US Women Set New World Record in 4x100 Medley Swimming Event
The 2025 World Swimming Championships saw a significant challenge for the United States team, with an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis affecting several athletes during the competition.
Acute gastroenteritis, a gastrointestinal illness characterized by inflammation of the stomach and intestines, caused disruption for the team. The illness began during the team’s training camp in Phuket, Thailand, and affected almost half of the roster. About 10 athletes were too sick to travel initially, and others continued to experience symptoms even after arriving in Singapore.
The health issues had a substantial impact on performance. Several top swimmers had to withdraw from events, such as Torri Huske skipping the 100 butterfly, and Gretchen Walsh missing the women’s 400 freestyle relay moments before it started. The illness required some athletes to receive hospital treatment, including intravenous fluids.
Despite the setbacks, the women's team demonstrated resilience, winning medals in nearly every event and breaking a world record in the 4x100 medley relay. They swam a time of 3 minutes, 49.34 seconds, shattering their own old mark of 3:49.63 set a year ago in the Paris Olympics.
The men’s team, however, struggled more noticeably, with fewer individual medals and some events lacking American finalists entirely.
In individual events, 18-year-old Canadian star Summer McIntosh won all four golds, one shy of her quest for five. Leon Marchand of France left the championships with two individual gold medals. American Bobby Finke took a bronze in the 1500 meters event.
Ruta Meilutyte won the 50 breaststroke, with Tang Qianting taking silver and Benedetta Pilato earning bronze. Kliment Kolesnikov won the men’s 50 backstroke, with Pieter Coetze and Pavel Samusenko tying for silver.
Three-time Olympic gold-medalist Rowdy Gaines called for changes at USA Swimming, citing the health issues as a reason for concern. Bobby Finke, the Paris Olympic champion at 1500 meters, defended his team against critics, including former American swimmers Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.
The Neutral Athletes won the men’s 4x100 medley relay, with France and the United States finishing second and third, respectively. Meg Harris won the women’s 50 free, with Wu Qingfeng and Cheng Yujie claiming the next two places.
Leon Marchand shattered the 200 IM mark during the championships, while McIntosh finished third to Katie Ledecky in the 800 freestyle.
The United States finished the swim world championships with nine gold medals and 29 overall, ahead of Australia with eight gold and 20 overall. Despite the health challenges, the team showed great determination and spirit, with the women's team particularly standing out in their performances.
The illness, acute gastroenteritis, disrupted the performance of the United States team in sports, particularly affecting several athletes during the 2025 World Swimming Championships. Despite the setbacks, the women's team demonstrated resilience in sports, showing great determination and spirit, winning medals in nearly every event and breaking a world record in the 4x100 medley relay.
