World Aquatics’ Newest World Cup Incentive: Crown BUSTERS

World Aquatics has rolled out a new way to earn prize money at the 2025 World Cup Series that rolls into its second weekend in suburban Chicago on Friday: crown busters.

• See also: Gretchen Walsh Leads Prize Money Totals with $22,000 Earned at the First World Cup Stop

This now offers swimmers a 5th way to earn prize money a the three-stop series that concludes in Toronto later this month.

Prize Money Opportunities at the World Cup:

• Top-performer (based on 3 best swims) at each meet – $336,000
• Top-performer (based on 3 best swims from each meet) in the series – $524,000
• World Record bonus – $10,000 each (2 so far)
• Crowns, winning the same event 3 meets in a row – $10,000
• Crown Buster, breaking a 3 meet winning streak – $2,500

In 2024, $180,000 in ‘crowns’ bonuses were awarded. The absence of Summer McIntosh, the world’s best swimmer, who withdrew from the meet with an undisclosed illness, should open up the opportunity for a lot this year as well, especially on the women’s side.

The men’s side, with top series swimmers Shaine Casas and Leon Marchand battling, feels likely to have crowns.

Last year, we didn’t see swimmers willing to be fully cutthroat to maximize their earnings in the first four categories above, so it’s unclear if any star swimmers (like teammates and training partners Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass, for example).

There were a couple of crowns ‘busted’ in the final stop though, even without major incentives (other than points in the regular standings):

• Louise Hansson of Sweden beat Laura Lahtinen of Finland in the 100 fly in Singapore in a classic Nordic rivalry
• Chad le Clos of South Africa beat Trenton Julian of the United States in the 200 fly after finishing 2nd in the first two stops.
• Katie Grimes of the United States beat Mary-Sophie Harvey of Canada in the 400 IM after not racing the first two stops, another classic border rivalry.

The official text of the new policy is below:

The Crown Buster(s)

At the final stop of the series in Toronto, Canada, additional prize money of US$ 2,500 will be awarded to a swimmer who wins an event for the first time in the series, provided that the win by that athlete in that event prevents another swimmer from earning a Crown.

Example:

If Swimmer A wins the Men’s 100m Backstroke in Carmel and Westmont, and Swimmer B wins the same event in Toronto, then Swimmer B would earn US$ 2,500, and Swimmer A would not earn any prize money for the Crown.

Notes:

• In the event of a tie between the swimmer who won the same event at the two previous stops and another swimmer(s), only the Crown winner will be recognized and awarded.
• In the event of a tie between swimmers who win an event for the first time in the series, thereby preventing a previous winner from winning the Crown, each such swimmer will receive the Crown Buster prize money.