World Aquatics Championships 2025: Stomach bug appears to wreak havoc with Team USA; Katie Ledecky finishes third in 400 freestyle
SwimSwam reported that a significant chunk of Team USA had come down with food poisoning at its pre-world championship training camp in Thailand. The team declined comment, but one coach with an athlete on the team described the amount of swimmers affected as "almost half" the roster.
It was later reported by both SwimSwam and Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde that 10 swimmers were deemed too sick to travel with the rest of the team. The issue is also apparently hitting Great Britain's team, which used the same Thanyapura Phuket resort to prepare for worlds.
That was a grim omen, and it has so far not played out well for some Americans.
In the first day of action in Singapore, three-time Olympic gold medalist Torri Huske and rising star Claire Weinstein both pulled out of events. USA Swimming announced Huske was pulling out of the 100-meter butterfly, the event she won in Paris, to focus on the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. NBC then reported Sunday morning that Gretchen Walsh will not swim in the 400 free relay final.
No reason was given for the 18-year-old Weinstein pulling out of the 400-meter freestyle, where she was expected to be competitive. As Forde noted, the American men also struggled in the heats for the 400-meter freestyle. All of them missed out on the final after failing to finish in the top 8.
Katie Ledecky was able to compete, renewing her rivalry with Canada's Summer McIntosh in the 400 freestyle. McIntosh comfortably won the final with Ledecky finishing third. Neither Ledecky nor McIntosh swam near their best times from earlier in the year.
The swimming portion of the World Aquatics Championships are scheduled to take place until next Sunday.
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