Kaylee McKeown Says “We Don’t Train Meters Back At Home. I Do It Once A Week” (Day 1 Quotes)

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
  • Finals: Day 1

The first day of the second stop of the World Cup Series has concluded in Westmont, Illinois. Many of the swimmers competed last week in Carmel and will also compete next weekend in Toronto. Some athletes saw time improvements from a week ago, and others focused on different events.

Lani Pallister (AUS) – Winner, Women’s 400 Free, 3:52.42

“I felt like it hurt but didn’t hurt at the same time. I don’t feel like I fell off the back end compared to last week. I think getting back into racing and diving off the blocks has been really fun. A PB by a second and a bit so I’ll take that for now.”   

“Any time you set records and swim best times, you have to be happy, I think for me. I’m going to get in trouble for a couple of my skills in that race. That’s something to work on moving forward which means I just have room for improvement.”

“As much as racing is important, I want to keep my volume relatively normal in a training week. It was more like, aerobic maintenance. So, I think the main thing is just keeping things up and relatively low intensity and use this as the hard part of the week”

“It’s been interesting because I know there has been a lot of talk about her [Ariarne Titmus] coming back and it’s nice she’s made a decision that’s best for her. She seems really happy at the moment, which I think is the nicest thing. She’s done so much as an athlete, so much for swimming, international swimming and setting the standard for middle distance swimming internationally. I have a lot to thank her for, for making me a better athlete. The thing for me is racing as usual. You can only race who is in the pool. As much as it’s sad that she’s retiring, you still have people like Summer (McIntosh) and Katie (Ledecky) who are setting similar standards.”

Sam Short (AUS) – Winner, Men’s 400 Free, 3:36.27

“We have to keep up the strong reputation in the 400m freestyle. I was much happier with that swim than last week. I was way too tense last week so I was just trying to relax.”

“Focus on being relaxed, not over swimming it against good quality swimmers.  You know that will bite me in the ass when I’m trying to come back. I’m really happy with it.”

“I am just trusting my work. Super excited for the 800, Short course 800 I feel it’s not low enough to die, so I really want to attack it from the start.”

“I am someone who needs to keep up the volume. I have a big back end with state champs in Australia at the end of the year. So, I’m definitely doing some work. Two-days to drop into this meet to freshen up. Yeah, I’m happy with a 3:36.”

“I like it, I really enjoyed going to the city. It’s a great town, great food. Chipotle is right around the corner. I’ve been smashing that because we don’t have that in Australia.  I’m coming back in March for the next TYR Pro Swim Series here. I just love coming in and racing.”

“I’ve swam 3:36 in Melbourne or right around that mark in the middle of the week, so my time was not in the program. But it’s right around my best time. So, I’m happy.”

“I am about a second and a half off [Grant Hackett’s Record], but I’m planning to give it a nudge at the next stop in Toronto. I’ll probably get a little more rest and see if I can knock him off. It’s a pretty solid record, 23 years.”

“I don’t think 3:34 unless you’re attacking it from the start. It looks like I went out hard there but I need to go out faster to be honest, to get that record.”

Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – Winner, Women’s 50 Back, 25.63

“Yea, pretty slow, just lacking a little speed. The 200 seems to be all right but it’s just the time of year for me. Hopefully I get faster each stop, it was actually quite slow. it is what it is.”

“It’s important for me, with a shoulder injury, to keep the load on it. So, it doesn’t pop out again. Keeping the volume up and swimming through and trying to get up and race when it matters.”

 When asked if think is conscious of her injury, she replied, “Yes, absolutely. I think anyone would be. You want to lay down the foundation to make it strong so it lasts for Los Angeles.”

“Off that race, I’m not looking forward to be honest, especially the 100, I really struggle with that last wave. Just the underwaters are not there for me at the moment and unfortunately that’s what the Americans are really good at coming from a yards background. It just means that I have a lot more to improve on.”

 When asked about meters compared to yards and having an edge, she replied, “Meters not really, we don’t train meters back at home. I do it once a week and it’s for a recovery session. I spoke to a lot of guys and they do a lot of yards, but it is what it is.”

 “I love Regan, I think without someone like that pushing me in the sport, I wouldn’t be the athlete I am. I have said that so many times in interviews and she said the same thing. We’re just two people trying to do the best we can. If she wins or I win, who cares. At the end of the day, I just want to do myself proud. I’ve said that the next four years are going to be for me and only for me. I don’t care what the media says, friends or family say, I just want to be happy in the sport I’ve been doing since I was 8 years old.”

Hubert Kos (HUN) – Winner, Men’s 200 Back, 1:47.51

“My 200 back was interesting, the time was pretty decent, but I made a lot of errors that I probably shouldn’t have made. My breakouts were not very good. I haven’t looked at my splits yet but that doesn’t look good either on paper.  That was a rough start but I am happy with the outcome. In the 100 IM, I was able to fix some of my errors from last week. Overall, not a bad start to the week.”

“One of the only things I think about sometimes is making him (Bob Bowman) happy. This morning’s prelims swim wasn’t the fastest, let’s say that. He wasn’t too happy with it. It’s good racing and that’s what this World Cup is about. Just keep going at it and looking at the next event. There has been some good racing and I keep improving on it.”

 “I had great fun (in the100 IM). I was really happy to improve on my mistakes from last week.  My turns weren’t great last week. I’m really happy with it and it’s all good and fun.”

 “I think it’s a mix of both, Bob wants us to be good every single stroke. Not just one. Sometimes there will be days when I’ll swim a fly set or breaststroke set with Leon (Marchand). There is always someone to race in our group and that’s what makes us pretty good at every single event, not just one. It’s great place to train and a great place to be.”

 On his training base, “I am still concerned with that. We’re almost halfway done (with the 3 SWC events) so, I got to keep surviving and working at it. Hopefully, I can get a couple good times now that it seems like my speed is there. I improved in the 100 IM, maybe my 100 back will be good the last day. I have the 50 tomorrow, it’s always a fun one. Being good in a 50 is a great feeling. Hopefully, I can be good at it this week as well.”

Regan Smith (USA) – Winner, Women’s 200 Butterfly, 2:00.20

“I’m like fine honestly, I wanted it to be a 1:59. I think I executed that well, but I felt like it was a better swim than Carmel was but hurt more in the end. I am assuming that means I took it out faster, I hope I did, that’s what I have to do, in order to go under. I just didn’t feel like I quite had it, on the last 50 especially, the last 25 I started to fall apart. I’m annoyed honestly, but I’m grateful for a PB always.”

 “I could hear the crowd during the race, so I was thinking, I hope I’m on pace to do something really cool. Then I touched the wall and was like ah-man.”

 “In an event like this, it all comes down to the point system and how much money I can make. Tonight, for example, I was between the 50m backstroke and the 200m butterfly. The 50 back is such a crapshoot, with Gretchen, Kaylee McKeown,  Katharine Berkoff, Mollie O’Callahan, and Kylie Masse. I could have won that, or I could have gotten 5th place. It was all how you hit your start and your turn and there was a lot more leeway in the 200 fly. I trained a lot of really good butterfly this fall, so I was more confident about that than the 50m backstroke.”

 She spoke on training with Summer McIntosh down in Austin, “Yea, I love it. I mean it’s been so great. I miss her but on the other hand I am grateful that she’s not here for this event tonight. I think I wasn’t sure how it would be having someone that talented and swim the same events, to be in a group with me. I don’t think I’ve been pushed like that in my entire swimming career. I think once she was coming in, I was like this will make me or break me. It’s really made me rise to a challenge. I’ve dropped .8 from last year in the 200m butterfly, and I think there is more coming in that event.”

 “I love racing in front of a home crowd. It’s really fun, this is just a very small taste of what we will get in three years from now. I will never take the opportunity to race at home for granted, because there isn’t anything really like it. The fans here are amazing, they know us, they care about us, and they want us to succeed. It’s not the same with international fans; there is no place like home. I think this is why I’m frustrated with this swim, I know that when I do a time that I’m really proud of, the crowd is proud too. It’s one thing for me but it’s another thing to get them hyped up. I like performing well and being interesting and exciting to watch. If I was a spectator, I know I would want to see a 1:59.”

Noe Ponti (SUI) – Winner, Men’s 100 Butterfly, 48.47

“It felt good, better than last week. The 100 fly was very good, very smooth. The 100 IM was pretty good, sub 51 shaven. Those guys are just too fast in backstroke. I got to work on my backstroke, otherwise it was very good, and I had fun. Tomorrow I’m going to try and swim the 200 fly. We’re going to see.”

“The 100 fly felt really good. I think I swam it much better than last week, maybe a tenth faster.  It felt better, I didn’t struggle as much as last week. Last week, after 100 fly, I was very tired. Today, I was of course tired, but not as bad as last week.”

“Trained a little bit, aerobic work. Nothing particular. During the workouts, you race. You go 3-4 days to train a little bit, then try first couple days to do something more. You always go down a bit on the last day. That’s what I did.  I tried to be better than last week because last week was very bad. I didn’t eat well; I was ordering stuff. In the U.S., I’m not used to this food. It’s never easy to adjust.”

 “I always love to race in the World Cup. It’s always very fun to race against the other guys. Of course there is prize money, so you want to win the race. But it’s always fun in and out of the water. It’s always a good experience, I get to see places I’ve never seen before.”

 Speaking on prize money, “Of course you feel it, it’s not the most important thing in the world. I’m here to race and do the best thing for myself. If I swim well, then other things will come along.”

Ilya Shymanovich (NAA) – Winner, Men’s 100 Breaststroke, 56.41

“I had really good speed for the beginning of the season. 56 finally, it was three-times 57. But today I made fewer mistakes than before, and it was nice. The last two days I trained with Caspar (Corbeau). It was a really good opportunity to train together.”

“It’s always a pleasure; especially racing right next to him [Adam Peaty], as we have so many times. We always communicate before the race. We are together with all of the guys in the heats, it’s good motivation to be together with the stronger guys.”

“I was faster [than last week], I was feeling really good and (I was) feeling the water finally. I was feeling better, really good. I think tomorrow will be faster swimming.”

Kasia Wasick (POL) – Winner, Women’s 50 Freestyle, 23.30

“Yeah, I’m pretty happy. I went almost the same time as last week. It felt good, I think I can clean up a few things. I’m happy, a win is a win.”

 “I have my thoughts but I’m going to go to my coach and then speak with him. I don’t want to say anything after a race, I think he’s going to know the best.”

“I’m really proud of myself for all my career. People have been underestimating me, saying I’m too old or too weak. This is just proving to myself that I’m still in the game and I’m doing it pretty well. So why not be judged by people who have their own timelines and communications.”

 When asked what keeps her going, she replied, “I have goals, setting myself up. Those goals help me. I don’t think I’m a older swimmer, when I’m racing those girls, I think we’re the same. We have the same lane; we can all win or lose. I definitely don’t feel old. I’m sick of it, I’m sick of people telling me I’m old and putting that limitation on women.”

Advice for career longevity, “Set your goals and believe in them. My favorite quote, “you’re not late, it’s perfect timing.” I just tell that to myself, and I keep going. I have a beautiful family that supports me. No matter what other people say, I don’t care. People here cheered for me and supported me.”

Ilya Kharun (CAN) – Winner, Men’s 50 Freestyle, 20.72

“A very exciting race. Me and Herbie work on it a lot over time because I (swim the 50 free) do it in college. The biggest thing on those are the details, I was pretty happy to hit those. I really wanted to get first on that because I knew I could.”

 Speaking on differences in races he said, “Honestly, not really too different. I think of it as the same race (of course different with how you do the strokes) not much of a difference versus the turn. The underwaters are the same in both events.”

“Both of us got podium twice. Josh is such a fierce competitor and so is Dylan Carter and all those boys.”

 “Yeah, a very big night. I know he’s going to lock in for Toronto. I know he’s shaving for that so. So am I, it will be fun.   I know he will be ready to go in Toronto as well. I was just excited to get podium, that was my main focus. I was really happy.”

 On his World Cup standing, “Really good, my goal for these World Cups is to get those top three. I know who is going to be up there. It’s all very exciting, I’m happy to be here.”

 On the 200 fly, “It should be good, we’ll see. I’m kind of hesitant to see how tired I’ll be. I think it will be good, I just must take it out nice tomorrow morning.”

Kate Douglass (USA) – Winner, Women’s 200 Breaststroke, 2:14.57

Gretchen Walsh (USA) – Winner, Women’s 100 IM, 55.77

Gretchen

“Good, I really think Kate pushes me a lot in that event. She makes me nervous. I really love that event. It’s always a good time swimming it and racing it even though it’s not one you think you’re training for all the time. We really do a lot to gear towards a really fast medley, I’m always ready whether or not I know it. That was a great progression from Carmel.”

Kate:

“My 200 breast wasn’t great, I got slower from last week which I wasn’t very happy about. I’m hoping to rest a little bit more this following week and get better than that.”

“Todd is here with a few UVA swimmers, it’s nice for both of us to have him here. It’s nice to have him here to help us through warm up and warm down. It’s nice to have a few UVA people here.”

 Gretchen:

On her advice from Todd, “Don’t breathe as much on the last 25.  We’re really trying to work on my breaststroke. He wanted me to put my best racing foot forward. Go out there and push myself.”

“The lineup itself determines what I am going to swim. Here it’s interesting, you have your three main ones to focus on. For me, I was deciding whether my main event would be the 50 free or the 100 IM last stop.  I went with the 100 IM because it felt like I was more on in that event.  I felt more confident in it. They are just too close to each other for me to do both. I picked the 100 IM and threw in the 50 back. 50 and 100 fly were a given.”

Kate:

“For me, I was thinking about what events I would be most likely to win and what events I would be excited about. I was excited to switch things up with the 100 breast, 100 free, which I feel like I’ve started to focus on a little bit more.”

Gretchen:

The 50 back helped me warm up more for the 100 IM, I don’t think it took away from it. I’m feeling good with it. It was a good race. That’s what everyone is looking for at these meets, good competition”

Shaine Casas (USA) – Winner, Men’s 100 IM, 50.45

“I was expecting to be fast, I wanted to be under 50. I need to find .4 to be satisfied with that race specifically. It was good, winning is good.”

 Talking about training he said, “It has been great, some good additions. It’s been phenomenal, the talent in that group was second to none. I’m probably in the middle to bottom end of that group, which is crazy to say. Not that I view myself that way, but facts are facts. Medals, records. I like Summer there.  The goal is to move myself up the totem pole.”

 Speaking on his confidence he said, “I had a couple of down years when the swims went away and the interviews were gone, a bit quieter and less of a presence in the sport. Changed a couple of things and the swimming is back up there. I feel like the exact same person, I think that’s what helping me out with all of this. It’s giving guidance on how to navigate it and I’m just confident to take what I’ve learned and keep pushing forward.”