Dive into the electrifying start of the 2025 Swimming World Cup in Carmel – where records are on the line and champions are born! As the first finals session unfolds in Indiana, swimmers are poised to dazzle in a lineup that's packed with high-stakes drama. If you're new to the sport, think of the World Cup as an elite international series where top athletes compete in short-course meters (SCM, meaning 25-meter pools) to showcase their speed and endurance. This Carmel stop, running from October 10-12, 2025, promises edge-of-your-seat action, and we're here to break it all down for you. But here's where it gets controversial – with so many young talents rising, is this the moment when traditional powerhouses get challenged by fresh faces? Stick around to see how the night unfolds and decide for yourself.
2025 SWIMMING WORLD CUP – CARMEL
- Dates: October 10-12, 2025
- Location: Carmel, Indiana
- Pool Type: SCM (25 meters) – perfect for explosive, short-burst races that highlight pure power and technique.
- Meet Central: Check out the official hub at https://www.worldaquatics.com/competitions/4969/world-aquatics-swimming-world-cup-2025 for all the details.
- Psych Sheets: Get a sneak peek at the entries here: https://swimswam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ENTRIES_BOOK.pdf.
- Live Results: Follow the action in real-time via https://www.omegatiming.com/2025/world-aquatics-swimming-world-cup01-live-results.
- All The Links: Your one-stop resource for everything you need: https://swimswam.com/all-the-links-you-need-for-the-2025-carmel-world-cup-stop/.
Day 1 Finals Heat Sheet: Dive deeper into the lineup at https://swimswam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MINIStartList-4.pdf.
Greetings, fellow swimming enthusiasts – welcome to the inaugural finals session of the 2025 World Cup Series! Hosted in the charming town of Carmel, Indiana, this evening's program mirrors the prelims from this morning, but with a twist: the fastest heats of the 400 freestyle timed finals kick things off, setting the stage for a predominantly sprint-focused evening. For beginners, timed finals mean the top qualifiers from earlier rounds compete directly, often leading to nail-biting finishes as athletes push their limits.
Event Schedule:
- Women's 400 Freestyle – Fastest Heat
- Men's 400 Freestyle – Fastest Heat
- Women's 50 Backstroke
- Men's 200 Backstroke
- Women's 200 Butterfly
- Men's 100 Butterfly
- Women's 200 Breaststroke
- Men's 100 Breaststroke
- Women's 50 Freestyle
- Men's 50 Freestyle
- Women's 100 IM
- Men's 100 IM
Women's 400 Freestyle – Timed Finals (Fastest Heat)
Before we jump into the results, let's talk records – these benchmarks represent the pinnacle of human achievement in the pool, often shattered by innovative training and sheer determination. For instance, a world record isn't just a number; it's a testament to years of dedication, like how Summer McIntosh redefined the event in 2024.
- World Record: 3:50.25 – Summer McIntosh (https://swimswam.com/bio/summer-mcintosh/), CAN (2024)
- World Junior Record: 3:50.25 – Summer McIntosh (https://swimswam.com/bio/summer-mcintosh/), CAN (2024)
- World Cup Record: 3:52.80 – Summer McIntosh (https://swimswam.com/bio/summer-mcintosh/), CAN (2022)
- U.S. Open Record: 3:54.04 – Katie Ledecky (https://swimswam.com/bio/katie-ledecky/), USA (2022)
Final Standings:
- Lani Pallister (https://swimswam.com/bio/lani-pallister/) (AUS) — 3:54.38
- Erika Fairweather (https://swimswam.com/tag/erika-fairweather/) (NZL) — 3:58.83
- Caitlin Deans (https://swimswam.com/tag/caitlin-deans/) (NZL) — 4:00.93
- Anna Peplowski (https://swimswam.com/bio/anna-peplowski/) (CLB) — 4:01.03
- Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAN) — 4:01.09
- Freya Colbert (GBR) — 4:03.54
- Mila Nikanorov (CLB) — 4:07.72
- Molly Anne Walker (AUS) — 4:09.93
Lani Pallister (https://swimswam.com/bio/lani-pallister/) claimed the session's opening victory in Carmel with a commanding 3:54.38 in the women's 400 freestyle, edging closer to her own Oceanian mark of 3:53.73 from the 2024 Short Course World Championships where she secured silver. And this is the part most people miss – her strategic pacing turned the race into a masterclass in endurance.
Anna Peplowski (https://swimswam.com/bio/anna-peplowski/) led early at the 100-meter split, but Pallister surged ahead by the 200, clocking 1:54.38 at the turn. She maintained 2:24.25 at halfway and pulled away decisively in the final laps, finishing over four seconds ahead. It's a podium sweep for Oceania, with New Zealand duo Erika Fairweather (https://swimswam.com/tag/erika-fairweather/) and Caitlin Deans (https://swimswam.com/tag/caitlin-deans/) taking silver and bronze. Fairweather was the only other to dip under four minutes at 3:58.83, while Deans edged out a tight battle for third against Peplowski and Mary-Sophie Harvey, touching in 4:00.93. Peplowski finished just a tenth back at 4:01.03, narrowly ahead of Harvey by six-hundredths.
Men’s 400 Freestyle – Timed Finals (Fastest Heat)
- World Record: 3:32.25 – Yannick Agnel (https://swimswam.com/bio/yannick-agnel/), FRA (2012)
- World Junior Record: 3:37.92 – Matthew Sates, RSA (2021)
- World Cup Record: 3:32.77 – Paul Biedermann, GER (2009)
- U.S. Open Record: 3:35.99 – Kieran Smith, USA (2022)
Final Standings:
- Carson Foster (CLB) — 3:37.80
- Sam Short (AUS) — 3:38.15
- Leon Marchand (https://swimswam.com/bio/leon-marchand/) (FRA) — 3:38.25
- Kieran Smith (USA) — 3:38.66
- Lewis Clareburt (NZL) — 3:41.65
- Charlie Hawke (AUS) — 3:42.03
- Kamil Sieradzki (POL) — 3:42.99
- Luke Hobson (USA) — 3:43.87
Women's 50 Backstroke – Final
- World Record: 25.23 – Regan Smith (https://swimswam.com/bio/regan-smith/), USA (2024)
- World Junior Record: 26.03 – Sara Curtis (https://swimswam.com/bio/sara-curtis/), ITA (2024)
- World Cup Record: 25.36 – Kaylee McKeown (https://swimswam.com/bio/kaylee-mckeown/), AUS (2024)
- U.S. Open Record: 25.37 – Gretchen Walsh (https://swimswam.com/bio/gretchen-walsh/), USA (2024)
Final Standings:
Men’s 200 Backstroke – Final
- World Record: 1:45.63 – Mitch Larkin, AUS (2015)
- World Junior Record: 1:48.02 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2017)
- World Cup Record: 1:46.11 – Arkady Vyatchanin, RUS (2009)
- U.S. Open Record: 1:48.40 – Shaine Casas (https://swimswam.com/bio/shaine-casas/), USA (2022)
Final Standings:
Women's 200 Butterfly – Final
- World Record: 1:59.32 – Summer McIntosh (https://swimswam.com/bio/summer-mcintosh/), CAN (2024)
- World Junior Record: 1:59.32 – Summer McIntosh (https://swimswam.com/bio/summer-mcintosh/), CAN (2024)
- World Cup Record: 2:00.78 – Liu Zige (https://swimswam.com/tag/liu-zige/), CHN (2009)
- U.S. Open Record: 2:03.39 – Cammile Adams (https://swimswam.com/bio/cammile-adams/), USA (2015)
Final Standings:
Men’s 100 Butterfly – Final
- World Record: 47.71 – Noe Ponti (https://swimswam.com/bio/noe-ponti/), SUI (2024)
- World Junior Record: 48.40 – Ilya Kharun (https://swimswam.com/bio/ilya-kharun/), CAN (2022)
- World Cup Record: 49.03 – Noe Ponti (https://swimswam.com/bio/noe-ponti/), SUI (2024)
- U.S. Open Record: 48.63 – Tom Shields (https://swimswam.com/bio/tom-shields/)
Final Standings:
Women's 200 Breaststroke – Final
- World Record: 2:12.50 – Kate Douglass (https://swimswam.com/bio/kate-douglass/), USA (2024)
- World Junior Record: 2:14.70 – Evgeniia Chikunova (https://swimswam.com/tag/evgeniia-chikunova/), RUS (2023)
- World Cup Record: 2:12.72 – Kate Douglass (https://swimswam.com/bio/kate-douglass/), USA (2024)
- U.S. Open Record: 2:15.99 – Kate Douglass (https://swimswam.com/bio/lilly-king/), USA (2019) [Note: The original has a typo here; it says 'Kate Douglass' but links to Lilly King – preserving as is for accuracy.]
Final Standings:
Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Final
- World Record: 55.28 – Ilya Shymanovich (https://swimswam.com/bio/ilya-shymanovich/), BLR (2021)
- World Junior Record: 56.66 – Simone Cerasuolo (https://swimswam.com/bio/simone-cerasuolo/), ITA (2021)
- World Cup Record: 55.61 – Cameron Van der Burgh (https://swimswam.com/bio/cameron-van-der-burgh/), RSA (2009)
- U.S. Open Record: 55.92 – Adam Peaty (https://swimswam.com/bio/adam-peaty/), GBR (2019)
Final Standings:
Women's 50 Freestyle – Final
- World Record: 22.83 – Gretchen Walsh (https://swimswam.com/bio/gretchen-walsh/), USA (2024)
- World Junior Record: 23.66 – Eva Okaro (https://swimswam.com/tag/eva-okaro/), GBR (2024)
- World Cup Record: 22.93 – Ranomi Kromowidjojo (https://swimswam.com/bio/ranomi-kromowidjojo/), NED (2017)
- U.S. Open Record: 23.10 – Gretchen Walsh (https://swimswam.com/bio/gretchen-walsh/), USA (2024)
Final Standings:
Men’s 50 Freestyle – Final
- World Record: 19.90 – Jordan Crooks (https://swimswam.com/bio/jordan-crooks/), CAY (2024)
- World Junior Record: 20.98 – Kenzo Simons (https://swimswam.com/tag/kenzo-simons/), NED (2019)
- World Cup Record: 20.48 – Vlad Morozov (https://swimswam.com/bio/vlad-morozov/), RUS (2018)
- U.S. Open Record: 20.24 – Caeleb Dressel (https://swimswam.com/bio/caeleb-dressel/), USA (2019)
Final Standings:
Women's 100 IM – Final
- World Record: 55.11 – Gretchen Walsh (https://swimswam.com/bio/gretchen-walsh/), USA (2024)
- World Junior Record: 57.59 – Anastasiya Shkurdai (https://swimswam.com/tag/anastasiya-shkurdai/), BLR (2020)
- World Cup Record: 56.51 – Katinka Hosszú, HUN (2017)
- U.S. Open Record: 55.98 – Gretchen Walsh (https://swimswam.com/bio/gretchen-walsh/), USA (2024)
Final Standings:
Men’s 100 IM – Final
- World Record: 49.28 – Caeleb Dressel (https://swimswam.com/bio/caeleb-dressel/), USA (2020)
- World Junior Record: 50.63 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2018)
- World Cup Record: 49.92 – Leon Marchand (https://swimswam.com/bio/leon-marchand/), FRA (2024)
- U.S. Open Record: 51.04 – Shaine Casas (https://swimswam.com/bio/shaine-casas/), USA (2022)
Final Standings:
In This Story
- Anna Peplowski (https://swimswam.com/bio/anna-peplowski/)
Anna Peplowski (https://swimswam.com/bio/anna-peplowski/)
- Gretchen Walsh (https://swimswam.com/bio/gretchen-walsh/)
Gretchen Walsh (https://swimswam.com/bio/gretchen-walsh/)
- Hubert Kos (https://swimswam.com/bio/hubert-kos/)
Hubert Kos (https://swimswam.com/bio/hubert-kos/)
- Kate Douglass (https://swimswam.com/bio/kate-douglass/)
Kate Douglass (https://swimswam.com/bio/kate-douglass/)
- Lani Pallister (https://swimswam.com/bio/lani-pallister/)
Lani Pallister (https://swimswam.com/bio/lani-pallister/)
- Leon Marchand (https://swimswam.com/bio/leon-marchand/)
Leon Marchand (https://swimswam.com/bio/leon-marchand/)
- Noe Ponti (https://swimswam.com/bio/noe-ponti/)
Noe Ponti (https://swimswam.com/bio/noe-ponti/)
- Regan Smith (https://swimswam.com/bio/regan-smith/)
Regan Smith (https://swimswam.com/bio/regan-smith/)
About Sophie Kaufman
Sophie Kaufman (https://swimswam.com/bio/sophie-kaufman/)
Sophie hails from Boston, Massachusetts, where she's a proud Bruins fan – no judgment if you're not! She started swimming at age 9 when her best friend talked her into joining the local club, thinking it'd be a blast. A shoulder injury cut short her competitive days years ago, but her passion for the sport never waned...
Read More » (https://swimswam.com/bio/sophie-kaufman/)
What a thrilling kickoff to the 2025 World Cup! With Lani Pallister's dominant performance in the 400 free, some might argue it's a sign of shifting tides in women's swimming – but is it really, or just a one-off? And with Kate Douglass eyeing another record in the breaststroke, do you think she'll shatter expectations again? Share your opinions in the comments – agree or disagree, we'd love to hear from you!
