Cameron McEvoy Shatters 15m PB By Over A Tenth, Paving The Way For Potential World Record Swim

The 2025 Australian Open Championships wrapped up earlier this week in Brisbane, Australia, highlighted by several top-5 swims in the world so far this year from the likes of five-time Olympic champions Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O’Callaghan.

Beyond those two record-setters, 30-year-old Cameron McEvoy, who won the gold medal in the 50 freestyle in Paris last July, posted the second-fastest time in the world this season. He clocked 21.48, positioning himself behind only rising Russian star Egor Kornev so far in 2025.

21-year-old Kornev notched a personal best of 21.43 at the Russian Nationals in mid-April, smashing his previous best of 21.70 from last year. He is expected to compete at the World Championships in Singapore this July, but will swim under a neutral flag due to his nation’s suspension.

Note: Competitors from Russia are required to swim under the name and flag of “Neutral Athletes B” due to their nation’s suspension, resulting from the ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian sporting organizations.

McEvoy’s time, though, was only 0.13 slower than his winning performance at the Australian Olympic Trials last July and just 0.23 slower than his Paris gold-medal time of 21.25. Not to mention, he has only been training full-time in the pool for three weeks after an extended break to focus on gym work, get married, and prepare for the arrival of a baby.

The 30-year-old has been known for his above-the-water speed throughout his career and is widely recognized for his focus on the 100 free from 2012 to 2021. During this period, he either swam the individual event or competed in Australia’s 4×100 free relay. He entered the 2016 Olympics as the heavy favorite after throwing down a time of 47.04 at the Australian Olympic Trials, a mark that still stands as the Australian record, despite Kyle Chalmers, who beat him to gold in Rio, clocking 47.0 on multiple occasions. In Rio, McEvoy placed 7th in that final with a time of 48.12.

Following the Tokyo Olympics, where he swam only in the prelims for Australia’s 4×100 free relay and finished 29th in the individual 50 free (22.31), McEvoy took an extended break from the sport. He returned in 2023 with a new training mindset under the guidance of coach Tim Lane. Since then, he’s been on fire, focusing solely on the 50 free, with the occasional 50 fly swim. He won the 2023 World title and earned silver in 2024 before his strong showing in Paris.

Following last week’s 50 free at the Australian Open, McEvoy made headlines by sharing data about his race metrics. He improved the weakest part of his race: the start and first 15 meters.

He told Swimming Australia: “I’m stoked with that time. I didn’t expect 21.4. I was 21.3 at (Olympic) Trials last year to put that in perspective.”

“I credit my swim this morning. I’ve been working a lot on my first 15m. I was third last to 15m in Paris, 0.2 behind Caeleb (Dressel) and the top guys. This morning in the heats I obliterated my 15m PB by more than 0.1 of a second and just spent the rest of the day on a high with that.

“I never thought I was a dive guy. I was definitely more of like the technique type of dude. But I lay out a plan for improving that, and then it actually happens, so that’s pretty cool. It’s a nice feeling.

“I can take my first 15m from this morning and marry it with my best 15m to 35m, and that’s a world record. Now I somehow need to find a way to do it at the same time.

“I’ve only had one three-week block of swimming and … these results now are showing that we’re getting closer and closer to that blueprint. It’s really exciting.”

McEvoy, having swum less than 21 full-time days since Paris, not only improved his fastest-ever in-season time by a little over three-tenths, but also improved his fastest-ever first 15m by a tenth. The outside-of-the-pool gym focus has put him in a great position to once again challenge for the world title in Singapore this July, assuming he qualifies at the Australian Trials in June.

The sprinter could also pose a threat to Cesar Cielo’s long-standing 2009 super-suited world record of 20.91. McEvoy’s best of 21.06, paired with his newly improved start (-0.10), puts him under the 21-second threshold and within striking distance of Cielo’s mark. Now, the biggest challenge is putting it all together in the same race.

At the very least, McEvoy’s best time, which ranks #4 all-time, is certainly in danger, and Caeleb Dressel‘s textile record of 21.04 might fall sooner rather than later.

Note: A textile best refers to a swimmer’s fastest time achieved while wearing a swimsuit made from textile materials, such as nylon, polyester, or a blend of fabrics. This term became important after 2010 when World Aquatics (formerly FINA) implemented a ban on high-tech, polyurethane suits, which had drastically reduced drag in the water and helped swimmers break numerous world records.

All-Time Top Performers, Men’s 50 Freestyle:

1. Cesar Cielo, Brazil — 20.91 (2009) *Super-Suited*
2. Frederick Bousquet, France — 20.94 (2009) *Super-Suited*
3. Caeleb Dressel, United States — 21.04 (2019/2021) *Textile Best*
4. Cameron McEvoy, Australia — 21.06 (2023)
5. Ben Proud, Great Britain — 21.11 (2018)

Notably, our recent poll asked SwimSwam readers which super-suited record was most likely to fall next, and you all voted for the 50 free by a significant margin, leading the rest of the records by 19.6%. The results of that poll are shown below.

• Men’s 50 Free (20.91) – 40.6%
• Women’s 200 Fly (2:01.81) – 21.0%
• Men’s 200 Free (1:42.00) – 19.5%
• Men’s 200 Back (1:51.92) – 10.9%
• Men’s 800 Free (7:32.12) – 8.0%

McEvoy’s Swim From This Week (21.48):

Courtesy: Australian Dolphins Swim Team (race starts at 41:25)

McEvoy’s Personal Best Swim, 2023 World Championships (21.06):

Courtesy: Kerem Gül

McEvoy’s Second-Fastest Swim Ever, 2024 World Championship Heats (21.13):

Courtesy: SC PlayZ ROBLOX

McEvoy’s 2024 Olympic Trials Swim, Underwater View (21.35):

Courtesy: SC PlayZ ROBLOX / News 9