2025 Swimming World Cup – Westmont: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2025 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – Westmont

• October 17-19, 2025
• Westmont, Illinois
• SCM (25 meters)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2
  • Finals: Day 1

Day 2 Finals Heat Sheet

Event Schedule

• Women’s 400 IM — fastest heat
• Men’s 800 freestyle — fastest heat
• Men’s 50 backstroke
• Women’s 200 freestyle
• Men’s 200 IM
• Women’s 100 backstroke
• Men’s 50 breaststroke
• Women’s 50 butterfly
• Men’s 100 freestyle
• Women’s 100 breaststroke
• Men’s 200 butterfly

Welcome to the Day 2 finals session of 2025 Swimming World Cup-Westmont. We have a number of U.S. Open Records that look ripe for the taking, with Shaine Casas potentially having the 200 IM World Record in his sights after a big best time in the 100 IM last night.

Abbie Wood will aim to kick off the session for us with a win in the 400 IM after taking gold in Carmel, though will have to hold off Mary-Sophie Harvey and Irish Record Holder Ellen Walshe.

Zalan Sarkany is the top seed in the men’s 800, but the 2024 World Short Course champion has to stay ahead off last week’s 1500 winner Sam Short. Carson Foster will be in the distance free event for the second week running, swimming out of lane 2 tonight after placing 2nd in the 1500 last Saturday.

Hubert Kos delivered the backstroke sweep in Carmel, and is 1/3 of the way to doing so again this week. He led prelims of the men’s 50 back in 22.73, three-tenths of a second ahead of Dylan Carter‘s 23.04, and will be tough to beat.

Mollie O’Callaghan dominated the women’s 200 free last week, and is back again here in Westmont. After soaring to #3 all-time and being faster in both her events yesterday than a week ago, her shiny new Australian and U.S. Open Records could be in danger.

Shaine Casas is the odds-on favorite in the men’s 200 IM, swimming the #2 time in history last week and with no Leon Marchand to challenge him. He scratched out of the 50 back heats to focus on this race, and after taking down his personal best in the 100 IM by more than four-tenths of a second, is in fantastic form right now. This could be the first time we see a Leon Marchand World Record broken.

Kaylee McKeown will be looking to avenge her defeat to Regan Smith in the women’s 100 backstroke last weekend, the first time the U.S. star had beaten her in an individual race since 2019. They will both need to watch out for Bella Sims though who pushed them all the way last week and was mere tenths behind.

The men’s 50 breast could be a barnstormer, with last week’s podium separated by just 0.04 seconds and two of those back in the field today. With no Chris Smith, the winner in Carmel, we will have a new champion and potentially a U.S. Open record to boot.

Gretchen Walsh will go in the women’s 50 fly and aim to add a ninth swim from nine in the event faster than any other woman in history. So far she has swum the event eight times in SCM: the slowest of those is 24.37, one-hundredth faster than the #2 swimmer all-time, Therese Alshammar. Alexandria Perkins will aim to reprise her silver medal from Carmel, but Walsh should be the clear choice here.

Jack Alexy is the favorite to repeat his gold-medal finish in the men’s 100 free, three-quarters of a second ahead of #2 seed Tomas Lukminas in prelims this morning. Likewise, Kate Douglass is the top seed in the women’s 100 breast and aiming to set herself up for a Triple Crown next week.

Ilya Kharun, already a double gold-medal winner here, will hope to make it three-for-three and defend his top seed in the men’s 200 fly. Federico Burdisso, last week’s bronze medalist, was his closest challenger this morning but the Canadian looks in imperious form in Westmont.

Women’s 400m IM — Fastest Heat

• World Record: 4:15.48 — Summer McIntosh, Canada (2024)
• World Junior Record: 4:15.48 — Summer McIntosh, Canada (2024)
• World Cup Record: 4:18.94 — Mireia Belmonte Garcia, Spain (2017)
• U.S. Open Record: 4:21.21 — Katinka Hosszu, Hungary (2015)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Ellen Walshe (IRL) – 4:25.33
2. Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN) – 4:28.92
3. Abbie Wood (GBR) – 4:31.84
4. Mio Narita (JPN) – 4:33.25
5. Ella Ramsay (AUS) – 4:33.29
6. Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR) – 4:34.75
7. Alex Walsh (CLB) – 4:34.99
8. Emma Carrasco (ESP) – 4:36.12

Ella Ramsay and Mary-Sophie Harvey were the early leaders, but it was Harvey, Abbie Wood and Ellen Walshe who were looking strongest as we moved through the backstroke.

It was on this leg last week that Wood grabbed a lead that she would never relinquish, but that was not the case here.

Harvey was a full two seconds ahead of the field after the fly, and maintained that lead through the backstroke leg to hit halfway in 2:08.12, ahead of Walshe’s 2:10.24 and Wood’s 2:10.57.

Breaststroke was where Wood had broken the field open with a 1:13-point split in Carmel, but she was 1:16.0 here. Walshe stormed past Harvey thanks to a 1:14.8 leg, and led by a second over the Canadian as they headed into the freestyle leg.

Just like last week, Walshe’s final 100 was stellar and she closed in 1:00.26, a second faster than the last stop. She stopped the clock in 4:25.33, nearly four seconds ahead of Harvey and more than a second under her previous Irish Record.

Harvey was 2nd in 4:28.92, while Wood was three seconds behind in 4:31.84, closing in just 1:05.21. Mio Narita finished 4th thanks to a 1:00.49 final 100, with Alex Walsh placing 7th out of this morning’s heats.

Men’s 800 Freestyle — Fastest Heat

• World Record: 7:20.46 — Daniel Wiffen, Ireland (2023)
• World Junior Record: 7:36.00 — Sven Schwarz, Germany (2019)
• World Cup Record: 7:35.40 — Pan Zhanle, China (2024)
• U.S. Open Record: 7:36.24 — Pál Joensen, Denmark (2011)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Zalan Sarkany (HUN) – 7:29.50 *World Cup Record, U.S. Open Record*
2. Sam Short (AUS) – 7:32.43
3. Carson Foster (USA) – 7:34.10
4. Lucas Henveaux (BEL) – 7:34.51
5. Brendan Smith (AUS) – 7:41.14
6. Batuhan Filiz (TUR) – 7:56.45
7. Charles Clark (CLB) – 7:58.26
8. Sean Atkinson (CLB) – 8:04.01

At the start of this 800 there was a line of four swimmers out in front, with Zalan Sarkany, Sam Short, Carson Foster and Brendan Smith leading the way, and flipping nearly even at the 200 meter mark. 

The first three distanced themselves from Smith through the next 200, before Foster was the one to fall away through the 3rd 200 meters.

It was Sarkany and Short with 200 to go, but the Hungarian pulled away from the Australian from 600 meters onwards, and had far too much in the tank for Short to contend with. He closed in 1:50.28 for the final 200, less than a second slower than his first 200 of 1:49.54.

That was a new World Cup and U.S. Open Record, as well as a Hungarian National Record. This is also Sarkany’s final swim of the World Cup tour, as he said that he will be heading home tomorrow and not racing at the Toronto stop next week.

Short finished 2nd in 7:32.43, holding off Carson Foster who was 3rd in 7:34.10. Lucas Henveaux nearly ran the American down as he touched in 7:34.51, taking 2.5 seconds off his Belgian Record in the event. Foster finished on the podium in the distance freestyle for the second time in two weeks after takins silver in last week’s 1500.

This was the second event in a row where we saw a new champion, with Short no longer having the chance to win the distance freestyle Triple Crown next week.

Men’s 50m Backstroke — Finals

• World Record: 22.11 — Kliment Kolesnikov, Russia (2022)
• World Junior Record: 22.47 — Miron Lifintsev, Russia (2024)
• World Cup Record: 22.58 — Isaac Cooper, Australia (2024)
• U.S. Open Record: 22.65 — Hubert Kos, Hungary (2025)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Hubert Kos (HUN) – 22.91
2. Kacper Stokowski (CLB) – 22.92
3. Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 22.94
4. Ralf Tribuntsov (EST) – 23.12
5. Lucien Vergnes (FRA)/Dylan Carter (TTO) – 23.17
6. –
7. Miroslav Knedla (CLB) – 23.54
8. Cameron Gray (NZL) – 23.82

Hubert Kos just got the touch in the 50 back tonight to keep the dream of a Triple Crown in the event alive, as he fought with Thomas Ceccon and Kacper Stokowski down the stretch.

Kos was just 4th at the 25m mark, and didn’t manage to distance the pack underwater as he did last week. He did still have the fastest final 25 in the field of 11.59, and took the win in 22.91, 0.01 seconds over early leader Stokowski.

Ceccon was another 0.02 seconds behind in 3rd, touching in 22.94, with Estonian Ralf Tribuntsov just two tenths off the National Record he set last week in 23.12 for 4th.

Dylan Carter missed the podium after qualifying 2nd into the final, tying with ASU swimmer Lucien Vergnes for 5th in 23.17

Women’s 200m Freestyle — Finals

• World Record: 1:50.31 — Siobhan Haughey, Hong Kong (2021)
• World Junior Record: 1:51.62 — Claire Weinstein, United States (2024)
• World Cup Record: 1:50.43 — Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2017)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:50.77 — Mollie O’Callaghan, Australia (2025)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) – 1:49.77 *World Record, World Cup Record, U.S. Open Record*
2. Lani Pallister (AUS) – 1:52.06
3. Anna Peplowski (CLB) – 1:52.54
4. Erika Fairweather (NZL) – 1:52.66
5. Marrit Steenbergen (NED) – 1:53.07
6. Lilla Minna Abraham (HUN) – 1:53.15
7. Freya Colbert (GBR) – 1:53.51
8. Ella Jansen (CLB) – 1:55.02

O’Callaghan was out fast, taking an early lead with a 25.70 opening 50 that was half a second under WR pace, and three-tenths faster than she was last week.

She was a full body length ahead of Freya COlbert and Marrit Steenbergen at halfway, still under WR pace in

The lead only extended, with a furious battle for second behind her as five swimmers were separated by just over half a second. Lani Pallister, Marriott Steenbergen and Anna Peplowski edged their way ahead of the field over the next 50, but all eyes were on the Aussie out in front.

O’Callaghan split 28.30/27.88 over the final two 50s, absolutely crushing Siobhan Haughey’s World Record. She shattered the 1:50 barrier, doing so for the first time in history, and hacked more than half a second off the record.

Lani Pallister set a new best of 1:52.06 for 2nd as she closed in 28.18, with Peplowski in 3rd in 1:52.54. Erika Fairweather a 28.49 final 50 as she was 4th in 1:52.66, setting a New Zealand Record in the process.

Men’s 200 IM — Finals

• World Record: 1:48.88 — Leon Marchand, France (2024)
• World Junior Record: 1:51.45 — Matthew Sates, South Africa (2021)
• World Cup Record: 1:48.88 — Leon Marchand, France (2024)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:49.43 — Shaine Casas, United States (2025)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Shaine Casas (CLB) – 1:50.08
2. Finlay Knox (CAN) – 1:52.12
3. Tomoyuki Matsushita (JPN) – 1:53.26
4. David Schlicht (AUS) – 1:53.54
5. Kieran Smith (CLB) – 1:53.85
6. Alberto Razzetti (ITA) – 1:54.24
7. Trenton Julian (CLB) – 1:54.39
8. Luke Barr (CLB) – 1:55.73

Shaine Casas rocketed out to a first 50 of 23.25, just over a tenth off his opening pace last week. He was phenomenal on the backstroke though, splitting 27.19 to touch three tenths up on his time last week at halfway, touching in 50.44.

Another stellar split followed, as he split 32.48, however slightly slower than last week’s pace as he hit the 150m wall just 0.04 seconds up, and more than a second off Leon Marchand’s WR pace. On the final 50 the lack of contender pushing him told as he closed half a second slower than in Carmel. He hit the wall in 1:50.08, the joint-6th time in history.

Finlay Knox was in 2nd most of the race, and finished comfortably ahead of 3rd place Tomoyuki Matsushita, 1:52.12 to 1:53.26.

Women’s 100 Backstroke — Finals

• World Record: 54.02 — Regan Smith, United States (2024)
• World Junior Record: 55.75 — Bella Sims, United States (2022)
• World Cup Record: 54.27 — Regan Smith, United States (2024)
• U.S. Open Record: 54.92 — Regan Smith, United States (2025)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Regan Smith (CLB) – 54.02 *=World Record, World Cup Record, U.S. Open Record*
2. Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 55.04
3. Bella Sims (CLB) – 55.51
4. Katharine Berkoff (CLB) – 56.18
5. Miranda Grana (CLB) – 56.52
6. Kylie Masse (CAN) – 56.68
7. Rhyan White (CLB) – 56.79
8. Ingrid Wilm (CAN) – 57.53

Regan Smith dominated this race, getting out fast and extending the lead from 35 meters onwards. She was half a second ahead with 25 to go, but roared home to take the win over Kaylee McKeown by a full second.

McKeown hit the 25m wall first, two-tenths up on Smith, but the American swimmer’s underwaters were simply phenomenal as she reversed that deficit at the halfway point. She was 27.57 on the second 50, the only split under 28 seconds.

Smith hit the wall in 54.02 tying her World Record. That was a full nine-tenths faster than she was in the event last week, and gave her just her second individual win over McKeown since 2019.

She stated in the post-race interview that she would be disappointed if she was not at least 1:59-point in the 200 tomorrow, and is aiming to give McKeown more of a race than last week where the Aussie won by just over a second.

McKeown touched in 55.04 here, half a second ahead of Bella Sims’ 55.51 and a hundredth ahead of the 55.05 she posted last week. Katharine Berkoff won the close race for 4th ahead of Miranda Grana, 56.18 to 56.52. Grana set a new best time, but just missed Celia Pulido’s Mexican record of 56.21 set last week

Men’s 50 Breaststroke — Finals

• World Record: 24.95 — Emre Sakci, Turkey (2021)
• World Junior Record: 25.66 — Chris Smith, South Africa (2024)
• World Cup Record: 25.25 — Cameron van der Burgh (2009)
• U.S. Open Record: 25.75 — Nic Fink, United States (2019)/Chris Smith, South Africa (2025)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Caspar Corbeau (NED) – 25.52 *U.S. Open Record*
2. Ilya Shymanovich (NAA) – 25.63
3. Finlay Brooks (CLB) – 25.75
4. Adam Peaty (GBR) – 26.10
5. Ludovico Viberti (ITA) – 26.23
6. Van Mathias (CLB) – 26.29
7. Michael Andrew (CLB) – 26.36
8. Shin Ohashi (JPN) – 26.37

Finn Brooks was the leader at halfway, just two-hundredths of a second ahead of one of his Indiana teammates from last season, Caspar Corbeau. Ilya Shymanovich was also just hundredths behind, as the trio in the centre lanes separated themselves early on.

Brooks looked strong down the stretch, but both Corbeau and Shymanovich held their speed out of the underwaters better and ran him down. Corbeau powered through to get the touch in 25.52, taking 0.26 seconds off his personal best and Dutch Record. That was a U.S. Open Record to boot.

Shymanovich was just over a tenth behind in 25.63, while Brooks set a personal best of 25.75 for 3rd, matching Nic Fink’s former U.S. Open Record.

Long Course World Record holder Adam Peaty was 4th in 26.10, while Ludovico Viberti, the #3 swimmer all-time in long course, was 5th in 26.23. Brooks’ teammate Van Mathias took 6th in 26.29

Women’s 50 Butterfly — Finals

• World Record: 23.72 — Gretchen Walsh, United States (2025)
• World Junior Record: 24.55 — Claire Curzan, United States (2021)
• World Cup Record: 23.72 — Gretchen Walsh, United States (2025)
• U.S. Open Record: 23.72 — Gretchen Walsh, United States (2025)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Gretchen Walsh (CLB) – 23.90
2. Alexandria Perkins (AUS) – 24.60
3. Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL) – 25.41
4. Phoebe Bacon (CLB) – 25.45
5. Taylor Ruck (CAN) – 25.61
6. Olivia Wunsch (AUS) – 25.94
7. Laura Lahtinen (FIN) – 25.95
8. Kasia Wasick (POL) – 25.96

Gretchen Walsh was dominant from the start, leading wire-to-wire as she swam the 2nd-fastest time in history. This was below her former World Record of 23.94, and just under two-tenths of a second off her mark of 23.72 from last week.

She was slightly slower on both 25s than last week as she took the win over Alexandria Perkins, who shaved yet more time of her Australian and Oceanian Record, raking it from 24.64 to 24.60 tonight. After she set a new best in the 50 free last night en route to a silver medal, she could be a good bet for another record in the 100 fly tomorrow.

Roos Vanotterdijk ensured that it was an identical podium to last week as she won the battle for bronze in 25.41, just 0.04 seconds ahead of Phoebe Bacon in 4th. Taylor Ruck swam a strong 25.62 for 5th, while 6th-thorugh-8th were separated by just 0.02 seconds as every swimmer in the field broke 26 seconds.

Men’s 100 Freestyle — Finals

• World Record: 44.84 — Kyle Chalmers, Australia (2021)
• World Junior Record: 45.64 — David Popovici, Romania (2022)
• World Cup Record: 44.84 — Kyle Chalmers, Australia (2021)
• U.S. Open Record: 45.22 — Caeleb Dressel, United States (2019)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Jack Alexy (CLB) – 45.84
2. Chris Guiliano (CLB) – 46.11
3. Brooks Curry (CLB) – 46.23
4. Tomas Lukminas (CLB) – 46.23
5. Matt Richards (GBR) – 46.36
6. Josh Liendo (CAN) – 46.60
7. Matt King (CLB) – 46.72
8. Luke Hobson (USA) – 46.99

Jack Alexy did not have it all his own way in the men’s 100 free final, as Chris Guiliano and Brooks Curry made this a much closer race than last week. Those three were almost dead even at halfway, with Curry leading the way in 21.79, ahead of Guiliano (21.81) and ALexy (21.84).

Alexy had a stellar 3rd 25, splitting 11.76 for the only 3rd leg under 12 seconds, giving him a two-tenths lead heading into the final 25. He didn’t pull away as he did in Carmel, splitting just 12.24 as he held on to take the win in 45.84 ahead of Guiliano’s 46.11 Curry was 3rd in 46.23

Matt Richards had the second-fastest final 50 in 24.08 to jump from 7th to 5th on the final length, touching in 46.36 to finish just behind Tomas Lukminas‘ 46.23. That was just over a tenth off his won Lithuanian Record of 46.08.

Josh Liendo fell from 4th to 6th on the second 50, falling away from the front three. Matt King and Luke Hobson were 7th and 8th in 46.72 and 46.99 respectively.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke — Finals

• World Record: 1:02.36 — Alia Atkinson, Jamaica/Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuania (2016/2013)
• World Junior Record: 1:02.36 — Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuania (2013)
• World Cup Record: 1:02.36 — Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuania (2013)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:02.77 — Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuania (2022)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Kate Douglass (USA) – 1:03.14
2. Mona McSharry (IRL) – 1:04.18
3. Alex Walsh (CLB) – 1:04.45
4. Sophie Angus (CAN) – 1:05.31
5. Rebecca Meder (RSA) – 1:5.35
6. Ella Ramsay (AUS) – 1:05.53
7.  Satomi Suzuki (JPN) – 1:05.63
8. Macarena Ceballos (ARG) – 1:05.81

Kate Douglass led wire-to-wire, making it back-to-back women’s events won by Virginia swimmers. She was the only swimmer to split under 30 seconds at halfway, touching nearly half a second ahead of Mona McSharry in 29.80. She had the fastest second 50 as well, coming home in 33.34 to take the win in 1:03.14, just off the 1:02.90 she swam to finish 1st last week.

McSharry moved up from 4th to 2nd, despite adding slightly to her time from last week. She finished in 1:04.18, a quarter of a second off her Irish Record in the event, holding off Alex Walsh down the stretch. Walsh was 3rd in 1:04.45, also just off her time from last week despite moving up three places.

Sophie Angus just edged past Rebecca Meder for 4th, as Ella Ramsay took 6th on the end of a tough double with the 400 IM.

Men’s 200 Butterfly — Finals

• World Record: 1:46.85 — Tomoru Honda, Japan (2022)
• World Junior Record: 1:49.61 — Chen Juner, China (2022)
• World Cup Record: 1:48.56 — Chad Le Clos, South Africa (2013)
• U.S. Open Record: 1:48.77 — Daiya Seto, Japan (2019)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Ilya Kharun (CAN) – 1:48.46 *U.S. Open Record, World Cup Record*
2. Noe Ponti (SUI) – 1:49.32
3. Trenton Julian (CLB) – 1:51.53
4. Alberto Razzetti (ITA) – 1:52.68
5. Kryzstof Chmielewski (CLB) – 1:53.15
6. Haakon Naughton (CLB) – 1:53.70
7. Federico Burdisso (ITA) – 1:54.40
8. Michal Chmielewski (CLB) – 1:56.73

Noe Ponti was out like a shot, more than half a second under WR pace at the 50m mark and 0.35 second under at halfway. He touched in 51.04, well over a second ahead of Ilya Kharun‘s 52.36.

At that point the Canadian’s Triple Crown dreams seemed in tatters, but Kharun narrowed the deficit over the 3rd 50 before unleashing a stunning 28.00 final 50 to run the Swiss swimmer down and take the win in a new U.S. Open Record of 1:48.46.

That was Kharun’s second win of the meet, after he won the 50 free yesterday, and sets the 50 fly tomorrow up as the decider between himself and Ponti, after the Swiss athlete won the 100 fly last night.

Ponti just missed his Swiss Record of 1:48.77 with an incredibly gutsy swim, touching in 1:49.32, but was still a comfortable 2nd place ahead of Trenton Julian. Alberto Razzetti placed 4th in 1:52.68, while his teammate and last week’s bronze medal winner Federico Burdisso fell to 7th in 1:54.40.