2025 SWIMMING WORLD CUP – CARMEL
- October 10-12, 2025
- Carmel, Indiana
- SCM (25 meters)
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We are wrapping up coverage for the first stop of the 2025 World Cup, and we are looking at the prize money totals, and who leads the standings after the conclusion of the 1st meet.
Unsurprisingly, Gretchen Walsh and Hubert Kos, the stop winners, lead the current money totals after they both earned the $12,000 award for winning the stop.
Walsh earned an additional $10,000 in the form of the World Record Bonus for breaking the World Record in the women’s 50 fly final
This leaves Walsh to top the overall prize money table with two stops remaining in the World Cup series as she was the only World Record breaker at the first meet.
Kate Douglass and Caspar Corbeau sit in 2nd at $10,000 each after they finished 2nd in the rankings, and Kaylee McKeown and Carson Foster are in 3rd at $8,000 apiece.
Athletes earn prize money up to 20th place in the overall rankings with the $4,000 prize going to Germany’s Jeremias Pock (who scored 36.9 points), and the Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen (who scored 35.9 points).
Numerous athletes also put their hat in the ring for the potential $10,000 Triple Crown bonus at the end of the meet. Anyone who won an event over the course of the weekend is in the running for this prize, as long as they win the same event in Westmont and Toronto later this month.
This potential prize money will include Lani Pallister and Samuel Short who won the 800 and 1500 freestyle respectively. These events will alternate by stop, which means as long as they continue to win the longest event offered, they can win the Triple Crown.
Walsh, Douglass, and Kos are currently in the running to win three Triple Crown bonuses as the only swimmers to win three different individual events.
Men’s Standings/Earnings – Carmel
| Rank | Name | Country | Ranking Points | World Record Bonus | Money Earned (Ranking) |
Total Money (Carmel)
|
| 1 | Hubert Kos | HUN | 58.4 | $0 | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| 2 | Caspar Corbeau | NED | 55.8 | $0 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| 3 | Carson Foster | USA | 55.4** | $0 | $8,000 | $8,000 |
| 4 | Ilya Kharun | CAN | 55.4** | $0 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| 5 | Shaine Casas | USA | 53.8 | $0 | $5,500 | $5,500 |
| 6 | Noe Ponti | SUI | 53.6 | $0 | $5,400 | $5,400 |
| 7 | Chris Guiliano | USA | 53 | $0 | $5,300 | $5,300 |
| 8 | Leon Marchand | FRA | 52.6 | $0 | $5,200 | $5,200 |
| 9 | Jack Alexy | USA | 49.1 | $0 | $5,100 | $5,100 |
| 10 | Ilya Shymanovich | NAA | 43.7 | $0 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| 11 | Kacper Stokowski | POL | 42.9 | $0 | $4,900 | $4,900 |
| 12 | Thomas Ceccon | ITA | 42.3 | $0 | $4,800 | $4,800 |
| 13 | Tomoyuki Matsushita | JPN | 43 | $0 | $4,700 | $4,700 |
| 14 | Dylan Carter | TTO | 40.5 | $0 | $4,600 | $4,600 |
| 15 | Finlay Knox | CAN | 40 | $0 | $4,500 | $4,500 |
| 16 | Grant House | USA | 39.8 | $0 | $4,400 | $4,400 |
| 17 | Lewis Clareburt | NZL | 39 | $0 | $4,300 | $4,300 |
| 18 | Ralf Tribuntsov | EST | 38.6 | $0 | $4,200 | $4,200 |
| 19 | Kieran Smith | USA | 37.2 | $0 | $4,100 | $4,100 |
| 20 | Jeremias Pock | GER | 36.9 | $0 | $4,000 | $4,000 |
**Carson Foster wins the tie because his highest AQUA point total of the meet (941 points in the 200 IM) outranks Kharun’s highest AQUA point total (927 points in the 50 fly).
Women’s Standings/Earnings – Carmel
| Rank | Name | Country | Ranking Points | World Record Bonus | Money Earned (Ranking) |
Total Money (Carmel)
|
| 1 | Gretchen Walsh | USA | 59.1 | $10,000 | $12,000 | $22,000 |
| 2 | Kate Douglass | USA | 58.9 | $0 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| 3 | Kaylee McKeown | AUS | 56.8 | $0 | $8,000 | $8,000 |
| 4 | Regan Smith | USA | 56.7 | $0 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| 5 | Lani Pallister | AUS | 56.5 | $0 | $5,500 | $5,500 |
| 6 | Mollie O’Callaghan | AUS | 54.5 | $0 | $5,400 | $5,400 |
| 7 | Alexandria Perkins | AUS | 51 | $0 | $5,300 | $5,300 |
| 8 | Erika Fairweather | NZL | 48.2 | $0 | $5,200 | $5,200 |
| 9 | Eneli Jefimova | EST | 46.8 | $0 | $5,100 | $5,100 |
| 10 | Anna Elendt | GER | 46.7 | $0 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| 11 | Alex Walsh | USA | 44.8 | $0 | $4,900 | $4,900 |
| 12 | Alex Shackell | USA | 43.8 | $0 | $4,800 | $4,800 |
| 13 | Roos Vanotterdijk | BEL | 43.6 | $0 | $4,700 | $4,700 |
| 14 | Ellen Walshe | IRL | 42 | $0 | $4,600 | $4,600 |
| 15 | Rebecca Meder | RSA | 42.8 | $0 | $4,500 | $4,500 |
| 16 | Kasia Wasick | POL | 42.3 | $0 | $4,400 | $4,400 |
| 17 | Ella Ramsay | AUS | 39.7 | $0 | $4,300 | $4,300 |
| 18 | Mary-Sophie Harvey | CAN | 39.6 | $0 | $4,200 | $4,200 |
| 19 | Anna Peplowski | USA | 39.5 | $0 | $4,100 | $4,100 |
| 20 | Marrit Steenbergen | NED | 39.5 | $0 | $4,000 | $4,000 |
Is it the case that post ISL threat, WA have purposefully lowered prize money?
First order of business is to raise the stipend and expense reimbursements for the national team!
I, for one, don’t think this is that bad. The World Cup, is essentially, a fifth of the season. If the top performers make $90k, that annualizes to $450k just in prize money. I know that’s not perfect math, but I think that’s pretty reasonable.
To me, swimming’s bigger problem is bringing up the floor. The top performers are making 7 figures a year. That’s enough for the sport to thrive. Bringing more swimmers to a six-figure annual income, for me, is what helps the sport ‘go’ better.
Define “top performers”. Because there are Olympic medalists who are struggling financially, and who cannot even get meaningful support from a suit company (looking at you, Arena).
HOW well it has been said, and yet it needs repeating: “swimming is not commercial and there’s no attempt by the organizations in charge (World Aquatics, USA Swimming, etc) to make swimming more popular.”
The real failure DOES lie with the organizing and sanctioning committees/organizations, NOT the incredibly hard working athletes who deserve much, much better!
I know Marchand lost on purpose so his teammates have a chance to get triple crowns but I can’t prove it.. 👮🏿‍♂️
*insert Sgt. Doakes Dexter meme*
Since he only shared one event with each of his teammates, he did a sh*t job of helping them. True friends enter all your events, sabotage the competition and then purposefully lose to you.
i don’t know how most of these kids survive – the federal poverty level income for a single-person household in the US is $15k.
Hello, I’m a swimming fan from South Korea who enjoys Swimsam. Sorry to leave a comment that isn’t related to this article, but I’d like to go see the 15th National Games of china swimming event in November, so if anyone knows how to pay online and get tickets, could I get some help?
$30,000 for a World Record last year at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup tour to $10,000 for a World Record this year at the 2025 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup tour.
Cheap! Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!
The cost of a new headquarters at the expense of the athletes.
The world record bonus at the World cups have been $10000 (with the exception for 1 or 2 years when I think it was $20,000) for decades.
What can we take from and learn from other sports.
I have listed my views and opinions multiple times in multiple articles often related to what the change in CPI is with relations to WA prize money.
Like to hear ideas from others.
Insane how low that is. Swimmers deserve MORE!
Comparison with US Open (tennis):
A (singles) player *losing* in the first round of qualifying will receive $27,500.
Basically guaranteed $27,500 just by turning up to your first round of qualifying.
Singles first-round winners receive $110,000
Coco Gauff gets $110k just by playing 1 round at US Open.
Does Gretchen Walsh train less than Coco Gauff?
I doubt it.
But its a reality:
Swimming is not commercial and there’s no attempt by the organizations in charge (World Aquatics, USA Swimming, etc) to make swimming more popular.
for every 1 person who watches swimming there must be 1000s, or tens of 1000s, who watch the USOpen!
so I am happy to pay $12 for the month of March to ESPN+ to watch the NCAA Championships
so NCAA just leave everything as is. just see Swimswam commentors, the people who watch