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≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡
● Swimming ● There’s no World Aquatics Championships in 2026, but don’t tell five-time Olympic medalist Kate Douglass of the U.S. that this isn’t an important year.
At Friday’s Tyr Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, she blasted the women’s 50 m Freestyle on Friday, overtaking fellow star Gretchen Walsh to reach the lead late and win in a world-record time of 23.59!
That removed the 2023 world record of 23.61 by Swedish icon Sarah Sjostrom; it’s the first time the U.S. has had this mark since Dara Torres set it in a relay start in a pre-Olympic meet in 1984! It’s the first world long-course record for Douglass.
Walsh was second in 23.78, now no. 5 all-time. Douglass and Walsh had shared the American Record of 23.91 from 2024 (Douglass) and 2025 (Walsh).
It was the second win of the meet for Douglass, the Paris 2024 Olympic 200 m Breaststroke winner, who took that event in 2:21.65, almost two seconds up on Aimee Canny (2:23.61).
Distance icon Katie Ledecky had already won the 1,500 m Free on Wednesday and added the 400 m Free Friday in 3:59.51, way ahead of Kennedi Dobson (4:06.11).
Paris Olympic medalist Katharine Berkoff followed up her Thursday morning world-leading prelim swim in the women’s 50 m Backstroke of 27.05 with a Thursday finals win in a speedy 26.98, just 0.01 off of her American Record from 2025. She was a clear winner ahead of Isabelle Stadden, in 27.14.
Stadden, who won the 100 m Back on Wednesday, won the 200 m Back easily on Friday in 2:04.91. Maggie Wanezek was second in 2:06.05 and now stands no. 4 in the world for 2026.
World-record holder Walsh of the U.S. was a decisive winner in the Thursday women’s 100 m Butterfly, in 55.00 – the no. 5 performance ever – winning by almost 2 1/2 seconds. Claire Curzan was second in 57.48.
Also on Thursday, Harvard’s William Mulgrew claimed a win in the men’s 1,500 m Freestyle over two-time Olympic champ Bobby Finke, 15:07.68 to 15:08.43. The meet continues on Saturday.
Van Mathias, who set an American Record Wednesday in the men’s 50 m Breast, won the men’s 50 m Free on Friday in a lifetime best 21.62, ahead of Michael Andrew (21.78).
≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2036 ● Japan’s Kyodo News reported that the decision on the host for the 2036 Olympic Games will be made at the 2029 IOC Session, going back to the “normal” seven-years-ahead timetable:
“This will be [include] a newly introduced ‘strategic dialogue,’ during which bidders submit detailed plans and financial guarantees, and make presentations to the IOC Session. The final phase is set for the fourth quarter of 2028, with the host city expected to be formally elected at a session in mid-2029.”
Limits are also being considered for how many sports can be added at the request of the organizing committee, with a maximum of “four disciplines for the Summer Olympics and two for the Winter Games, with adoption targeted from the 2032 Brisbane Games. The move reflects concerns about ballooning program sizes following a record 36 sports being included at the 2028 Los Angeles Games after five additions.”
● Aquatics ● World Aquatics confirmed its Post-Career Compensation Fund, beginning with a $10 million initial funding. The fund will pay 10% of “qualified earnings” won at World Aquatics competitions such as its artistic swimming, diving and swimming World Championships and World Cup events subject to certain qualifying criteria, and less for water polo events, with less opportunities. The announcement noted:
“The fund is the first of its kind from an International Federation and provides a lump sum payment to athletes upon retirement, based on sustained participation in World Aquatics events throughout their career and contributions tied to prize earnings.
“Each sport will have different qualification criteria, with athletes considered eligible once they have competed in 80% of events organised by World Aquatics over a four-year period. The more athletes participate in World Aquatics events, the more contribution World Aquatics will make to those athletes to assist with their post-career transition.”
For the aquatics World Cup events in 2026, $1.200 million in prize money will be offered in swimming and $1.064 million for diving and less for other disciplines.
It’s a clever concept and logically structured, but it is also clear that (1) for most athletes, there won’t be much money in this since the number of events is limited, and (2) this is a clever way for World Aquatics to further promote its World Cup events in swimming among the top athletes, especially.
● Athletics ● “For one year only, the world-famous TCS London Marathon will expand into a two-day event for its 2027 edition.”
The 2027 races will be run on 24 and 25 April 2027, with a total of about 100,000 runners taking part, which will help the selection odds for the 1.33 million who have registered for the entry lottery. The men’s and women’s elite races will be run one per day.
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The famously flat course of the Berlin Marathon will see world-record attempts on 27 September from both Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe and Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa.
Sawe set the historic mark of 1:59:30 in winning the London Marathon, and won Berlin in 2025 in 2:02:16. Berlin has been the site of nine prior world-record men’s runs.
Assefa is a two-time Berlin winner and set a 2:11:53 world mark in 2023 and holds the women-only world record at 2:15:41. The target is Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 from 2024 in Chicago. Four women’s world records have been set in Berlin.
● Cycling ● At the USA Cycling National Road Championships in Charleston, West Virginia, reigning champion Kendall Ryan powered to the finish to defend her title over Olivia Cummins and Ella Sabo in 1:13:53 with the top four given the same time. It’s Ryan’s seventh title in this event.
The men’s race was a seven-way sprint to the line, after an initial breakaway group of nine ended up winning, with Luke Elphingstone winning at the line in 1:31:17, over Brody McDonald and Gavin Hlady.
● Flag Football ● The International Federation of American Football announced on Thursday a “strategic partnership” with TMRW Sports to develop “the new professional flag football league with the National Football League (NFL).”
The new pro flag football league is targeted to open prior to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, no doubt in the spring. The NFL has targeted flag as a key project to expand participation in the game with less issues over injury and a way to involve women as football players.
TMRW developed the TGL golf league, among other projects.
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