By Terin Frodyma on SwimSwam
World Aquatics World Cup #3 – Astana
October 15-17, 2026 Astana, Kazakhstan SCM (25 meters) Meet Central Results Entries How to WatchIt is time for one final look at the 2026 World Swimming Cup, which takes us to Astana, Kazakhstan, at the end of the Silk Road. This stop will be decisive, with several triple crowns up for grabs, more potential World Records, and a chance to build momentum as we prepare for the upcoming Short Course World Championships in Beijing this December.
Here are a few storylines to follow in Astana as we close out an exciting 2026 World Cup.
Triple Crowns Galore
One of the most enticing aspects of the World Cup is the triple crown bonuses, as swimmers can earn a $10,000 bonus for sweeping an event across all three stops. However, that doesn’t come into play until the final World Cup meet; crown-busting opportunities can be lost along the way.
Heading into this final stop, 24 triple crown opportunities are up for grabs. Marrit Steenbergen leads the way and will look to secure four triple crowns over the three-day meet. Seven other swimmers will also aim to bring in multiple crowns, including Carson Foster, Egor Kornev, Pieter Coetze, Luke Barr, Roos Vanotterdijk, Chen Juner, and Yu Yiting.
Steenebergen will likely complete the full sweep of the 100 free, 50/100 back, and the 100 IM, as she has been on a heater since this World Cup started. She has been by far the best female swimmer at this meet and seems untouchable when she has taken on competition on the Silk Road.
Kornev’s potential triple-crown wins come in a pair of events where he is either a co-World Record holder or holds the all-time fastest performance: the 100 free and 50 fly. He should theoretically have the two crowns in the bag, though we’ve already seen some big-time swims from non-favorites during this World Cup.
Coetze has been dominant in the men’s backstroke events and will likely complete the two crowns in the 100 and 200 back, even though he notched a new World Record in Tashkent in the 50 back.
In Kazakhstan, Kirill Prigoda‘s 100 breast crown may fall, given the depth of the event with Barr, Caspar Corbeau, Qin Haiyang, and others. Cam McEvoy will be the favorite in the 50 free once again, having won at each of the last two stops, though Kornev could make a solid final-stop push.
How Many More World Records Could Fall?
We have seen several World Records broken or matched so far, including Kornev’s two and Coetze’s one. The new question on the table… how many more could fall?
Kornev could seriously re-break his own 50 fly record of 21.28, but the more intriguing race will be the 100 free, as he matched Kyle Chalmers‘ all-time fastest performance of 44.84 earlier in this World Cup.
He has been stellar in this race over the past two weeks, and he will get another battle with McEvoy in the 100 free, though he has beaten him at the last two stops. Fans and swimmers alike will hope both Kornev and McEvoy have saved their best for last.
Coetze swam a history-leading 22.09 in Tashkent to win the 50 back, though this may be one of the only events at this meet where more than one swimmer entered could realistically swim faster.
Insert Kornev once again; he is seeded 2nd to Coetze in Astana in 22.23, less than two tenths off Coetze’s World Record. If he can hit his form in this event when it matters most, he may not only secure another win (and a big boost in the World Cup standings), but also set another standard.
The men’s 50 free could also be another hopeful event, as Cam McEvoy has gotten progressively faster at this World Cup, clocking 20.22 in Baku and 20.13 in Tashkent. He would need to drop a near quarter of a second to nab the World Record of 19.90, which is a BIG ask, but if anybody can do it, it’s
Outside of these races, there may be a few longshot World Record chances. These events are the big ones to keep an eye on.
World Cup Standings Race
As we near the World Cup’s final stop, it’s time to look at the Standings leading into the final moments.
On the women’s side, Marrit Steenbergen tops the standings with 116.7 points, 5.7 more than Yu Yiting with 111. Based on her past two outings at this World Cup, it’s hard to see her falling from that top spot.
Steenbergen topped the overall points standings at the last two stops, with 58.2 in Baku and 58.5 in Tashkent. Yu opened with 53.7 points in Baku, slotting in 3rd after stop 1, then delivered a big 57.3 in Tashkent.
Roos Vanotterdijk is next closest to the top with 108.8 points, though her head-to-heads with both Steenbergen and Yu will make it hard to rank her above either of them.
On the men’s side, Egor Kornev, Pieter Coetze and Luke Barr sit within 3.7 points of one another in the World Cup standings, with Kornev leading with 116.7 points. Coetze delivered a big 58.7-point showing in Tashkent to get above Barr with 114.3 points.
The big factor in the men’s standings will be the times; if Kornev breaks multiple world records, he has almost no way to lose this race. If Coetze can lower his 50 back and scare another backstroke record, things get interesting again.
If Luke Barr goes on a winning rampage, there may be some more story left to tell.
Will The Breakout Stars Continue to Shine in Astana
We have seen numerous swimmers break out during this World Cup, Luke Barr, Lucas Henveaux, Anna Peplowski, to name a few, but can they keep the momentum going for just one more stop?
Barr has been one of the top men’s swimmers at this World Cup, sweeping the 200 breast and 100 in both Baku and Tashkent, setting up for a big-time finish in Astana.
He is also coming into this World Cup off some seriously strong 100 breast and 200 IM swims. He has established himself as a surefire short-course racer, and as we inch closer to the World Championship trials, Barr could find a spot on the US team.
Henveaux has been stellar on the Silk Road, finishing top three in every race he has swum at this World Cup. His showings include a 1500 free win in Baku (14:34.98) and wins in the 200 free and 800 free in Tashkent (1:41.44 and 7:37.83, respectively).
Peplowski has delivered some top-tier swims during this World Cup, which in turn put her 4th on the women’s side of the World Cup points standings with 105 points.
At this meet, Peplowski has notched four lifetime bests, including three in Baku: the 200 free (1:52.48), 100 back (56.97), and 200 back (2:02.34), and a best time in the 50 back in Tashkent (27.90).
If these swimmers keep shining, they could all be hitting their stride at the right time ahead of a big fall/winter.
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