Hungary’s Olympic and world 200m backstroke champion Hubert Kos leads the men’s overall standings after the first of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2025 legs in Carmel, Indiana, where he won all three of his races.

The highlight of meeting, which ran from October 10 to 12, was the women’s 50m butterfly world record of 23.72 set by home swimmer Gretchen Walsh, who leads the women’s standings.

Kos, 22, began with victory in the men’s 200m in 1:46.84 ahead of four-times Paris 2024 champion and last year’s overall men’s World Cup champion Leon Marchand, who clocked 1:47.68.

It was one of three defeats for the 23-year-old French icon, Kos’s training partner under Bob Bowman at the University of Texas, who is not due to compete in the two concluding World Cup legs- in Westmont, United States from October 17 to 19 and in Toronto from October 23 to 25. He plans to go back into training for next year’s European Aquatics Championships in Paris.

Kos went on to win the men’s 50m backstroke in 22.65 from Estonia’s Ralf Tribuntsov in 22.91, and the men’s 100m backstroke in 49.08 from Poland’s Kacper Stokowski on 49.92 and Italy’s Olympic 100m backstroke champion Thomas Ceccon, who clocked 50.20.

“I think that Bob (Bowman) will be happy,” Kos told World Aquatics. “He knows, and I also know what we need to improve on to get down to that world record.

“I’m starting this year swimming in the 100 as well as the 200, you know, which makes sense because I am the fastest yard swimmer in both those events, so yeah, I’d be good to reach that level one day.”

Marchand’s other defeats came in the 200m medley, where he clocked 1:49.73 behind Shaine Casas of the United States, who recorded an American record of 1:49.43, and the 200m breaststroke, where he clocked 2:02.00 behind the 24-year-old Dutch swimmer now second in the men’s World Cup rankings, Caspar Corbeau, the Paris 2024 200m breaststroke bronze medallist.

Corbeau won in 2:01.63 to move to 11th on the all-time list. He had earlier won the 100m breaststroke in 56.67 from neutral athlete Ilya Shymanovich, who clocked 57.18.

Corbeau also took silver in the men’s 50m breaststroke in 25.78, 0.03 behind South Africa’s Chris Smith, with neutral athlete Ilya Shymanovich third in 25.79 and Britain’s 30-year-old multiple world and Olympic champion Adam Peaty sixth in 26.43.

Switzerland’s Noe Ponti, who recorded two 50m butterfly world records in last year’s World Cup series, had mixed fortunes, winning the men’s100m butterfly in 48.53 ahead of Ilya Kharun on 49.02, but then losing his first short course 50m butterfly race since 2022 as he finished 0.04 behind Kharun in clocking 21.90, with Ceccon third in 22.36.

“I guess it’s the first time I actually beat Noe (Ponti) in the 50 Fly,” Kharun said, “but I know he’s got a lot more in the tank.

“Last year, he was like 21.50 at this time. So it’ll definitely take a lot more, but I’m happy to have this moment. He’s a great opponent and I’m just really happy that I get to race him.”

Ponti also finished second in the 100m medley, recording 51.13 behind the 50.86 of Casas.

Poland’s Katarzyna Wasick won the women’s 50m freestyle in 23.29 ahead of Australia’s Alexandra Perkins and Mollie O’Callaghan.

Britain’s Abbie Wood won the women’s 400m medley in 4:27.14 from Ireland’s Ellen Walshe, who recorded 4:28.47.

Wood also finished second in the women’s 200m medley, clocking 2:05.14 behind Alex Walsh of the United States, who won in 2:04.76. Walshe was third in the women’s 200m butterfly in 2:05.07.

Eneli Jefimova of Estonia won the women’s 50m breaststroke in 29.33 from Belgium’s Florine Gaspard, who recorded 29.58 and Germany’s Anna Elendt on 29.80, with Ireland’s Mona McSharry fourth in 29.82.

Elendt was second in the women’s 200m breaststroke in 2:17.80 behind Kate Douglass of the United States, who clocked 2:13.97. she was also third in the women’s 100m breaststroke in 1:03.83, one place behind Jefimova, who clocked 1:03.35.

Marrit Steenbergen of The Netherlands, the world 100m freestyle champion, finished third in that event in 51.56 behind Kate Douglas of the United States, who clocked 50.83, and Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan, who finished in 51.13.

Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk had three third places, clocking 25.44 in Walsh’s world record 50m butterfly race, recording 57.44 in a 100m medley won by Walsh in a World Cup record of 55.91 and 55.64 in the 100m butterfly as Walsh set a World Cup record of 53.69.

Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Matt Richards was third in the men’s 200m freestyle in 1:41.76 as US swimmers Luke Hobson and Chris Guiliano finished first and second in 1:41.19 and 1:41.58.

Richards’ team-mate Max Litchfield was third in the men’s 400m medley in 4:05.85.

Italy’s Federico Burdisso also finished third in the men’s 200m butterfly in 1:52.06.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics