2025 World University Games
- July 17th-23rd, 2025
- Prelims: 9 a.m. local time (3 a.m. EST)
- Finals: 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. EST)
- Berlin, Germany
- LCM (50 Meters)
- Meet Central
- Entries List
- Live Results
- Livestream
- Live Recaps
Men’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay – Final
- World Record: 3:08.24 – United States, 2008
- World Junior Record: 3:15.49 – United States, 2023
- World University Games Record: 3:10.88 – Russia, 2013
Top-8 Finishers:
- United States – 3:12.36 (GOLD)
- Japan – 3:14.19 (SILVER)
- Brazil – 3:15.02 (BRONZE)
- Italy – 3:15.21
- South Africa – 3:15.70
- Germany – 3:16.07
- Australia – 3:16.39
- Sweden – 3:19.59
The 2025 World University Games are in full swing, with day one of seven swimming events now complete. While SwimSwam covered all of the events in full detail, including the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay, there were two particular swimmers on Team USA who stepped up in a big way: David King and Mitchell Schott.
Team USA’s victory was never truly in doubt, though they didn’t have the lead after the first leg. Team South Africa’s Pieter Coetzee gave his team the lead after the first exchange, logging a big-time best time of 47.88 to threaten the 2009 South African record of 47.79 held by Lyndon Ferns. That lead wouldn’t last, however, as they fell to 5th overall once the race was said and done.
Team USA, with relay Olympic champion Matt King leading off in a season-best 48.00—just shy of his 2024 best of 47.93—overtook South Africa after the second leg, thanks to a 48.15 split from Princeton’s Schott. This was a massive swim given his flat-start personal best sits at 49.16. From there, the Americans never looked back.
Indiana’s Owen McDonald produced a 48.46 split on the third leg to hold the lead before Virginia freshman David King blasted home with a sizzling 47.75 anchor leg, a remarkable feat as he’s never broken the 49-second barrier from a flat start.
King, who wrapped up his freshman campaign a few months back at UVA, has been on a tear over the past two months. While he had a successful freshman season with the Cavaliers, particularly at the ACC Championships where he produced lifetime bests of 1:31.92 in the 200 free, 4:13.43 in the 500 free, 45.11 in the 100 back, and 1:38.36 in the 200 back, he faltered a bit at NCAAs with times of 45.61 in the 100 back and opted not to swim the 200 back.
At U.S. Nationals last month, he showed that while he’s good in the short course pool, the long course is where he shines, similar to a few of the other UVA men, like Jack Aikins, who really find their groove in the big pool. At Nationals in Indianapolis, he hit the wall 10th in the 50 back (25.03), 9th in the 100 back (53.84), and 4th in the 200 back (1:55.64)—massive drops from his prior bests of 26.29, 54.67, and 1:57.90.
King also time trialed the 100 and 200 free, hitting 49.29 and 1:49.03 for bests in those races as well. His prior 100 free best was 50.75 from the Fort Lauderdale Pro Series this past April, and prior to that it rested at 51.74, while the 200 free prior mark was 1:52.73, though he hadn’t swum it since July 2023.
For Schott, who will be a senior with Princeton next month, the five-time Ivy League champion had a blockbuster U.S. Nationals meet last month, punching best times of 1:55.86 (8th) in the 200 fly and 1:59.05 (7th) in the 200 IM, while also notching 4:15.80 (8th)—a huge best in the 400 IM—as he entered the meet with lifetime marks of 1:57.15, 1:59.31 in the 200 IM, and 4:18.69.
Though he didn’t swim the 100 free at Nationals, he did swim his current flat start best 49.16 and a 200 free best 1:47.76 at a tune-up meet during the last week of June, post-Nationals. The decision to swim those events almost certainly earned him a spot on today’s relay team, and will likely secure him a place in the 4×200 relay later this week. He was “only” 1:58.02 in the 200 fly at that meet after his 1:55.86 earlier in the month, showing he was back in hard training and would likely have the sort of split he had today.
These two were just two of the names who stepped up today for a Team USA men’s team that is seeking emerging talent as we head into the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
King’s only individual event at this meet is the 200 back, where he’s seeded 2nd behind American Daniel Diehl (1:55.08). The event is scheduled for Tuesday, July 22 (heats and semifinals), with the final on Wednesday, July 23, should he advance. For Schott, he’s swimming the 200 IM heats tomorrow morning, with the final scheduled for Saturday, July 19, if he advances. He’s the 5th seed, with the aforementioned McDonald (1:57.51) topping the entry sheets in the event.
From a non-USA perspective, here are some of the other standout relay splits compared to swimmers’ flat start personal bests:
- South Africa’s Guy Brooks, who swims for Louisville in the United States, anchored in 47.95 (flat start best: 49.39), helping his team to 5th.
- Australia’s Marcus da Silva, still only 18, closed in 47.73 (flat start PB: 49.03), helping his squad finish 7th.
- Brazil’s Kaique Alves, an Alabama alum, delivered a 47.96 second leg for the bronze-medal-winning squad (flat start best: 48.92).
- Japan’s Takahi Hara hit 47.70 on the second leg, propelling his team to silver (flat start best: 48.99).
The Swiss were 9th in the prelims and thus didn’t get a chance to swim the final and be analyzed here. Their lead-off was excellent though and worthy of note.
Recent ASU graduate Tiago Behar, winner this year of the NCAA-90 award, entered the meet with a PB of :49.67 from April of this year; his lead-off tonight was :49.58 for a new PB.
All three of his rolling-start teammates were over 50 seconds leading to a :3:20.72, missing the final.
Is there a list of where all of the athletes competing at this meet go to school?
Da Silva looks ready to go 48. Still only 18.
Mitch Schott will crush the 4×200 relay too.
They ll use David King too..he has the 200 speed
No King in the 100 back? Hope he gets s 400 medley spot at some point
He ll anchor the medley relay prelims