SINGAPORE – The USA swimming team ended their tough world championship journey with a big win and a new world record in the women’s 4×100 metre medley relay. This final event gave them the perfect ending to an up-and-down eight-day competition in Singapore.
The American team clocked 3 minutes, 49.34 seconds, beating their own previous world record of 3:49.63. It was a proud moment for the team after facing health issues during the meet.
Team USA Wins the Medal Tally
Despite a rough start, Team USA finished with the most gold medals – nine in total – and 29 medals overall. Australia came second with eight golds and 20 total medals. France and Canada followed, each grabbing four gold medals.
Canada’s young swimming star, 18-year-old Summer McIntosh, was outstanding. She won all four of her individual events, making her one of the top performers of the championship.
Health Scare Affected American Performance
The American swimmers had a setback before the championship even began. While training in Thailand, many team members got sick with a stomach infection called acute gastroenteritis. This clearly affected their early performances.
But things started to look better towards the end of the meet. In just the last two days, Team USA won four gold medals, helping them climb back to the top of the medal table.
“We’re Leaving With a Smile” – Gretchen Walsh
Swimmer Gretchen Walsh, who swam the third leg of the relay, expressed her joy after the race.
“This is the best way to end the meet,” she said. “When you have such a strong group of women like us, we had to give it our all. We’re leaving Singapore with a smile.”
The full relay team included Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, and Torri Huske (who swam the anchor leg).
Final Day Sees Multiple Winners
The final day of the world championships had eight event finals, with medals going to seven different countries, showing strong competition across the board.
Star Performers of the Championship
Summer McIntosh was the biggest name of the event. She became only the second woman in history to win four individual gold medals at a single world championship. Her only loss was in the 800m freestyle, where American legend Katie Ledecky took the gold and McIntosh had to settle for bronze.
Leon Marchand of France also had a great tournament, winning two gold medals and meeting his goals for the championship.
A surprise name that stood out was 12-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi. Even though she didn’t win a medal in her individual races, she came fourth in all three events and helped her team win a bronze medal in a relay. Yu Zidi’s performance was called “amazing” for someone so young.
The 2025 World Swimming Championships ended on a happy note for the United States. After early health troubles and slow performances, the team bounced back to break a world record and top the medal tally. Young stars like Summer McIntosh and Yu Zidi made headlines, proving that the future of world swimming is very bright.
