top-two spots here as Kieran Smith finished well to take second in 3:37.28 while Short settled for third in 3:37.89. Short is the most decorated 400 freestyler in the field, having captured the world title in the event in 2023 and silver at the global meet this year, and he finished with the circuit’s top time with his 3:36.27 in Westmont.
Australia’s Brendon Smith (3:38.41) and American Luke Hobson (3:39.91) were the only others to break 3:40.
Women’s 50 Backstroke
Kaylee McKeown had to swim her fastest time yet to complete the sweep of the 50 back at the three World Cup meets. She clocked 25.63 in Carmel and 25.42 in Westmont, but those times would not have been good enough in Toronto, not with Australian teammate Mollie O’Callaghan and American speedster Gretchen Walsh pushing her the entire way.
McKeown was in second place at the halfway point, 0.16 behind O’Callaghan, and Walsh pushed ahead with her usual stellar underwater work. But the 200-meter specialist came through in the closing strokes to steal the win in 25.35, five hundredths ahead of Walsh (25.40) while O’Callaghan was a further two hundredths adrift (25.42). McKeown clipped her own World Cup and Australian records by a hundredth, and she remains the third-fastest swimmer in history behind Regan Smith and Maggie Mac Neil.
For Walsh, her time was three hundredths behind her best time while O’Callaghan beat her previous top mark by seven hundredths. They remain the fourth and fifth-fastest performers in history, respectively.
Canada’s Kylie Masse (25.69) and the USA’s Katharine Berkoff (25.74), both world champions in the long course 50 back, finished several tenths back.
Women’s 200 Butterfly
For three consecutive weeks, Regan Smith was in pursuit of becoming the third woman in history to break 2:00 in the women’s 200 butterfly. She had set American and World Cup records in both Carmel and Westmont, finishing as quick as 2:00.20 at last week’s meet. Smith would not finish the circuit without her most valiant effort yet, going out under world-record pace, but she paid for her early speed down the stretch.
Smith split 57.16 at the halfway point and 1:28.26 with 50 meters remaining, at both stages more than a half-second quicker than her pace from Westmont. Even though she ended up falling off the pace late, she still captured victory by more than two seconds in 2:00.34, just 0.14 behind her Westmont record. Summer McIntosh and Mireia Belmonte remain the only women to ever swim quicker.
“I’m happy with three in a row, but like I think the biggest thing for me is I like good, better, best,” Smith said. “And even if I wasn’t under two minutes, I wanted that to be my fastest one. And that was my slowest, I think. So I’m like, shoot, that kind of blows. I did go for it, though. I really felt it more than I have in any of the other stops in the last 25. I could feel myself just like falling apart. So I’m proud of myself for going for it, but also I think I’m better than that personally.”
Ireland’s Ellen Walshe was in fifth place at the halfway point, but an electric back half helped her pull ahead of everyone in the field aside from Smith, and she even closed the gap on the American down the stretch. Walshe touched in 2:02.36 while Canadian Mary-Sophie Harvey placed third in 2:03.73.
Women’s 200 Breaststroke
No one has stopped Kate Douglass in the 200 breaststroke in a long time, her last loss in the event in either short course or long course coming at the February 2024 World Championships. Since then, she has won Olympic gold as well as world titles in short course and long course. And for the second year in a row, Douglass has completed the World Cup sweep in the 200 breast. She was not challenged in any of the three stops, and her last performance was her best.
Douglass challenged her own world-record pace in the early stages before she came in three-quarters of a second behind. She finished in 2:13.25, still the third-fastest performance ever recorded and more than a second faster than any other swimmer on the all-time list. “My goal going into tonight was to win the triple crown. It was my best win of the series so I’m happy with it,” Douglass said. “I was obviously hoping to maybe dip under 2:12 again, but I’m happy that I was able to improve from the other weekends.”
For the second consecutive meet, Douglass’ University of Virginia training partner Alex Walsh came in second place here, finishing well to touch in 2:17.88. Ireland’s Mona McSharry came in third at 2:18.27, with South Africa’s Rebecca Meder closing well to place fourth (2:18.81).
Men’s 100 Breaststroke
The Netherlands’ Caspar Corbeau won the 100 breast at the Carmel stop of the World Cup but fell to Ilya Shymanovich last week in Westmont. He got back on top as the series moved north of the border with a phenomenal performance, almost nine tenths quicker than his previous best from the circuit and within three tenths of Shymanovich’s world record.
Corbeau blasted a mark of 55.55, clipping the series record of 55.61 that had stood since 2009. Cameron van der Burgh first posted that mark in a polyurethane-suit-aided performance that was then the world record, and Qin Haiyang tied the time last year. Corbeau became the fifth-fastest performer in history, trailing Shymanovich, Adam Peaty, Qin and Kirill Prigoda.
Meanwhile, a legend of the sport put up a stellar swim to grab second place. Adam Peaty, the British Olympic champion in the 100 breast in Rio and Tokyo, did not even make the final in this event at the first World Cup, but he has improved his time by one-and-a-half seconds within two weeks. Peaty grabbed second place here in 56.59, with Japanese teenager Shin Ohashi claiming third in 57.06.
Women’s 50 Freestyle
Poland’s Kasia Wasick has rolled through the World Cup circuit in the 50 free for two consecutive years. She swept the event at the three Asian stops last year and now again during the latest run through the United States and Canada. The 33-year-old veteran secured the World Cup crown for 2025 as she beat the field by 0.28 here, recording a 23.21 for her fastest time across the circuit. Wasick made tiny improvements from week-to-week after going 23.30 in Carmel and 23.29 in Westmont.
“I don’t think age is the limit here,” Wasick said. “I’m getting faster every stop. I think if we had few more of these World Cups, I would get better. But yeah, I feel great. It’s definitely not easy to be the oldest one. You face a lot of challenges, but with the races like that, I think that helps me get my mind set and really dialed in to great racing. “
Canada picked up a top-three finish here, the first of the evening for the women of the home country, as Taylor Ruck touched in 23.49 for second place. Dutch swimmer Marrit Steenbergen, the world champion in the 100 free, was third in 23.77.
Women’s 100 IM
Gretchen Walsh is the only swimmer in history to break 56 in the women’s 100 IM, and she has now done so on six occasions, having achieved all of those performances in the span of just over a year. Walsh has not been seriously challenged in the event at any of the World Cup meets, having gone 55.91 for the win in Carmel and 55.77 in Westmont. In Toronto, top rival (and training partner) Kate Douglass opted out of the event, giving Walsh an even greater advantage on the field.
Under world-record pace at the halfway point, Walsh slowed on the breaststroke leg but still remained well ahead on the way to a time of 55.99. She became the seventh swimmer to secure the World Cup crown in Thursday’s session, and she will have two more chances at sweeps with the 50 and 100 fly still to come. “I’m definitely really pleased with the triple crown. I think at the end of the day, that’s what I wanted out of that race,” Walsh said. “The time is kind of meh, but I just need to let go and move on and continue upon this triple crown journey.”
The Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen, moments removed from finishing third in the 50 free, came in second in 57.32. Steenbergen was in fifth place at the halfway point but closed well, even out-splitting Walsh on breaststroke and freestyle. Roos Vanotterdijk came in third at 57.44.
Men’s 100 IM
Just as he did in Carmel and Westmont, Shaine Casas concluded night one of World Cup racing with a win over tough competition in the 100 IM. Casas had to deal with Hubert Kos, the Hungarian who became a world-record holder for the first time earlier in the session in the 200 back. But Casas inched clear of Kos in the opening stages of the race and pulled clear on breaststroke to secure the win.
Casas put forth a time of 50.28, jumping from fourth to third all-time in the event, with only Caeleb Dressel, Leon Marchand and Vladimir Morozov ahead. Casas will also be going for a sweep in the 200 IM, which is scheduled for Friday.
“Super happy about racing and, you know, winning. That’s awesome. Kind of was just trying to put together a little bit better of a race. I thought that was still really sloppy. I don’t know. I feel like I was a little bit tired today,” Casas said. “Still, best time. That’s good. Definitely gives me some momentum for tomorrow. I didn’t go under 50 there, so maybe I can go under 1:49 tomorrow (in the 200 IM). We’ll see.”
Kos took second here in 50.56 while Switzerland’s Noè Ponti, the world champion in the event, took third in 51.02 ahead of Canadian Finlay Knox (51.05). Caspar Corbeau, the 100 breast winner, was sixth (51.86).
