Australian Dolphins | 14 October 2025
2025 World Cup Stop 1 Wrap
KAYLEE McKeown (pictured), Lani Pallister, Sam Short and Mollie O’Callaghan opened up the 2025 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup with six golds between them at Stop 1 of the World Series in Carmel, USA.
Emerging butterflyer Alex Perkins also snared two record-breaking silvers in what Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor described as a “very pleasing start” to the three-stop World Cup tour.
Over three days of quality racing, McKeown, O’Callaghan and Perkins set national records with McKeown swimming a PB in the 200m back – her 1:58.86 a Commonwealth and Australian record that was the fastest swim ever to not break a world record.
McKeown, who like O’Callaghan is competing in the US for the first time, pushed jetlag aside to win gold on day one in the 50m backstroke, her time of 25.42 was the seventh fastest performance in history.
The World Cup’s 25m format also suited Pallister – who was Australia’s ironwoman of the 2024 Budapest World Short Course Championships – who claimed gold in the 400m free in a time of 3:54.38 that came close to her existing Australian record of 3:53.73 set at last year’s World Championships.
Pallister claimed a second gold in the 800m freestyle (8:02.02) over 10 seconds ahead of New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather (8:12.57) and Caitlin Deans (8:13.37); and pocketed silver in the women’s 200m free behind O’Callaghan.
More Commonwealth and Australian records fell courtesy of O’Callaghan, who posted a 1:50.77 to win the 200m freestyle and also took home silvers in the 100m free, 50m back and bronze in the 50m free.
It took a world record by USA’s Gretchen Walsh in the 50m butterfly, who lowered her previous mark to 23.72, to win gold ahead of Perkins’ Commonwealth record time of 24.64. In the 100m event, Walsh set a championship record 53.69, again ahead of Perkins in 54.93 whose PB swim won her a second silver in an Australian record time.
Fellow Dolphins Ella Ramsay and David Schlicht also won bronze their 400m and 200m individual medley events respectively.
And Sam Short, the form swimmer at the recent Australian Short Course Championships, continued his excellent form to win gold in the 1500m freestyle (14:30.00) ahead of USA’s Carson Foster (14:41.33) and Carson Hick (14:55.00).
At Melbourne nationals, Short won the event in 14:25.26 to set the second fastest time ever by an Australian. Fellow Dolphin Brendon Smith placed fourth (14:57.29).
In total, 23 Australians contested the first stop of three held from 10-12 October for Australia to sit second on the medal tally with 17 medals in total (6 golds, 8 silvers, 3 bronze), behind host nation USA, who lead with 15 medals (11 golds, 2 silvers, 2 bronze).
