Gretchen Walsh wins 100m fly, Leon Marchand falls again at swimming short course World Cup

Published October 13, 2025
Gretchen Walsh reacts after setting a new world record in the Women’s 50m Butterfly at the Swimming World Cup on October 11, 2025. — Photo via X/@WorldAquatics
Gretchen Walsh reacts after setting a new world record in the Women’s 50m Butterfly at the Swimming World Cup on October 11, 2025. — Photo via X/@WorldAquatics

American Gretchen Walsh capped a record-setting week at the short course swimming World Cup event in Carmel, Indiana, with a dominant triumph in the 100m butterfly on Sunday.

Walsh, who lowered her own world record in the 50m fly on Saturday, couldn’t top her 100m fly world mark, but her winning time of 53.69sec was more than a second-faster than runner-up Alexandria Perkins, who clocked an Australian record of 54.93.

Australia’s five-time Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown turned the tables on world record-holder Regan Smith in the women’s 200m backstroke with a win in 1min 58.86sec.

Smith, who rallied to beat McKeown in the 100m back on Saturday, settled for second in 2:00.07.

Lani Pallister added another win for Aussie women in the 800m freestyle in 8:02.02.

Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands won the men’s 200m breaststroke, holding off a late charge from French star Leon Marchand to win in 2:01.63.

Corbeau, who also won the 100m breaststroke, led by almost a second at the 100m mark and hung on as Marchand — winner of four gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics and two individual medley golds at the World Championships in Singapore this year — closed the gap.

Marchand’s runner-up finish in 2:02.00 means he departs Carmel without a victory, having finished second in the 200m backstroke and third in the 400m free on Friday and second to training partner Shaine Casas in the 200m medley on Saturday.

Opinion

A long war?

A long war?

Both sides should have a common interest in averting a protracted conflict but the impasse persists.

Editorial

Interlinked crises
Updated 04 May, 2026

Interlinked crises

The situation vis-à-vis the US-Israeli war on Iran remains tense, with hostilities likely to resume if the diplomatic process fails.
Climate readiness
04 May, 2026

Climate readiness

AS policymakers gather for the Breathe Pakistan conference this week, the urgency is hard to miss. Each year, such...
Kalash preservation
04 May, 2026

Kalash preservation

FOR centuries, the Kalash people have maintained a culture, way of life, language and belief system that is uniquely...
On press freedoms
Updated 03 May, 2026

On press freedoms

THE citizenry forgets, to its own peril, how important a free and independent media is in the preservation of their...
Inflation strain
03 May, 2026

Inflation strain

PAKISTAN’S return to double-digit inflation after 21 months signals renewed economic strain where external shocks...
Troubled waters
03 May, 2026

Troubled waters

PAKISTAN’S water crisis is often framed in terms of scarcity. Increasingly, it is also a crisis of contamination....