World Cup Carmel – Day One Prelims: Kaylee McKeown, Katharine Berkoff Set Up First Showdown
A spectacular gathering of Olympic medalists and world champions will kick off the 2025 World Cup series this morning in Carmel, Indiana. The three-day event will be held at Carmel High School’s state-of-the-art facility and jumpstart a North American visit for the World Cup tour, which is typically held in Europe and Asia. Following the Carmel stop, action will move to Westmont, Illinois from Oct. 17-19, and will conclude in Toronto from Oct. 23-25.
While Canadian Summer McIntosh announced illness will keep her out of the opening leg of the tour, Frenchman Leon Marchand and Australian Kaylee McKeown will headline the field. The American contingent will be headlined by the likes of Regan Smith, Gretchen Walsh, Jack Alexy and Luke Hobson.
Here is how the Day One prelims unfolded:
World Cup: Women’s 400 Freestyle
With one timed final head to go in finals, Ava Metzger has the top time in the 400 free at 4:18.63.
Slovakia’s Karolina Ann Valko has the second-fastest time of the morning with a 4:19.42.
Elanor Saybolt is third-fastest heading into the final heat with a 4:21.92.
World Cup: Men’s 400 Free
With one timed final heat to go, Israel’s Denis Loktev currently leads the men’s 400 free with a time of 3:48.48.
Hungary’s Richard Marton sits second with a swim of 3:51.36.
Third so far is France’s Antoine Marc with a swim or 3:58.63.
World Cup: Women’s 50 Backstroke
Australia’s Kaylee McKeown took the top seed in the 50 back with a swim of 25.72.
USA’s Katharine Berkoff was just behind in 25.96, setting up a highly anticipated duel in the finals.
Mexico’s Celia Pulido Ortiz took the third seed in 26.04 looking to crash the party, followed by Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan (26.05), USA’s Bella Sims (26.26), Canada’s Kylie Masse (26.34), USA’s Charlotte Crush (26.64) and Australia’s Hannah Fredericks (26.71).
It should be an exciting final full of Olympic medalists.
USA’s Gretchen Walsh pulled out of this event.
World Cup: Men’s 200 Backstroke
Olympic champion Hubert Kos of Hungary cruised to the top seed in the 200 backstroke. He got to the wall in 1:51.33, the fastest time of the morning by nearly a second.
Kacper Stokowski took the second seed in 1:52.18, followed by Daniel Diehl (1:52.75).
USA’s Shaine Casas got to the wall in 1:52.79 for the fourth seed, just ahead of Olympic champion Leon Marchand of France, who finished in 1:52.81.
The sixth seed went to Japan’s Yumeki Kojima in 1:53.38, followed by Australia’s Joshua Edwards-Smith (1:53.48) and Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita (1:54.20).
World Cup: Women’s 200 Butterfly
As expected, the top two U.S. swimmers claimed the top two seeds in the 200 fly prelims.
Alex Shackell took the first seed in 2:03.96, while Regan Smith was second in 2:04.58, both with smooth, tactical prelims swims to save something for finals.
Ireland’s Ellen Walshe took the third seed with a swim of 2:07.24, followed by Australia’s Brittany Castelluzzo (2:08.26), Great Britain’s Emily Large (2:08.66), Emily Wolf (2:10.44), Hadassah Vohs (2:15.27) and Macartney Mahler (2:19.15).
World Cup: Men’s 100 Butterfly
Canadian Olympian Ilya Kharun took the top seed in the 100 fly, getting to the wall in 28.51.
South Africa’s Chad le Clos and Switzerland’s Noe Ponti tied for the second seed in 49.84, setting up an extremely close final.
Canada’s Josh Liendo took the fourth seed in 50.42, while USA’s Trenton Julian was fifth in 50.79, followed by Germany’s Ole Mats Eidam (50.99), USA’s Aiden Hayes (51.31) and Poland’s Ksawery Masiuk (51.35).
World Cup: Women’s 200 Breaststroke
USA’s Kate Douglass took the top seed in the 200 breaststroke, as expected, and put down a strong time with a swim of 2:15.99, more than three seconds ahead of the field.
South Africa’s Rebecca Meder took the second seed in 2:19.11, followed by Ireland Olympian Mona McSharry (2:19.95) and Australia’s Ella Ramsay, who tied for the third seed.
The rest of the field will lead to a pretty stacked final. USA Olympic medalist Alex Walsh took the fifth seed in 2:20.10, followed by Germany’s Olympian Anna Elendt (2:20.22), Estonia’s Eneli Jefimova (2:21.62), and Canada’s versatile Olympian Mary-Sophie Harvey (2:21.67).
World Cup: Men’s 100 Breaststroke
Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands claimed the top seed in the 100 breaststroke, getting to the wall in 56.26.
Van Mathias took the second spot in 56.72, while Ilya Shymanovich was just behind in 57.17.
Finn Brooks earned the fourth seed with a swim of 57.34, followed by Germany’s Jeremias Pock (57.54), USA’s Josh Matheny (57.71), and a tie for the seventh seed with Brian Benzing and Japan’s Shin Ohashi both touching the wall in 57.90.
World Cup: Women’s 50 Free
The top four seeds broke 24 seconds in the prelims of the 50 free as the splash and dash should be just as close in finals.
Australia’s Alex Perkins took the top spot in 23.64, just ahead of USA’s Olympic champion Gretchen Walsh (23.71).
Poland Olympic medalist Kasia Wasick took the third seed in 23.77, ahead of Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan (23.95), doing a double this morning.
Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands took the fifth spot in 24.00, followed by Australia’s Olivia Wunsch (24.21), Belgium’s Florine Gaspard (24.25) and New Zealand’s Chelsey Edwards (24.27), leaving Katharine Berkoff, also doing a double, one spot from qualifying (24.42), along with Canada’s Taylor Ruck (24.52) and USA’s Anna Peplowski (24.54).
World Cup: Men’s 50 Free
Estonia’s Ralf Tribuntsov put together the top swim of the morning in the 50 free, getting to the wall in 21.12.
USA’s Chris Guiliano was three hundredths of a second behind at 21.15, followed by Canada’s Ilya Kharun (21.20) in his second event of a morning double.
USA’s Jack Alexy took the fourth seed to qualify for finals in 21.35, followed by Canada’s Ruslan Gaziev (21.40), USA’s Brooks Curry (21.41), while Trinidad and Tobago’s Dylan Carter and Italy’s Leonardo Deplano tied for the seventh seed in 21.42.
World Cup: Women’s 100 IM
World Cup: Men’s 100 IM
