★ The Sports Examiner is delighted to present this important contribution from our patron, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, with a focus on American Paralympic stars. Opinions expressed are those of the USOPC. ★
Team USA’s 18 gold medals tied Italy for the most, while the Americans’ 35 total medals ranked second.
By Karen Price
Red Line Editorial
Katie Kubiak could think of only one way to describe her first experience at the Para swimming world championships.
“Honestly, it’s been such a dream,” she said.
The 22-year-old from Mequon, Wisconsin, was one of the breakout stars in Singapore, where Team USA capped off the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships with an impressive haul of 18 gold, six silver, and 11 bronze medals. That tied Italy for the most golds of the meet and ranked the Americans second overall in total podium finishes.
Kubiak was at the heart of the world title action. In her first major international meet, she stormed to four gold medals and smashed three world records.
“Every kid dreams of representing Team USA when they first get into whatever sport they choose to pursue, and that was definitely true for me,” she said. “To have the dream realized this way has been so special, and I definitely didn’t want to take the opportunity for granted in any way. I’ve been living in the moment as much as I can.”
Kubiak is still relatively new to Para competition, having made her national championships debut less than a year ago. But after Singapore, she’s no longer a rising star in the S4 class but a star, period. Her dominance was remarkable, winning world titles in the 200-meter freestyle, 50-meter freestyle, 50-meter backstroke and 100-meter freestyle, and setting world records in the 50 free, 50 back (twice) and 50-meter butterfly. She also won silver in the fly – an event she swam in the S5 classification – after pushing through one of the tightest fields of the week.
“I’m really proud of the 50 fly because I did swim that one up and it was a tough race, a tight race,” said Kubiak, who also won two bronze medals in relay events. “The 50 free was another tough field, really competitive, and all the women really pushed me to swim as fast as I did. And I have a soft spot for the 200 free; I love that one, so swimming that on the last night and finishing on that note was special.”
Kubiak’s brilliance was part of a team-wide surge.
Two-time Paralympian Leanne Smith matched Kubiak’s team-leading seven medals. The reigning Paralympic gold medalist in the 50-meter S4 and 100-meter freestyle S3 was the undisputed queen of the S3 class in the freestyle in Singapore with world titles in the 50, 100 and 200. She now holds 13 world titles.
Mallory Weggemann, who made her world championships debut in 2009, electrified the crowd with a sprint finish in the 50-meter freestyle S7, winning by just four one-hundredths of a second. It was her 17th world title and came just days after winning gold in the 200 IM at the world championships for the first time since 2010. With her husband and young daughter cheering her on from the stands, Weggemann has now won 21 world championships medals in 21 career races.
“I’ve said it all week,” she said, “there is so much pride in getting to represent Team USA still, to do it with my family in the stands and still be on this journey.”
Olivia Chambers was a breakout star of the 2023 world championships, winning six medals in six races. She won her first Paralympic title in the 400-meter freestyle S13 in Paris last year but came into Singapore lacking a world championship title.
No longer. Chambers not only won the 400 free but also added titles in the 100-meter freestyle S13, 100-meter breaststroke SB13 and 200-meter IM SM13.
She wasn’t the only star of the S13 classification, either. Two-time Paralympian Gia Pergolini won gold in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke, and Grace Nuhfer, making her world championships debut, delivered Team USA’s first medal of the meet – just as she did in Paris last summer – by winning her first world title in the 100-meter butterfly.
Morgan Stickney capped off Team USA’s gold rush in Singapore with dominant wins in the 100- and 400-meter freestyle S7 races. The 400 free is her signature event – she’s now a three-time world champion and a two-time Paralympic gold medalist – and she blew away the field, winning by an astonishing 20 seconds.
“There were so many moments that were so incredible,” Kubiak said of Team USA. “There was a lot of really strong swimming this week across the board, and it elevated all of us, pushed all of us, to want to be the best we could be in and out of the water. It helped us to have the success that we did.”
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to USParaSwimming.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
For more, please visit the USOPC Paralympic Educational Hub.
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