World Aquatics World Cup #3 – Astana
Kyle Chalmers‘ Australian and World Records in the 100 free are still alive, but they’re barely breathing. Just like Cam McEvoy, who took 11 breaths en route to a new personal best time of 45.11 in the 100 meter free on Thursday to kick off the final stop of the 2026 Swimming World Cup.
Chalmers’ World Record is 44.84, and in a video posted to World Aquatics’ social media accounts, he wouldn’t predict a winner of the event, but did say he expected his mark to fall this weekend. Egor Kornev, the other main contender in the event, was 2nd in 45.23. He posted a 44.84 in the opening meet of the series in Baku earlier this month.
McEvoy, meanwhile, has gotten faster in each stop of the series. He’s done so by increasingly leaning into a “grip it and rip it” strategy, saying pre meet that his plan was to go out as hard as he could and hold on to the back end.
| Baku | Tashkent | Astana | |
| 25m | 10.12 | 10.07 | 9.83 |
| 50m | 11.66 | 11.35 | 11.32 |
| 75m | 11.98 | 11.80 | 11.80 |
| 100m | 11.60 | 12.02 | 12.16 |
| 45.36 | 45.24 | 45.11 |
He has increasingly flirted with the idea of expanding his repertoire back to the 100 free, an event that was once his signature in long course, to contribute to Australia’s 400 free relays.
Post Race Reaction
McEvoy has opened a 50 free in 9.45 to the feet, and he wrote in the SwimSwam comments this morning that he thinks that translates to a 9.09 (give or take) to the touch.
He wrote:
The 9.45 translates to roughly a high 9.0
the 20-25m in Tashkent to the feet was 2.26s. My best 20-25m to the hand in training is 1.90s (maybe could be faster in a comp environment). So just taking this difference gives a 9.09s
In a video posted by World Aquatics, McEvoy said he did no swimming between the end of Tashkent #2 on Saturday and his first session in Astana on Wednesday, which plays with his training methodologies that use famously little swimming. He did post a training video of him working out with the equipment he could find in a hotel gym, though, with gym strength also serving as a huge part of his training routine regularly.
According to World Aquatics, McEvoy is now the 12th-fastest performer in history in the 100 free.
Gym Montage
Race Video
