Five Storylines (& Some Bonuses) to Follow at the 1st 2025 Swimming World Cup Stop (Carmel) ...Middle East

By Mark Wild on SwimSwam

2025 SWIMMING WORLD CUP – CARMEL

It was a very busy summer for high-class meets, as Worlds, Junior Worlds, and World University Games (as well as numerous national qualifying meets) were held in quick succession and if you have been thinking to yourself that it’s been a while since there has been a World Class meet and are starting to feel withdrawals, then have no fear because I have some good news. The 2025 Swimming World Cup is nigh upon us, as the series takes to North America with three stops across the United States and Canada. Most of the world’s best will descend upon Carmel, Indiana this weekend, with the remaining stops taking the tour to Westmont, Il, a suburb of Chicago, next weekend and then wrapping up in Canada’s largest city, Toronto.

However, before jump into the action, the list of entered athletes and their entries (or lack there of) give us a several interesting storylines and tantalizing match-ups to keep an eye on as the action kicks off tomorrow morning.

Swimmers of the Meet Return (or 1/2 do)

Not that there was much doubt, but the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, cemented both Summer McIntosh and Leon Marchand as the premier swimmers in the world. The pair, who had explosive swims the previous summer in Paris at the Olympics, carried over that momentum with Marchand sweeping the IM events, including collecting the lone individual World Record breaking performance. McIntosh, doubled the number of golds that Marchand won, also sweeping the IMs, but adding trips to the top of the podium in the 400 free and 200 fly, as well as a hard fought bronze in the 800 free.

The pair both contested all three stops of the World Cup last season, with McIntosh ending her season at Short Course Worlds with three wins and three World Records, while Marchand withdrew from the Worlds, after having set the 200 IM record at the last stop and winning the triple triple crown, sweeping the 100/200/400 IM at all three stops.

Marchand won’t have a chance to repeat the feat as the French star has stated that he will only at the first stop of three, but based upon the entries, the Texas Pro will be making the most of his trip to Indiana as he is entered in the 100/200/400 free, the 200s of back and breast as well as the 100 and 200 IM. The seven event program, show a clear sign of the Frenchman looking to improve upon his freestyle stroke, despite being one of the fastest ever over the 200 yard distance. Marchand is unseeded in the 200 back, but so too is Tomoyuki Matsushita, Japan’s latest 400 IM star, who has finished runner-up behind Marchand at the last two Global Competitions.

While any event he swims it must watch tv, the 200 back is very tantalizing to see just what he can do as are the 200 breast and 200 free, where he sits seeded 3rd, however with the event back to back, it seems unlikely that he will be able to top the field in both, especially with the likes of World Record Luke Hobson in the mix in the latter of the two events.

McIntosh, is entered in two less events, but no one will hold that against her as she contests her usual gauntlet of the 400 free, 200 fly, and 200/400 IM. McIntosh like Marchand is adding the 200 back to her list, but has some recent history in the event having claimed the silver medal at Short Course Worlds in World Junior Record Fashion. McIntosh would have squared off against the defending Short Course Worlds (and World Record Holder) Regan Smith as well as the defending Long Course Worlds (and World Record Holder) Kaylee McKeown. We say would as McIntosh revealed today that she has come down with an illness that has forced her to withdraw from the meet, and postponing her debut as a Bob Bowman trained swimmer.

Show Down in BK Events

However, have no fear as the backstroke events are still loaded events, and likely will be a reoccurring theme across the storylines over the next two stops. The aforementioned Smith and McKeown will cross paths in all three of the distances, 50/100/200, and will be locked into battle with one another. The Australian star contested just one day of the Series last year, as she cited her mental health as her reason for withdrawal. In that one day of competition, she did however post what was the 2nd fastest 50 backstroke time of all time, stopping the clock at 25.36. McKeown did not swim at Worlds, where her rival Smith swept the backstroke events, and set new World best times in all the events.

The pair aren’t the lone draws however as 2025 World Champion Katharine Berkoff is seeded dangerously low in the 50, having entered with a 100 time. Their fellow American, Gretchen Walsh, arguably one of the greatest yards swimmers, sits just .01 back of McKeown at 25.37, and is joined by the strong Canadian duo of Kylie Masse and Ingrid Wilm. The 100 see many of the same swimmers in the mix, but the 200 sees the more spring orientated swimmers like Masse, Walsh absent. In their place however, the USA’s Phoebe Bacon enters her name into the mix.

The men’s side too is replete with strong swimmers as Hungarian Hubert Kos, another one of the strong Texas based pro, tops the field in all three distances. Training partner Shaine Casas could pose some threat in the 50 and 100 back, but so too could the ever-dangerous Italian pair of Lorenzo Mora and Thomas Ceccon. With the like of Ksawery Masiuk and Kacper Stokowski throwing their names into the pool, expect the competition for a spot in the final to be fierce.

Hoos Swimming & Michi-Gander

While the NCAA season has already started, a few of the college programs have decided to send a select few swimmers to Carmel to compete at the World Cup. A trio of swimmers who had up and down summers, will have many an eye upon them as they take to the water tomorrow. Foremost among them are Bella Sims.

Sims, a 2020 Olympic Silver medalist, competed for two years for the Florida Gators, before this past May announcing her intentions to transfer to the University of Michigan. Perhaps with the weight of such a decision off her back, and admittedly saying “I truly love swimming again”, Sims made the 2025 Worlds team as a member of the 4×200 free relay, adding another silver medal to her collection. Now firmly ensconced in Ann Arbor, Sims’ appearance in Carmel, will be the swimming community’s first look at her under the training of Matt Bowe and staff. The newly minted Wolverine is entered in five events, the 200 free, 50/100 back, and 100/200 IM and is seeded highest in the 200 IM at 8th, despite being the World Junior Record holder in the 100 back, having gone 55.75, the last time the World Cup stopped in North America, back in 2022.

The other two swimmers, who have more tenuous ties with their college, but certainly have strong ties to the area are Alex Shackell and her brother Aaron Shackell. The pair, both 2024 Paris Olympians trained out of Carmel Swim Club, and likely still do as the pair have opted for a unique “hybrid schedule” at Indiana. Aaron started his collegiate career at Cal, but then headed southeast to Texas, before eventually winding up back in his home state. His sister, too originally, had plans to head to California, but decommitted, and then stated her intentions to join the Indiana program albeit in the 2nd semester.

Aaron did swim for the Hoosiers, as they defeated Florida last month contesting the 200 and 500 free., but Alex last swam at the Summer Championships meet in August. In their hometown, Aaron will take on the 200/400 free as well as the 100/200 fly. He will overlap in those four events with his younger brother and Alex’s twin, Andrew Shackell, who also swims for Indiana. Andrew will add the 50 free and 50 fly, while his sister, will take on the 100/200 free, all three fly events and the 200 IM.

Indiana Breaststroke Tradition

The trio of Shackell’s are not the only swimmers making the hour and half trip from Bloomington, as the Indiana breaststroke depth looks to make their presence known. While Lilly King long repped her school for the USA, her recent retirement has seen a new bevy of breaststroke talent come to the forefront.

While entered as club swimmers, as opposed to USA, Indiana based Josh Matheny, Van Mathias, Luke Barr, Brian Benzing and Finlay Brooks all pepper the breaststroke events entry lists. In a time, where the US men’s breaststroke events have been weaker on the world’s stage, Indiana’s dominance in the stroke is of particular note. At the 2025 NCAA Championships, Indiana advanced two swimmers in the A-final and a whopping four into the B-Final.

Of particular note, Van Mathias, was not one of those swimmers as he had stopped swimming two years prior, but in a remarkable return to the sport, the IU based pro not only went PBs in both the 50 and 100 breaststrokes at the US Summer Championships, but also earned a spot on the Pan-Pac Roster by virtue of his 26.76 50 breaststroke time, joining fellow Hoosier Matheny, who has the 2nd fastest 100 time and fastest 200 time.

Indiana’s dominance in the event domestically is noteworthy, but the US still struggles on the world stage, as the fastest US entrant, Michael Andrew is seeded just 8th in the 100 and 7th in the 50. That said the depth in the men’s breaststroke events is quite deep as World Record holder Ilya Shymanovich and 2025 Singapore medalists, Denis Petrashov and Caspar Corbeau (who swam last year for Indiana) are in attendance.

So, to is the world’s greatest long course breaststroke sprinter, as Great Britain’s Adam Peaty makes an appearance state-side. Peaty, who as of late has been training for Triathalons, finished the London T100 Olympic distance Tri in 2:34.37, recording the 5th fastest swim of all competitors. Peaty, a three time Olympic Gold Medalist, did not compete in Singapore, despite being pre-qualified for the competition by virtue of Silver medal from Paris.

The Importance of Underwaters and Walls

Peaty is a great case for displaying the difference between long course and short course swimmers. The undisputed best in the 50 meter pool, his appearances in the shorter pool, which are scant at best, do not amount to the same dominance. The inverse can be said about Gretchen Walsh, who’s underwaters in the free and back have seen her collect NCAA titles left and right, but have not yet yielded any success in the larger pool.

While much of the international focus being on long course meters this years, it would be good to remind folks about Walsh’s and Smith’s performances in Budapest last winter. Walsh won five individual gold medals, two relay medals, and broke or was part of a relay the broke 10 World Records. Smith as previously mentioned swept the backstrokes and broke all three world records while their compatriot Kate Douglass broke the World Record in both the 200 IM and 200 Breaststroke. All three grew up swimming in yards pools and will likely be looking to continue their run of good form from this summer into this series.

All this information is not to say that non-US based swimmers aren’t great short course swimmers, but as a swim coach, I’d advise anyone watching to key into the differences in the turns between these elite swimmers and see where and when they make their move. In a long course pool, their is just one turn and two underwaters, (with the first being off the start), but in a short course pool with three turns and four underwaters, every slow turn or poor underwater means more.

Bonus(es)

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