By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers what intrigues them the most about the upcoming Short Course World Championships:
Question: Which potential storyline at SC Worlds is most exciting?
RESULTS
Walsh v. Douglass in sprint free, 100 IM – 24.7% McEvoy/Kornev rivalry adds Crooks, etc. – 22.7% Potential of Leon Marchand in SC World debut – 16.7% Coetze v. Kos in men’s BK – 13.5% G. Walsh following up record-setting 2024 SC Worlds – 10.9% Dressel back in SCM – 5.7% Other – 2.9% Luke Barr coming off World Cup breakout – 1.6% Douglass v. Chikunova in 200 BR – 1.3%The friendly rivalry between Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass is one of the best in the sport, and we saw it on full display in the summer when the two traded world records in the LCM 50 freestyle. However, as exciting as their battle was in the long course 50, their skills match up much better in short course.
Walsh and Douglass are relatively even across the 50 and 100 free, and they’re also somewhat close in the 50 fly and 100 IM, though Walsh has the advantage there (despite Douglass ranking #3 all-time in both). In long course, the 50 free is the only event where they’re extremely close, with Douglass having distanced herself in the 100 free and Walsh a step ahead in the 50 fly.
At the 2024 Short Course World Championships, Walsh and Douglass went head-to-head in three events, and Walsh came out on top in all of them. She won gold in the 50 free (22.83), 100 free (50.31) and 100 IM (55.11), setting world records in two of those races (50 free and 100 IM), while Douglass took silver in the 50 free and 100 IM, and bronze in the 100 free.
Since then, Douglass has taken over as the world record holder in the 100 free, becoming the first woman under 50 seconds last year in 49.93, and as alluded to earlier, she’s now the long course world record holder in the 50 free.
In our latest poll asking SwimSwam readers which storyline they’re excited for most about the Short Course World Championships in less than six weeks, the rivalry and impending battles between Walsh and Douglass led the way with 24.7% of votes.
We got a taste of it at the UVA SC Worlds Prep meet last weekend, though they only collided in one event, the 100 free, and it was an exciting battle with Douglass (50.20) bettering Walsh (50.32). Walsh did, however, reset her own world record in the 50 free in a time of 22.75.
We’ll get more of it at next week’s U.S. Trials, where they’re both entered in the 50 free, 100 free, 50 fly and 100 IM.
Of course, the incredible thing about Douglass is that she’s competitive with Walsh in these sprint events, and is also the defending world champion in the 200 breast and 200 IM, and could be a gold medal contender this year in the 100 breast.
While the Walsh/Douglass competitive rivalry has been ongoing for years dating back to their brief overlap in the NCAA, we saw a new one emerge during the 2026 World Cup circuit that wrapped up last weekend.
Cameron McEvoy and Egor Kornev went head-to-head in the men’s 50 and 100 free at all three legs of the World Cup, and the matchup started off with fireworks when Kornev tied the world record in the 100 free (44.84) at the opening stop in Baku.
They then tied for gold in the 100 free at the second stop in 45.24, and then McEvoy finally stood alone atop the podium in the 100 free as the series closed in Astana (45.11). McEvoy also went three-for-three in the 50 free, powering to a new lifetime best of 20.13 at the second leg in Tashkent.
With more than six weeks to reset and prepare for Short Course Worlds, fans are excited to see McEvoy and Kornev go to battle again in Beijing. That anticipation is only elevated with the potential of adding 50 free world record holder and defending world champion Jordan Crooks, and defending 100 free world champion Jack Alexy to the field.
The men’s free field with McEvoy, Kornev, Crooks, etc. earned 22.7% of votes in the poll, while three more options exceeded 10%.
There’s the potential of Leon Marchand making his SC Worlds debut, though there’s been no confirmation that he’ll be racing, there’s the intriguing battle between Pieter Coetze and Hubert Kos in the men’s backstroke events, and then there’s the simple storyline of Gretchen Walsh aiming to follow up on her stunning 2024 SC Worlds campaign that saw her win seven gold medals and break 11 world records (including relays).
Coetze and Kos going head-to-head in particular is exciting, with Coetze coming off a phenomenal World Cup circuit that saw him break the world record in the 50 back (22.09) and set a new African Record in the 100 back (48.21), becoming the second-fastest performer of all-time behind Kos.
Kos set world records in the 100 back (48.16) and 200 back (1:45.12) last year on the World Cup circuit, but has not raced in short course meters since then.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Will either short course world record that’s over a decade old fall at SC Worlds?
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
A3 Performance is an independently-owned, performance swimwear company built on a passion for swimming, athletes, and athletic performance. We encourage swimmers to swim better and faster at all ages and levels, from beginners to Olympians. Driven by a genuine leader and devoted staff that are passionate about swimming and service, A3 Performance strives to inspire and enrich the sport of swimming with innovative and impactful products that motivate swimmers to be their very best – an A3 Performer.The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
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