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≡ WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPS ≡
The 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore will be remembered for many things, among them the showdowns between superstars Katie Ledecky of the U.S. and Summer McIntosh of Canada.
Day one saw McIntosh winning the 400 m Freestyle, with Ledecky third, but they met again on Saturday, this time at 800 m and it turned into a three-way battle with Australia’s Lani Pallister.
Ledecky got out first, tracked by McIntosh and Pallister, with both at 4:01.33 at 400 m, just 0.18 behind Ledecky. McIntosh was 0.14 down at 500 m, just 0.04 down at 600 m and took the lead at 700 m, up 0.14 on Ledecky!
But Ledecky punched back, with the fastest next 50 in the field (30.24) to 30.63 for McIntosh and took the lead at the final turn by 0.25 and was moving away. McIntosh was then passed by Pallister, who had the fastest finish in the field – 29.11 – and crept up on Ledecky.
But the American star was too good and won in 8:05.62, the no. 4 time in history, ahead of Pallister’s 8:05.98 and McIntosh at 8:07.29. They were more than five seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
Ledecky’s performance was the no. 4 time in history and Pallister’s was no. 6, and she is now the no. 3 performer ever. At 28, Ledecky now has 23 Worlds golds and has won the 800 Free seven times: in 2013-15-17-19-22-23-25; she owns 30 total Worlds medals. Amazing.
That was followed by the final event of the night, the mixed 4×100 m Freestyle. The U.S. led the qualifying by almost three seconds at 3:21.48, and left no doubt in the final, leading from the start with a world-record of 3:18.48!
Freestyle star Jack Alexy led off in 46.91, just 0.10 off his own American Record from this meet and was followed by Patrick Sammon (46.70!), Kate Douglass (52.43) and Torri Huske (52.44). They smashed Australia’s 3:18.83 mark from the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka (JPN).
Russia’s “neutrals” finished a clear second with a European Record of 3:19.68, followed by France (3:21.35).
That wasn’t all for the U.S. on Saturday, with a third win coming in the women’s 50 m Butterfly.
Gretchen Walsh of the U.S. and Australia’s Alex Perkins came in 1-2 on the world list for 2025 and they finished exactly that way, with Walsh starting fast and touching in 24.83, still the only one to crack 25 seconds this year.
Perkins was a clear second at 25.31, with Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk getting her second medal of the meet with the bronze in 25.43.
There was a lot more on a busy night in the pool:
● Men/50 m Freestyle: Australia’s Cam McEvoy won his third title in a row, after the 2023 Worlds and 2024 Olympic Games, touching in 21.14, fastest in the world this year and the equal-11th best all-time. He now has three of those 12.
Britain’s Olympic silver winner Ben Proud was a clear second in 21.26 for his first individual medal of the meet and Alexy got his second individual medal in third at 21.46. Teammate Santo Condorelli was eighth in 21.73.
● Men/100 m Butterfly: France’s Maxime Grousset was the 2023 World Champion in this event and he is again, getting in front quickly, turning first and touching in 49.62, the no. 3 performance ever and a European record. He won the 50 and 100 Flys in Singapore.
Short-course star Noe Ponti (SUI) was third at the turn, but moved up to second at the touch in 49.83, a national record, the no. 9 performance ever and making him the no. 5 performer ever. Canada’s Ilya Kharun claimed the bronze (50.07), just as he did in Paris in 2024.
● Women/200 m Backstroke: Two-time World Champion Kaylee McKeown (AUS) faced defending champ Claire Curzan of the U.S. and fellow American and Olympic silver winner Regan Smith, but was up the challenge once again.
Smith got out fast and led at the 50, 100 and 150 m marks, but her 0.73-second lead at the half tightened up to 0.03 at the last turn and McKeown had the most left and touched in 2:03.33, the no. 3 performance of all time (she owns all three).
Smith won yet another silver in 2:04.29; she was the 2019 World Champion in this event and won in 2022 in the 100 m Back. But since then:
● 2023 Worlds: 50-100-200 m Back silvers
● 2024 Olympics: 100-200 m Back silvers
● 2025 Worlds: 50-100-200 m Back silvers
At 23, she will have many more chances. Teammate Curzan was a clear third in 2:06.04.
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In the qualifying, Russian “neutral” Kliment Kolesnikov – the world-record holder – led the men’s 50 Back semifinals in 24.16, well ahead of teammate Pavel Samusenko in semi two. Pieter Coetze (RSA), the 100 m Back winner, won semi one in a national record of 24.32 to qualify third; American Quintin McCarty advanced as no. 7 overall (24.52) as the third finisher.
The men’s 1,500 m Free heats were held in the morning, with Germany’s Florian Wellbrock – who impressively swept the open-water events – leading the parade at 14:44.81; Olympic champ Bobby Finke of the U.S. was fourth-fastest at 14:45.70. Teammate David Johnston was ninth (14:56.20) and did not advance.
Poland’s Kasia Wasick led the women’s 50 Free semis, winning the first race in 24.19, ahead of Milou van Wijk (NED: 24.29) and Walsh (24.31), doubling back from the 50 Fly. Australia’s Meg Harris won the second semi in 24.31, with Huske of the U.S. qualifying in fourth at 24.41.
Three-time defending champion Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) led the semifinals in the women’s 50 Breast, with a world-leading 29.54, ahead of Qianting Tang (CHN: 30.04) and semi one winner Benedetta Pilato (ITA: 30.20) and Lilly King of the U.S. (30.22).
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Even with all of the illness issues, the U.S. now has 26 medals (8-11-7) to 17 for Australia (7-4-6) and 10 for China (2-4-4). There will be considerable effort on Sunday for the American squad to surpass the 28 medals won in Paris in 2024 (8-13-7 in a smaller program) that was seen as a disappointment.
The championships conclude on Sunday with the men’s 1,500 m Free, 50 Back, 400 m Medley and the 4×100 m Medley; the women have the 50 Free, 50 Breast, 400 Medley and the 4×100 m Medley.
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