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≡ WORLD CUP III ≡
The return of the World Aquatics World Cup to the U.S. for the first time since 2022 and beyond that since 2006, has been a rousing success, with a continuing attack on the short-course (25 m) world-record lists in the first two meets, in Carmel, Indiana (program cover shown above) and Westmont, Illinois.
The finale of the three-meet series starts Thursday in Toronto (CAN), with world records set or tied in five women’s events so far:
● Women/100 m Free: 50.19, Kate Douglass (USA)
● Women/200 m Free: 1:49.77, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS)
● Women/100 m Back: 54.02 (=), Regan Smith (USA)
● Women/200 m Back: 1:57.87, Kaylee McKeown (AUS)
● Women/50 m Fly: 23.72, Gretchen Walsh (USA)
But the focus going into Toronto is on 15 swimmers who have a chance to win one or more events at all three stops, in essence a “Triple Crown” (this list compiled by SwimSwam.com):
Men: 7 swimmers and 11 events
● Jack Alexy (USA): 100 Free
● Shaine Casas (USA): 100 Medley, 200 Medley
● Caspar Corbeau (NED): 200 Breast
● Luke Hobson (USA): 200 Free
● Ilya Kharun (CAN): 50 Fly, 200 Fly
● Hubert Kos (HUN): 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Back
● Noe Ponti (SUI): 100 Fly
Women: 8 swimmers and 15 events
● Kate Douglass (USA): 100 Free, 100 Breast, 200 Breast
● Kaylee McKeown (AUS): 50 Back, 200 Back
● Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS): 200 Free
● Lani Pallister (AUS): 400 Free, 800/1500 Free
● Regan Smith (USA): 100 Back, 200 Fly
● Alex Walsh (USA): 200 Medley
● Gretchen Walsh (USA): 50 Fly, 100 Fly, 100 Medley
● Kasia Wasick (POL): 50 Free
Any swimmer who wins an event at all three meets wins $10,000. A new wrinkle this year is a $2,500 bonus to swimmers who become “crown busters” and break up a sweep.
World Aquatics is paying prize money from each meet for the top-scoring swimmers, men and women, earning from $12,000 down to $4,000. Swimmers also pile up points for the overall World Cup title, with much better pay of $100,000-70,000-30,000-15,000-14,000-12,000-11,000-10,000 for the top eight.
The chase for the overall title is tight:
Men:
● 1. 116.4 points: Hubert Kos (HUN)
● 2. 113.1 points: Ilya Kharun (CAN)
● 3. 112.3 points: Shaine Casas (USA)
● 4. 112.1 points: Caspar Corbeau (NED)
● 5. 107.7 points: Noe Ponti (SUI)
Women:
● 1. 118.1 points: Gretchen Walsh (USA)
● 2. 118.0 points: Kate Douglass (USA)
● 3. 114.4 points: Regan Smith (USA)
● 4. 113.7 points: Kaylee McKeown (AUS)
● 5. 113.5 points: Lani Pallister (AUS)
The meet can be followed on the Omega timing site, and will be shown in the U.S. on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
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