2025 World Championships
- July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
- Singapore, Singapore
- World Aquatics Championships Arena
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- Live Results
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Psych Sheet (Google Sheet Courtesy of Troyy)
- Psych Sheet (PDF)
The Australian team will be without former men’s 200 breaststroke Olympic and world champion Zac Stubblety-Cook at the 2025 World Championships, who will miss the competition with a back injury.
Stubblety-Cook’s absence was announced by Australian head coach Rohan Taylor in Darwin, where the team is situated for a pre-Worlds staging camp.
“It’s disappointing, but I had a lot of time off last year and I am committed to the next four years,” Stubblety-Cook said, according to Swimming Australia. “It’s a setback, but a minor one, and hopefully by the time the pool team dive in Singapore – I’ll be back in the water myself.
“My coach Mel Marshall and I both believe my best time is still in me, so I’m still chasing that … and there’s a lot of racing left in me.”
With Stubblety-Cook out, this now leaves Australia extremely thin in the men’s breaststroke after reigning world champion in the 50 breaststroke, Sam Williamson, who withdrew from the Australian Trials after he suffered a serious knee injury back in May.
Stubblety-Cook, 26, won gold in Tokyo and silver in Paris in the 200-meter breaststroke behind France’s Leon Marchand. He is also the third fastest swimmer in the history of the event behind Qin Haiyang of China and Marchand. Stubblety-Cook was the first swimmer to break the 2:06 barrier in the 200 breaststroke when he went 2:05.95 back in May of 2022.
The Australians will now be without multiple national talents in Singapore. Abbey Connor, Ariane Titmus, and Iona Anderson will all be absent from the meet, along with Stubblety-Cook and Williamson.
Connor, 20, also a Paris Olympian, will miss the World Swimming Championships, citing “personal reasons”. Connor competed in the Paris Games last summer, placing 7th in the women’s 200 butterfly.
Titmus, an Olympic champion, announced back in January that she would remain on hiatus through the World Championships this summer in Singapore. Titmus has been on the Australian National Team since she was 16. The now 24-year-old is a nine-time Long Course World Championship medalist (4 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze).
The 19-year-old Anderson, who missed the Australian Trials due to a back injury, will not be participating in Singapore. Anderson competed in Paris and was the youngest finalist in the 100 backstroke, where she finished 5th.
The loss of Stubblety-Cook and Williamson now not only leaves Australia without their top breaststroke performers but also leaves them very constricted in options for the medley relays, with Nash Wilkes likely taking that spot for the Australian medley relays. Wilkes won the 100 breast at the Aussie Trials in a 1:00.19, while Stubblety-Cook was 5th (1:00.58).
“I broke my back. Shpinal” – ZSC Probably
Sad when I read this on his Insta, but I guess he has to do it.
Overrated
So you must be an Olympic Gold medalist are you??
Zac Stubblety Cook broke 200 breast WR, won Olympic 200 breast gold and silver, won World Championship 200 breast gold and silver. He’s not overrated.
In any case, ZSC is underrated.
I remember in the lead up to Paris last year, Swimswam and the peanut gallery kept talking about Marchand, Qin Haiyang, and Matt Fallon (who did PB in the US trials) while ignoring ZSC until I pointed out that ZSC is ignored and Swimswam included ZSC in the last minute prediction.
In Paris, both Qin and Fallon didn’t even advance to final and ZSC won silver.
Talk about who’s overrated:
Matt Fallon.
You are overrated.
At one point in his carreer, ZSC had it all at the same time: World champion, Olympic champion, Commonwealth champion and WR holder by being the first sub 2’06.
Only Tokyo finalist to swim also the final 200 Br in Paris.
Interesting I don’t see Nash Wilkes entered in any of the individual breastroke events so not even sure if he’s swimming or just swimming the medley relays and that’s it ..
I don’t think her had the A qualifying time. Not sure about B.
I’m surprised by this too, especially considering he made the BQT for the 100m breaststroke for relay swimmer only purposes. Let’s hope this is a clerical error and is fixed up in due time.
If he doesn’t swim any of the individual events he won’t be seeing any action until second last day of the meet which might mean he’s a bit rusty and untested by the time the men’s medley relay rolls around .. unless he’s also used for the mixed relay earlier
Question is will Australia just go with Wilkes as only male breaststroker or will Bailey Lello get a late call up as insurance for medley relays.
I think it is too late for an athlete to be called up. Lello would have been a good choice to go with, but the only active swimmer who has gone under the AQT is Joshua Yong (Australian Olympic Swim Trials June 2024).
In Britain this type of thing is knows as The Mel Effect.
…it really isn’t.
no it isn’t… you’re just trolling
Dammit
I see that Cam McEvoy and his wife welcomed a baby boy today. Any word on if he will be attending Worlds?
He always said he would
I imagine that with their baby having arrived safely, his wife is more than happy for him to attend, and he probably has more incentive to do well.