By Charlotte Wells on SwimSwam
2026 NOVA Speedo Grand Challenge
May 22-24, 2026 Irvine, CA LCM (50 meters) Livestream Results on Meet Mobile: “2026 CA 30th NOVA-Speedo Grand Challenge”The 2026 NOVA Speedo Grand Challenge kicked off in Irvine yesterday, with the day marking a milestone return to competition for U.S. Olympian Drew Kibler.
After a year-and-a-half away from competitive racing, Kibler, who competed at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, appeared at the Speedo Grand Challenge to take on the men’s 50 free. The 26-year-old placed 3rd in 22.80, which was about seven tenths of a second off his lifetime best (22.12) from 2023.
Kibler last competed at the 2024 U.S. Open back in December 2024 before taking some time away from the sport. He began training again at Aquatic Sport Performance in California in April and is representing Fullerton Aquatic Sports Team at the meet in Irvine.
Winning the men’s 50 free was Singapore’s Tzen Teong, turning in a season-best time of 22.71, while Kamal Muhammad took the runner-up spot ahead of Kibler in 22.75.
Several other familiar names were in the mix on day one of the competition.
UVA alum Maxine Parker, who now trains with Fullerton Aquatic Sports Team in California, won the women’s 50 free in 25.32, just under a second off her best time (24.41) from the 2025 U.S. National Championships last summer.
Fifteen-year-old swimming sensation Gabi Brito kicked off her long course competition season with strong performances in the 50 free and 200 IM. She took the runner-up spot in the 50 free (25.48), just .06 off her lifetime best from last season, and placed 3rd in the 200 IM (2:16.95), adding just under 1.5 seconds to her best time.
Meanwhile, the women’s 100 breast saw a series of strong performances, headlined by 22-year-old Chloe Braun, who won by over a second-and-a-half. She posted a personal best time of 1:08.64 to land at #11 on this season’s national rankings in the open age group. Behind Braun, Sofia Szymanowski claimed the runner-up spot in a best time of 1:10.27, marking the 3rd-fastest time this season in the girls 17-18 age group, while Gabby Rose, 48, took 3rd in 1:10.42, about two seconds off of her lifetime best.
Some of the top showings of the day came courtesy of the younger age group swimmers.
Rose Bowl Aquatics’ Leo Liu delivered an eye-catching performance in the preliminary heats of the boys’ 7-12 50 breast. He threw down a time of 33.16 to claim the top spot, knocking just over a second off of his previous best time (34.25) and marking the fastest time so far this season in the boys’ 11-12 age group.
The 12-year-old also landed himself on the all-time top 100 ranking with that swim, tying for 84th. Liu went on to post a time of 33.51 during finals to win home the championship title in the event.
Other Day 1 Highlights
Eleven-year-old Annabelle Hayes, who swims for Irvine Novaquatics, logged a series of fast swims to kick off her weekend of racing. She picked up two victories on day one, winning the girls’ 7-12 100 free in a lifetime best time of 1:00.84 and the girls’ 7-12 100 back in 1:10.09. Hayes first set a personal best time in the 100 free during prelims (1:01.43) before lowering it even further in finals; her performance marked the 4th-fastest time this season in the girls’ 11-12 age group, with Hayes being the youngest swimmer in the top 25. Jasper Ye of Aquazot Swim Club won the boys’ 7-12 100 back in 1:05.49, charging into the wall over three seconds ahead of runner-up Kurt Gartland (1:08.75). Ye dropped almost four seconds from his former lifetime best (1:09.20) over the course of the day, posting a time of 1:07.02 during prelims before knocking another second-and-a-half off his time in the evening. The 12-year-old’s final time marked the 2nd-fastest time in the country so far this season for 11-12 boys. Irvine Novaquatics’ Alyssa Ton posted a top performance in the women’s 400 free, throwing down a time of 4:20.03 to take 3rd and knock three seconds off of her lifetime best. That performance landed her at #10 on the ranking of top times this season in the girls’ 17-18 age group. Gabriel Manteufel, who swims for the Sandpipers of Nevada, dominated the men’s 1500 free, winning by a margin of 27 seconds in a time of 15:23.98. The only other competitor in the field to go under 16 minutes was Ivan Puskovitch of TSM Aquatics, who stopped the clock in 15:51.21. Eighteen-year-old Lucas Jue of Irvine Novaquatics logged a strong swim in the men’s 200 IM. Jue, who is committed to swim for the University of Louisville in the fall, snagged the runner-up spot in 2:06.32, knocking two-and-a-half seconds off of his personal best time and landing at 14th on the ranking of top times this season in the boys’ 17-18 age group.Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2026 Speedo Grand Challenge Day 1: Drew Kibler Makes Return to Competition with 22.80 50 Free
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