2025 World Cup – Carmel: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

By Sam Blacker on SwimSwam

2025 SWIMMING WORLD CUP – CARMEL

• October 10-12, 2025
• Carmel, Indiana
• SCM (25 meters)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• All The Links
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2

Day 2 Finals Heat Sheet 

Live Standings

Women’s

Men’s

Event Schedule: 

• Men’s 400 IM – fastest heat
• Women’s 800 freestyle – fastest heat
• 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
• Women’s 200 IM

We kick of the final session of the 2025 Carmel World Cup leg tonight, with the race for top spot in the individual rankings heating up. As a note, the score from an athlete’s top three swims are added together to get their overall score. The winner of the stop will be crowned at the end of this session, with the favorites well known to NCAA fans.

Hubert Kos and Shaine Casas are in joint-1st on the men’s side with 53.7 points, although only Kos has the opportunity to move up tonight. Casas’ only swim of the day was in the early heats of the 400 IM this morning, where he did not add to his tally despite setting a new best of 4:03.10 to take preliminary pole position prior to the fastest heat tonight.

Kos will be in the 100 back final, and will be the favorite to make it a backstroke sweep after winning both the 50 and 200 so far this weekend. He needs just 14.9 points to take the overall win – a top-three finish in a time of 50.24 or better will be enough. Leon Marchand is an outside shot to challenge the top two with only the 200 breaststroke tonight, after finishing 9th in prelims of the 200 free, and is yet to win an event at this meet.

The women’s side will also see a battle for the win. Regan Smith, Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass all harbor hopes of taking top spot, with Walsh just about in the hot seat. She has the clearest avenue to a 1st place finish tonight, dominating the 100 fly this morning in a controlled-looking swim, while Smith and Douglass will face off with a pair of Aussies, Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O’Callaghan respectively, in their quest for maximum points.

Men’s 400 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

Final:

1. Carson Foster (CLB) – 3:59.58
2. Tomoyuki Matsushita (JPN) – 4:01.82
3. Shaine Casas (CLB) – 4:03.10
4. Lewis Clareburt (NZL) – 4:03.66
5. Max Litchfield (GBR) – 4:05.85
6. David Schlicht (AUS) – 4:07.11
7. Trenton Julian (CLB) – 4:07.36
8. Alberto Razzetti (ITA) – 4:08.18

It was the reigning World and Olympic silver medalist Tomoyuki Matsushita out first after 50 meters, but at the end of the fly he had been overhauled by American swimmers Carson Foster and Trenton Julian.

Foster touched first at halfway, although only just ahead of his countryman with Matsushita still within touching distance. Notably, he was just a quarter of a second ahead of Shaine Casas’ pace from this morning.

It was an unfamiliar stroke on which Foster made his move, building a two second gap over both the field and Casas over the breaststroke leg, with a 1:07.58 split. Julian fell away towards the end of the breaststroke, and left Matsushita as the only man close enough to challenge Foster.

However it was the Texas Longhorn who took the win in the only swim of the day under 4:00, touching in 3:59.58 thanks to a 56.27 final 100. Matsushita set a new personal best of 4:01.82 to take 2nd, closing in an identical 56.27.

Shaine Casas and Lewis Clareburt placed 3rd and 4th out of this morning’s heats, ahead of British Olympian Max Litchfield, with Casas adding 0.1 points to his overall total to edge ahead of Hubert Kos in the overall rankings.

However, there is a new name on top of those rankings, with Carson Foster jumping up from 10th to take the lead, 1.6 points ahead of Casas and 1.7 ahead of Kos.

Women’s 800 Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• World Record: 7:57.42 – Katie Ledecky (USA), 2022
• World Cup Record: 7:57.42 – Katie Ledecky (USA), 2022
• World Junior Record: 7:59.44 – Wang Jianjiahe (CHN), 2018 
• U.S. Open Record: 7:57.42 – Katie Ledecky (USA), 2022

Final:

1. Lani Pallister (AUS) – 8:02.02
2. Erika Fairweather (NZL) – 8:12.57
3. Caitlin Deans (NZL) – 8:13.37
4. Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN) – 8:22.65
5. Molly Anne Walker (AUS) – 8:23.65
6. Mila Nikanorov (CLB) – 8:24.09
7. Paige Downey (CLB) – 8:36.83
8. Emily Wolf (CLB) – 8:38.52

Lani Pallister was under WR pace through the first 200 meters, and kept right on Katie Ledecky’s splits all the way through to 500 meters. She just fell away from the U.S. swimmer’s pace, but was still pulling away from the field through the final few lengths. 

She ended up taking the win by over ten seconds, touching in a time of 8:02.02, just 0.07 seconds off her personal best from December last year. After a huge summer where she dropped nearly 10 seconds in long course and pushed Ledecky all the way in the world final, she looks primed for a big short course season.

The New Zealand pair of Erika Fairweather and Caitlin Deans took 2-3 behind Pallister for the second event at this meet, having done so in the 400 free on Day 1. Fairweather took 2nd in 8:12.57, with Deans setting a monster new personal best of 8:13.37 in 3rd. 

Pallister now jumps up to 2nd in the overall standings, just 0.1 points behind Kate Douglass.

Women’s 100 Butterfly – Heats

• World Record: 52.71 – Gretchen Walsh (USA), 2024
• World Cup Record: 54.43 – Gretchen Walsh (USA), 2025
• World Junior Record: 55.39 – Claire Curzan (USA), 2021
• U.S. Open Record: 54.43 – Gretchen Walsh (USA), 2025

Final:

1. Gretchen Walsh (CLB) – 53.69
2. Alexandria Perkins (AUS) – 54.93
3. Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL) – 55.64
4. Alex Shackell (CLB) – 55.78
5. Olivia Wunsch (AUS) – 56.97
6. Ellen Walshe (IRL) – 57.27
7. Brittany Castelluzzo (AUS) – 57.59
8. Leah Shackley (CLB) – 57.65

Gretchen Walsh got out in front on the first length and never looked back, utilising her underwater to take a dominant victory and break her own newly set World Cup and U.S. Open Records in 53.69. She was out in 24.79, quick enough to have taken 3rd behind herself and Alex Perkins in the individual 50 last night.

For her part, Perkins set a new best time, breaking her own Australian and Oceanian Records in 54.93. That is her second Oceanain Record of the meet after shaving four hundredths off the 50 fly mark last night, when she also took silver behind Walsh.

Roos Vanotterdijk hacked almost a second off the Belgian Record to take 3rd in a new best of 55.64, giving us a like-for-like copy of the 50 fly podium from yesterday, as well as the same three swimmers who took home the medals at long course worlds this summer. 

Alex Shackell was just outside the medals in 55.78, with over a second separating her from 5th place finished Olivia Wunsch,

Men’s 50 Butterfly – Heats

• World Record: 21.32 – Noe Ponti (SUI), 2024
• World Cup Record: 21.50 – Noe Ponti (SUI), 2024
• World Junior Record: 22.28 – Ilya Kharun (CAN), 2022
• U.S. Open Record: 21.99 – Dylan Carter (TT), 2022

Final:

1. Ilya Kharun (CAN) – 21.86
2. Noe Ponti (SUI) – 21.90
3. Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 22.36
4. Josh Liendo (CAN) – 22.56
5. Dylan Carter (TTO) – 22.57
6. Tzen Wei Teong (SGP) – 22.63
7. Grant House (CLB) – 22.64
8. Aiden Hayes (CLB) – 22.68

With the field almost completely even at the 25 meter mark, Noe Ponti and Ilya Kharun showed their class with a pair of phenomenal underwaters off the wall to break the race open. 

Ponti had the slight edge with 10 to go, but just like in the 200 fly last night Kharun fought back to take the touch, going 21.86 to Ponti’s 21.90.

Thomas Ceccon held on for 3rd in 22.36, two-tenths ahead of Josh Liendo’s 22.56. Grant House, more often known as a freestyler specialist, took 7th in a best time of 22.64.

Women’s 200 Backstroke – Heats

• World Record: 1:58.04 – Regan Smith (USA), 2024
• World Cup Record: 1:58.83 – Regan Smith (USA), 2024
• World Junior Record: 2:00.03 – Missy Franklin (USA), 2011
• U.S. Open Record: 1:59.75 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2015

Final:

1. Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 1:58.86
2. Regan Smith (CLB) – 2:00.07
3. Charlotte Crush (CLB) – 2:02.28
4. Ingrid Wilm (CAN) – 2:03.57
5. Hannah Fredericks (AUS) – 2:03.72
6. Phoebe Bacon (CB) – 2:03.75
7. Anastasiya Shkurdai (NAA) – 2:04.28
8. Rhyan White (CLB) – 2:07.95

Charlotte Crush was the surprise leader after the first 50, and was right with Kaylee McKeown at the halfway mark, half a second ahead of fellow American Regan Smith. However, the Australian superstar showed her class to pull away on the second half of the race, splitting 30.08/30.38 to take the win over Smith by over a second.

This  means that McKeown and Smith have split their battles at this meet, after Smith took the win in the 100 back yesterday. That was Smith’s first win over the Australian in an individual race since the 200 backstroke at Worlds in 2019.

Crush held on for 3rd in 2:02.28, a new best time, with Ingrid Wilm getting the best of a tight battle for 4th in 2:03.57. Hannah Fredericks moved up from 8th to 5th on the final 50, one of only three in the field to close faster than 31 seconds.

Men’s 100 Backstroke – Heats

• World Record: 48.33 – Coleman Stewart (USA), 2021
• World Cup Record: 48.84 – Shaine Casas (USA), 2022
• World Junior Record: 48.90 – Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 2017
• U.S. Open Record: 48.92 – Matt Grevers (USA), 2015

Final:

1. Hubert Kos (HUN) – 49.08
2. Kacper Stokowski (POL) – 49.92
3. Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 50.20
4. Enoch Robb (AUS) – 50.28
5. Finlay Knox (CAN) – 50.61
6. Ralf Tribuntsov (EST) – 50.77
7. Ksawery Masiuk (POL) – 51.53
8. Daniel Diehl (CLB) – 51.62

Hubert Kos led at the first turn, in an ominous sign for the rest of the field, and hit the 50 meter mark in 23.73. He kept both subsequent splits under 12.8 seconds, coming home in a stunning 49.08, just 0.29 seconds off his personal best and Hungarian record.

He now takes over the lead for this World Cup stop, three points ahead of Ilya Kharun and Carson Foster. 

Kacper Stokowski was the only other swimmer to break 50 seconds, as he took silver in 49.92. Thomas Ceccon took bronze in his second swim in 15 minutes, making it two medals for the Italian tonight.

Women’s 50 Breaststroke – Heats

• World Record: 28.37 – Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2022
• World Cup Record: 28.56 – Alia Atkinson (JAM), 2018
• World Junior Record: 28.81 – Benedetta Pilato (ITA), 2020
• U.S. Open Record: 28.70 – Ruta Meilutyte (LTU), 2022

Final:

1. Eneli Jefimova (EST) – 29.33
2. Florine Gaspard (BEL) – 29.58
3. Anna Elendt (GER) – 29.80
4. Mona McSharry (IRL) – 29.82
5. Sophie Angus (CAN) – 30.27
6. Andrea Podmanikova (SVK) – 30.44
7. Satomi Suzuki (JPN) – 30.46
8. Henrietta Fangli (HUN) – 30.57

Men’s 200 Breaststroke – Heats

• World Record: 2:00.16 – Kirill Prigoda (RUS), 2018
• World Cup Record: 2:00.48 – Daniel Gyurta (HUN), 2014
• World Junior Record: 2:03.23 – Akihiro Yamaguchi (JPN), 2012
• U.S. Open Record: 2:02.33 – Cody Miller (USA), 2015

Final:

Women’s 100 Freestyle – Heats

• World Record: 50.25 – Cate Campbell (AUS), 2017
• World Cup Record: 50.58 – Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 2017 & Emma McKeon (AUS), 2021
• World Junior Record: 51.45 – Kayla Sanchez (CAN), 2018
• U.S. Open Record: 51.00 – Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 2022

Final:

Men’s 200 Freestyle – Heats

• World Record: 1:38.61 – Luke Hobson (USA), 2024
• World Cup Record: 1:39.37 – Paul Biedermann (GER), 2009
• World Junior Record: 1:40.65 – Matt Sates (RSA), 2021
• U.S. Open Record: 1:41.58 – Alexander Graham (AUS), 2019

Final:

• World Record: 2:01.63 – Kate Douglass (USA), 2014
• World Cup Record: 2:02.13 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2014
• World Junior Record: 2:04.48 – Yu Yiting (CHN), 2021
• U.S. Open Record: 2:03.66 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2015

Final:

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