Singapore 2025: European record and second gold for Grousset as Proud and Vanotterdijk make podium on penultimate day of swimming

France’s Maxime Grousset regained the men’s 100m butterfly title in a European record time of 49.62 on the penultimate day of swimming at the World Aquatics Championships 2025, completing the double after his earlier victory in the 50m butterfly.

As in the shorter distance, he was followed home by Switzerland’s Tokyo 2020 100m butterfly bronze medallist Noe Ponti, who claimed his second silver in 49.83.

Grousset, 26, who won men’s 4x100m freestyle bronze at the Paris 2024 Games, matched his victory at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka with a committed performance that saw him lead at the halfway point in 22.80 before holding onto his advantage.

The two Europeans were followed home by two Canadians, with Ilya Kharun beating Josh Liendo to bronze by just 0.02, 50.07 to 50.09.

Grousset’s time was just 0.17 shy of the world record of 49.45 set by Caeleb Dressel of the United States in winning the Tokyo 2020 title.

Afterwards Grousset told the crowd: “I don’t know what to say, but thank you. I heard you during the race, thank you all.” Asked what had changed for him his week, he added: “I found more strength and more power in the water, that’s all.”

Ponti told World Aquatics: “I feel good. I did a great race and swam fast. 49.8, pretty good. I missed gold again against Maxime, but it is what it is and that’s the sport. I’m happy for him and he went faster. Congrats to him.”

Commenting on the competitiveness of men’s butterfly, he added: “50 fly was pretty close, 100 fly was also very competitive. I’m happy to be a part of these fast races and be on the podium even if it wasn’t so easy to win a medal. I was expecting to swim sub-50s today. In LA it will take pretty much the same time, 49.9, to make the podium.”

France, and Grousset, finished the day with another medal in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay.

The newly minted gold medallist joined Yann Le Goff, Marie Wattel and Beryl Gastaldello to earn bronze in a time of 3:21.35 as the United States claimed gold in a world record of 3:18.48, with the neutral athletes B team taking silver.

Despite suffering from a virus, Ben Proud earned Britain’s second swimming medal at these Championships as he followed home the Australian who beat him to the Olympic 50m freestyle title last summer, Cameron McEvoy.

Proud, 30, who won world gold in the 50m freestyle in 2022, claimed silver after finishing just 0.12 behind McEvoy’s winning time of 21.14. Bronze, in 21.46, went to Jack Alexy of the United States, with Italy’s Leonardo Deplano missing the podium by one place in a time of 21.52.

Britain’s first medal, a gold, had arrived courtesy of the Olympic 4x200m freestyle champions the previous evening.

“I was still suffering from the viral bug that was going around,” Proud said. “All expectations just went out the window. The less-than-ideal run-up almost took the pressure off. I just aimed to get through the rounds, hoping to sneak a podium spot.”

Belgium’s 20-year-old c, who won her first world medal by finishing second in the women’s 100m butterfly, added 50m butterfly bronze today in a final where gold went Gretchen Walsh of the United States.

Vanotterdijk, who won the European 100m butterfly title last year and took gold in the 50m and 100m butterfly as well as the 50m backstroke at last month’s European Aquatics U23 Championships in Samorin, secured a second trip to the Singapore podium in a time of 25.43, finishing just 0.07 ahead of Germany’s Angelina Koehler.

Walsh won in 24.83, with silver going to Australia’s Alexandria Perkins in 25.31, equalling the Oceania record.

“I think for the 50 fly, I still have to take some steps,” Vanotterdijk said. “I have to find myself in the event again, because I was mainly focusing on the 100. I still think that’s my best event because I really love the back-end speed, that’s really what I’m good at.

“I think it’s the best week of my life. I’ve really, really enjoyed racing here, just the whole competition.”

There was another European record in the women’s 800m freestyle, where defending champion Simona Quadarella clocked 8:12.81.

But the 26-year-old Italian – whose earlier European record of 15:31.79 saw her take 1500m silver behind Katie Ledecky of the United States – just missed out on a medal.

Ledecky, the Olympic 800m and 1500m champion, matched that achievement by completing her world double over the shorter distance in a Championship record of 8:05.62, with Lani Pallister of Australia taking silver in an Oceania record of 8:05.98.

Canada’s 18-year-old triple Olympic champion Summer McIntosh, who had already won gold in the 200m butterfly, 200m medley and 400m freestyle, had to settle for bronze on this occasion after clocking 8:07.29.

Dora Molnar of Hungary and Germany’s Lise Seidel finished respectively seventh and eighth in the women’s 200m backstroke final, where Australia’s Kaylee McKeown won gold in a Championship record of 2:03.33 ahead of United States swimmers Regan Smith and Claire Curzan.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics

The post Singapore 2025: European record and second gold for Grousset as Proud and Vanotterdijk make podium on penultimate day of swimming first appeared on European Aquatics®.