Three South African swimmers took to the water at the first event on the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2025 calendar in Carmel, Indiana, at the weekend – and all three won medals!
While American Gretchen Walsh was the star of the three-day competition, with a world record in the short-course 50m butterfly and a World Cup record in the women’s 100m butterfly, South Africans Chris Smith, Chad le Clos and Rebecca Meder were all on the podium.
Veteran Le Clos ensured his latest comeback began successfully when he earned the bronze medal in the 100m butterfly. The final was won by Swiss world record holder Noe Ponti, whose 48.53 was a US record. Ilya Kharun (49.02) was second while Le Clos ensured that all three medalists were under the 50-second mark as he clocked 49.57.
Meder continued her progress when she won the bronze in the 200m breaststroke in 2:18.14. Kate Douglass blazed to a US record of 2:13.97, with Anna Elendt claiming silver in 2:17.80. Meder was going strongly though halfway, but the German hauled her in over the second 100m of the race. Meder reached three finals. In the 100m Individual Medley where she finished fifth in 58.26, in a race won by the impressive Walsh in a World Cup and US Open record of 55.91.
In the 100m breaststroke she also finished fifth, this time behind another superstar in Douglass and Meder clocked 1:04.41 in a high-quality field.
South Africa’s gold was won by Smith who got the touch in a blanket finish that saw the top four separated by just 0.13 seconds, and the top three by just 0.04. He was less than a tenth off his personal best and World Junior Record of 25.66 set last December.
Smith beat 100m champion Caspar Corbeau and short course specialist Ilya Shymanovich.
