World Championships: Shaine Casas Achieves Breakthrough 200 IM Silver ‘A Long Time Coming’
No longer will anyone doubt Shaine Casas in the most important of races, not after his incredible effort in the World Championships final of the men’s 200 individual medley.
Casas drew Lane Five next to Leon Marchand, the transcendent Frenchman who had slaughtered the world record in the semifinal. Of course, Casas has familiarity alongside Marchand, with the two men having trained together this year at the University of Texas, and Casas had also been one lane away in the semifinal round. That swim had similarly worked out, with Casas dropping his lifetime best for the first time since 2022.
In the final, the 25-year-old originally from McAllen, Texas, did everything correctly. He relaxed slightly on the butterfly compared to his semifinal swim, allowing a significant improvement on the backstroke leg. Breaststroke was once Casas’ weak stroke, but his 33.29 made him the only swimmer aside from Marchand to split under 34, and Casas was only three tenths behind the champion on that leg. And any concern that he would fade down the stretch was quickly abated as Casas went 27.97 on the freestyle, faster than Marchand and even freestyle specialist Duncan Scott.
Marchand won gold, recording the 1:53 swim he had skipped right past one night earlier, but Casas also reached some pretty exclusive territory. The time of 1:54.30, eight tenths faster than his previous best time, made him the fourth-fastest performer in history, with only Marchand and retired American legends Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps ahead of him.
This was not his first time winning a medal at a long course World Championships — Casas previously won bronze in the 200 back in 2022, plus four relay medals — but it was his first time fully delivering on his vast potential in a moment of consequence.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Casas told NBC Sports. “Before today and yesterday, my best time was three years old. I’ve had a lot going into that race, a lot of inward pressure. I felt like it was something I needed to do finally.”
Casas had achieved his prior best time at a non-selection National Championships in 2022. Coming through when international trips were on the line was another story. Casas had already come up short at the 202o Olympic Trials despite entering as a favorite in both backstroke events. In 2023, he was considered a contender to make Worlds across numerous events, but his results at Nationals were disappointing until the final day, when he snuck into the 200 IM final in eighth position before coming through to finish second.
Shaine Casas (right) with Hubert Kos and Leon Marchand after the men’s 200 IM final at the World Championships — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron
In 2024, Casas qualified for his first Olympic team, but he finished just outside the final in his lone event, the 200 IM. His ninth-place time in the semifinals there was 1:57.86, a full three-and-a-half seconds slower than he would go en route to Worlds silver this year.
“Last year was kind of fluke for myself,” Casas said. “That was not me. I had a lot of things that were holding me back, and I was holding myself back, but I’ve let go of that. That’s in the past. Obviously I’ve learned from it, and I’ll keep it with me. It’s just a new me now.”
After the Games, he began working with coach Bob Bowman, who had taken over as men’s head coach at Texas. Casas immediately saw strong results with a short course world title in the 200 IM, and he was largely dominant throughout USA Swimming’s Pro Swim Series in the spring. He carried momentum into the latest selection meet and came through to qualify for Worlds in four different events, the 400 free relay, the 100 fly, 50 back and 200 IM.
His relay effort on the meet’s opening day was not his best, but Casas still earned a bronze medal for his prelims role. Following this 200 IM, Casas will be a medal contender in his remaining individual events as he enters with global top-five times in both. He is a lock for a role on the U.S. men’s 400 medley relay, but given the pronounced struggles of the American men’s backstrokers in Singapore, the U.S. coaching staff will have to consider moving Casas to the leadoff leg as they attempt to piece together a medal-contending bunch.
In 2025, on an American men’s team lacking the star-power of previous years, Shaine Casas has emerged as the multi-event option on whom the team can rely. As with butterflyer Luca Urlando and sprint freestyler Jack Alexy, these World Championships have seen Casas take an enormous step forward.
“I’ve always known that I can do it,” Casas said. “I know the narrative of what’s followed me over the years, and although I disagree with it, I understood where it was coming from. I don’t fault them for saying that, but you know I stuck to who I am. And now, the swims are showing who I am.”
