The second stop of the 2025 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup came to a close Sunday night in Westmont, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago, with two World Records as the race for the overall crown tightens up.<\/p>\n
American Kate Douglass<\/a> brought the Illinois crowd to its feet as she threw down a 50.19 in the 100m freestyle to break Cate Campbell\u2019s<\/a> mark she had held at 50.25 since October 2017. Douglass took no prisoners as she had virtually no challenge from the 200m world record holder Mollie O\u2019Callaghan<\/a> (51.44) and this year\u2019s World champ Marrit Steenbergen<\/a> (51.56).<\/p>\n It was a bit surprising to see her so far in front of such a world class field, but Douglass is perhaps the most talented swimmer in the entire world as she now holds three individual world records in short course meters, all in different strokes – the 100m freestyle, 200m breaststroke, and 200m IM.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like my first two races of the stop, I wasn\u2019t super happy with,\u201d Douglass said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure if I was going to go faster in that event. I had a good prelims swim and so after I watched a few of my friends break World Records, I thought I was just going to go for it tonight. Go out fast and see if I can hold on.\u201d<\/p>\n Image Source: Mike Lewis\/World Aquatics<\/p>\n Douglass officially won the Westmont stop with 59.1 points, edging out teammate Gretchen Walsh<\/a> by 0.1 points. With one stop to go, Walsh leads the overall field with 118.1 points to Douglass\u2019s 118.0 points.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s exciting that everything comes down to this last session and how we all do,\u201d Douglass said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know for sure if I was going to win the (the 100 free) and break the World Record. I\u2019m really pleased with that swim.\u201d<\/p>\n Image Source: Mike Lewis\/World Aquatics<\/p>\n The other world record on the day fell to Australia\u2019s Kaylee McKeown<\/a>, who had another memorable race with American Regan Smith<\/a>. After Smith\u2019s equalled world record in last night\u2019s 100m backstroke, all eyes were on the clock as to whether Smith could get under her own mark in the 200m at 1:58.04.<\/p>\n Smith, however, was beat last week by McKeown in this event, who holds the world record in long course meters and has won the last two Olympic gold medals in this event.<\/p>\n McKeown took the race to Smith, flipping under world record pace at 125 meters, while Smith stayed in pursuit. It looked for a moment on lap seven that McKeown was tightening up; Smith nailed her turn while McKeown got bunched up, and as the two came crashing into the wall, the crowd held its collective breath cheering on the two fastest in history.<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted to grin and bear it and bite down on the bullet and see what I could produce tonight,\u201d McKeown said. \u201cI didn’t really follow my race plan, so I died on my back end but it\u2019s good having Regan pushing the whole way.\u201d<\/p>\n The crowd grew silent for a moment when McKeown touched the wall first, taking Smith\u2019s world record with her at 1:57.87, while Smith got under her old mark as well at 1:57.91. Two of the best in history continued their historic rivalry and added another chapter to their storied rivalry.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always important to have Regan (Smith) in that race,\u201d McKeown said. \u201cI think we push each other all the time and without that I don\u2019t think either of us would be where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n In the points standings, Smith finished third overall in Westmont with 57.7 points while McKeown was fifth with 56.9 points and is fourth overall at 114.4 points.<\/p>\n Image Source: Gretchen Walsh (USA), Hubert Kos (HUN), Kate Douglass (USA), Shaine Casas (USA), Regan Smith (USA) and Ilya Kharun (CAN) topped the points totals for the Swimming World Cup in Carmel (Mike Lewis\/World Aquatics)<\/p>\n It appears that the overall crown will come down between the aforementioned Douglass and Walsh with just one stop remaining in Toronto<\/p>\n Walsh won the 100m butterfly on Sunday night with a 53.72, the fifth fastest time in history, which is still faster than anyone else in history.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not super happy with the time honestly,\u201d Walsh said. \u201cI feel like I put myself out there more which I wanted to do. I hurt more. I think next week after some rest, I\u2019ll be able to come home better and it will be an all around better swim.\u201d<\/p>\n Image Source: Candid pre-race moment with USA’s Gretchen Walsh in Carmel, Indiana (Mike Lewis\/World Aquatics)<\/p>\n Walsh has hardly been challenged in the butterfly events this tour as she won by almost two full seconds over Australia\u2019s Alexandria Perkins<\/a> (55.43) and Belgium\u2019s Roos VanOtterdijk<\/a> (55.79), as those three replicated the podium from this summer\u2019s World Championships.<\/p>\n Image Source: Mike Lewis\/World Aquatics<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s Lani Pallister<\/a> is also within striking distance of the overall crown as she is currently fifth overall with 113.5 points with 57 on the stop, just ahead of McKeown. Pallister continued her career year with a 15:13.83 in the 1500m freestyle, breaking her own Australian record in the process as she swam a time that only Katie Ledecky<\/a> has bettered in history (15:08.24).<\/p>\n \u201cI think if you put Katie (Ledecky) in that race, she would be pretty close to cracking 15,\u201d Pallister said. \u201cFor a lot of distance swimmers, a lot don’t race it that often so as much as I\u2019m pleased with that time, I\u2019m excited to race it with that under my belt and with a taper maybe.<\/p>\n \u201cThat bodes well for next week, I said on week one that it was just about moving forward, progressing and getting better each week. To go an 8:03 through to the feet is awesome. I\u2019ll take that as a huge win for tonight. And swimming a 7 or 8 second PB is really good. I\u2019m happy with that and will take it.\u201d<\/p>\n Pallister bettered her own best time by almost eight full seconds as she was 16 seconds ahead of second place finisher Erika Fairweather<\/a> (15:30.22) of New Zealand.<\/p>\n Image Source: Mike Lewis\/World Aquatics<\/p>\n American Shaine Casas<\/a> was the men\u2019s winner for this stop, collecting 58.5 points and three IM wins this weekend, finishing off the hat trick with a 3:57.41 in the 400m IM. Casas, age 25, moved himself up to seventh on the all-time list as he is showing glimpses of the potential he had in late 2019 and early 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n Casas took down a very impressive field that included four finalists from the 2024 Olympics and two of the three medalists as he won ahead of Paris bronze medalist Carson Foster<\/a> (3:58.18) and silver medalist Tomoyuki Matsushita<\/a> (4:02.26).<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s super fun being able to race Carson and that whole field,\u201d Casas said. \u201cThat\u2019s how practice is, we go out there and try to rip it. I\u2019m super happy with that, and we both swam kick ass.<\/p>\n \u201cMy legs started to tighten up, I knew if I could just hit a couple underwater, he was going to pass me. I just gave it my all and luckily I got the better of him this time. I don\u2019t know, next time he might get me.\u201d<\/p>\n Image Source: Mike Lewis\/World Aquatics<\/p>\n Casas is currently third overall with one stop to go with 112.3 points as Hungary\u2019s Hubert Kos<\/a> is still the front runner with 116.4 points overall off of 58.4 points in Westmont.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been in this position before which is actually kind of nice to say,\u201d Casas said. \u201cBeing back up here is more natural and where I should be. It\u2019s a good familiar feeling to have. I\u2019m looking forward to the last stop and moving toward the long course season. All this momentum that I had, stuff that I\u2019ve learned and the new fitness that I have from all of this racing. I am excited to see what I can do in long course (season).\u201d<\/p>\n Image Source: Hubert Kos and Oliver Kos ready themselves before the races (Mike Lewis\/World Aquatics)<\/p>\n Kos has not lost a backstroke race in two weeks, going six-for-six thus far as he won the 100m tonight at 48.78. It was easily his best swim all weekend as he broke his own national record by 0.01 to remain fifth on the all-time list. It was also a new World Cup record, lowering the aforementioned Casas\u2019s mark of 48.84 from 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cI just took it out,\u201d Kos said. \u201cLast week I was more conservative on the first 50. This week I just wanted to go for it and see what I could do. My last 25, especially the underwater, it was kind of stinging me. It wasn\u2019t a great feeling but that\u2019s what you learn from. I want to just keep pushing myself and see how close I can get.\u201d<\/p>\n Kos also beat the Olympic champion and long course world record holder Thomas Ceccon<\/a> (49.60) tonight to remain undefeated.<\/p>\n \u201cShaine just told me he was going to do the 100 as well,\u201d Kos said after the 100m backstroke. \u201cEveryone is coming for me. They saw that I threw six in a row, sweeping the backstroke in both stops so let’s see them. It will be a good race.\u201d<\/p>\n Image Source: Mike Lewis\/World Aquatics<\/p>\n Kos\u2019s biggest challenger in the overall standings will be Canada\u2019s Ilya Kharun<\/a>, who is second overall at 113.1 points. On Sunday night, he had his best swim of the World Cup with a 21.69 in the 50m butterfly, again taking down world record holder Noe Ponti<\/a> (21.80) of Switzerland for the second straight week. Before the World Cup this year, Ponti hadn\u2019t lost a 50m butterfly in short course meters since the 2022 Short Course Worlds, and has since lost two straight finals to Kharun.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very happy about that, it could have gone both ways,\u201d Kharun said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting to win, I just wanted to win. Noe is such a strong component. I was really happy I got this one because if I get it in Toronto, It would be another crown and I would be very happy about that. Overall, a really fun race. I\u2019m just happy to be here in this position. Noe is such a fierce competitor, (I am) just happy to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n Kharun missed his own national record by 0.02 as he will head home to Toronto next week as the marquee athlete in Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it will be exciting for the crowd,\u201d Kharun said of racing in his home nation next week. \u201cI haven\u2019t been there in a little bit. I think it will be very exciting and very fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Image Source: Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands goes two straight in the 200m breaststroke so far on the 2025 Swimming World Cup tour (Mike Lewis\/World Aquatics)<\/p>\n Caspar Corbeau<\/a> of the Netherlands won his second straight 200m breaststroke this tour as he won four of the six breaststroke finals these two weeks, winning the 200m tonight at 2:01.68 on 37 strokes. Corbeau was just off his lifetime best of 2:01.63 from last week as he remains 11th all-time. He won emphatically tonight over last year\u2019s World Short Course champ Carles Coll Marti<\/a> (2:03.61) of Spain.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a few hundredths slower, I have to look at how I split it,\u201d Corbeau said. \u201cI felt a little bit more rushed maybe. I should have relaxed a little bit more and glide and focus on my strengths.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m against a great field of competitors. Every week is a struggle. I\u2019m just trying to take in little bits and pieces of the races throughout these weeks. And if I can get everything right, maybe next week we\u2019ll see a sweep, I don\u2019t know, I\u2019m just trying to focus on the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Image Source: Luke Hobson in the ready room (Mike Lewis\/World Aquatics)<\/p>\n The Americans closed out the Westmont stop with a podium sweep in the 200m freestyle, led by world record holder Luke Hobson<\/a> at 1:40.62, the 13th fastest time in history. He was joined on the dais by Olympian Chris Guiliano<\/a> (1:41.34) and Pan American Games finalist Grant House<\/a> (1:41.52).<\/p>\n \u201cThese guys have been really pushing me throughout the week,\u201d Hobson said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t be happier with my results here compared to last week. I just keep getting better and trying to keep that ball rolling through Toronto.\u201d<\/p>\n Image Source: Mike Lewis\/World Aquatics<\/p>\n American Alex Walsh<\/a> also picked up a win in the 200m IM at 2:04.44, holding off Israel\u2019s Anastasia Gorbenko<\/a> (2:04.93), for her second straight win in the event.<\/p>\n Gorbenko also broke her own national record to move up to 17th all-time.<\/p>\n