The SwimSwam Podcast

18-Year-Old Campbell McKean shocked the country when he won national titles in the 50 and 100 breast in early June. McKean went on to compete in both events at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, making the semi-final in the 100 breast while falling just .12 short of a 2nd swim in the 50 breast. He also swam the prelims of the 400 medley relay, which went on to win a bronze medal.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss World Aquatics' announcement regarding qualification for the 2028 Olympics in the 50s of stroke, the new USA Swimming CEO, and Ben Proud going to the Enhanced Games.

Jon Maccoll, the head coach of the Rutgers Women's Swimming and Diving team, is taking an idea from many other sports and bringing it to the pool. Maccoll has brought in a number of male swimmers as "practice swimmers" to train with the Rutgers women's team. While they are not technically a part of the NCAA team (Rutgers does not have a men's swimming program), they will train with the team and receive team gear. The men will compete in USA Swimming competitions, but they will have the same expectations as the women's team in terms of practice attendance and effort. Maccoll says this is commonplace in sports like women's basketball and is tired of losing recruits to programs that have men and women on the team.

Today on the GMM podcast we have 50 freestyle Olympic and World Champion Cameron McEvoy. This sprint star, known as The Professor, has done more than win medals, he has revolutionised training in a way I don’t think we can turn back from. Cameron, a graduate from Griffith University with a bachelor’s in physics and mathematics, trusts the data and it has rewarded him. This isn’t just another training conversation, Cameron shares the far edge of human performance and what it takes to move water at top speed. The results are undeniable, and the ripple effects are going to change how the sport thinks about sprinting.

Ben Proud sent shockwaves through the swimming community on Wednesday morning with his announcement that he’s joining the Enhanced Games, essentially ending his competitive career on the international stage representing Great Britain. Although it’s not yet confirmed if Proud plans to be put on the Enhanced Games doping protocol, or race in the Games clean, World Aquatics has enacted a new bylaw barring anyone who participates in the Games from competing in one of their events (this could change with the $800 million lawsuit the Games filed last month). Following the bombshell news drop on Wednesday, SwimSwam’s Braden Keith and James Sutherland reacted to the news, outlining what they believed Proud is capable of doing at the Enhanced Games, what his motivation to join the Games might have been, and if this move will lead to more swimmers joining the Games.

If you’ve been following Shaine Casas since his NCAA glory days when he swept the DI championships with a triple-win, this is the world stage moment we've all been waiting for. Shaine has shown flashes of brilliance, moments that hinted at greatness, but 2025 feels different. This summer feels like a corner was turned and the promise of potential bent into the hard reality.

This summer, 16-year-old Rylee Erisman became the fastest 18-and-under in US history in the 100m free, swimming a 52.79 to earn gold at the 2025 World Junior Championships. That was just 1 of 8 medals in Romania for Erisman, who walked away with 5 gold and 3 silver and helped USA top the medal table. In this episode of the SwimSwam Podcast, Erisman discusses her experience at the US Trials in Indianapolis, World Junior Champs, her Florida state high school season, and the college recruiting process that she's in right now.

In what was a surprise to many, Summer McIntosh, the best female swimmer in the world currently, decided to spend the majority of her 2025 season in Antibes, France. After training with storied coach Fred Vergnoux at a 3-week altitude camp, McIntosh decided to spend the rest of her preparation for Singapore in the south of France with Fred as well. This resulted in the Canadian super star winning 4 gold medals and 1 bronze in Singapore. Vergnoux, known for guiding Mireia Belmonte to Spain's first-ever Olympic gold medal in swimming at the 2016 Rio Games, discusses at length what the first half of 2025 looked like for his teenage pupil. He also shed light on what makes Summer as great as she is and why she's been able to enjoy all of the international success she has had in her relatively short career so far.

Olympic medalist Katharine Berkoff kept her momentum rolling from Paris, capturing 2 golds and a bronze in Singapore at the 2025 World Championships. This included gold in the 50 back, her first individual world title. Berkoff discusses competing through illness, NC State's crazy deep backstroke core, and winning individual medals at each of the last 4 major summer international competitions.

SwimSwam sat down with Braden Holloway, the head coach of the NC State Wolfpack and head coach of Team USA at the World Championships in Singapore this summer. Holloway unpacks in detail the highs and lows from this team trip, from the excitement of training camp firing on all cylinders to managing the sudden contraction of a team-wide virus. From traveling to Singapore, to making relay decisions on the fly and trying to keep morale high, Holloway gives an honest and open recollection of a World Championships that, despite adversity, still saw the USA top the medal table.

Today on the GMM Podcast, we sat down with Regan Smith, and this conversation only confirmed what I’ve been thinking for a while: Regan needs her own podcast. She doesn’t just swim. She explains. She unpacks. She brings you inside her head in a way few athletes ever do. Regan’s evolution has been painfully hard fought, and she’s grown into a pro that articulates the details that hit and transcend for anyone who understands our sport. Regan is no longer the young upstart. She’s a veteran with world records, medals, and battles etched into her career. She has deep knowledge of the sport, not just in the pool but on the dry side too: the Olympic industry, the nuances of governance, and the relentless pressure that comes with being America’s best backstroker in an era with Aussie star Kaylee McKeown. In this episode, she breaks down the fight for gold against Kaylee, what it feels like to come up just shy, to manage the emotions, and then turn that fire into a weapon for Team USA relays. And if you’ve watched Regan in a medley relay, you know the story: she always delivers. Time and again, she lines up against Kaylee on the leadoff and beats her, setting the tone for the Americans to close it out. That’s what makes this conversation special. Regan isn’t hiding the grind or the heartbreak (or the behind the scenes events that can easily distract most elites). She’s giving us beat-by-beat insight into how she processes it, how she stays sharp, and how she transforms setbacks into fuel for the next swim.

Today on this GMM Podcast, we sit down with Kate Douglass — Olympic champion, world champion, and one of the most versatile swimmers in the world. From her Tokyo 2020 bronze medal in the 200 IM to standing atop the podium in Paris with Olympic gold in the 200 breaststroke, Kate’s star just keeps rising. Will Kate compete through LA2028? We talked about it at length, and she’s leaving the door open, but she's not confirming it. For her, swimming has to fit into a lifestyle that makes sense. Listen to Kate’s response in the podcast and tell me what you think in the comments.

Leah Shackley and Kennedy Noble, teammates at NC State University, took Berlin by storm this summer. At the 2025 World University Games, they swept the backstroke events, finishing 1-2 in the 50, 100, and 200 distances, setting Games Records in all 3 in the process. They also comprised half of the winning 400 medley relay, and Shackley won gold in the 100 fly and as a part of the mixed 400 medley relay as well. The Wolfpack teammates break down their experience in Germany, what it was like being a part of Team USA, and what they're looking forward to this upcoming season in the NCAA.

Lani Pallister is coming off a massive world championships that saw her win a hat trick of medals (gold, silver, bronze) and nearly upset Katie Ledecky in what turned out to be the best race of the entire season. After the departure of Michael Bohl from Gold Coast, Pallister moved training bases with Dean Boxall, but only started at St. Peters Western in April. Something has certainly clicked for Pallister in Brisbane, however, as the distance specialist has been hitting best times left and right all season. She breaks down her season, her experience in Singapore, and ultimately the decision to go to Brisbane with Boxall (and not the University of Florida).

Today on the GMM Podcast, we dive into the legacy, battles, and future of one of swimming’s greatest competitors: Kyle Chalmers. Kyle burst onto the world stage as a teenager in Rio, snatching gold in the 100 freestyle. Since then, he’s stacked up eight Olympic medals across Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024. Talking to Kyle is easy and fun. This Aussie makes friends quickly, and he cherishes his relationships with the world’s best sprinters. My title for this post might sound like I’m swinging for the fences, but I believe it’s accurate: we are witnessing a once-in-a-generation 100 freestyle field as we ramp up to the LA 2028 Olympics. And Kyle’s bond with each competitor is intimate, respectful, and fiercely competitive the moment they hit the water.

Today on the GMM podcast we sit down with SwimSwam’s Chief Photographer, Jack Spitser, fresh off capturing unforgettable moments at the 2025 World Championships. Before we dive into Worlds, I wanted Jack to share his story, the journey that led him to becoming SwimSwam’s eyes at the biggest meets in the sport. When he joined us seven years ago, Jack said his goal was simple: he wanted to shoot the Olympic Games. In this conversation, Jack pulls back the curtain. He talks about how he pieced together his gear (no small feat when photography equipment costs more than most used cars), and how he taught himself a craft that blends technical mastery with raw endurance. Capturing images can sometimes be ugly, a grind, pure brute force. But every so often, the work nets gold: that one image that transcends words and burns itself into the memory of millions of fans. Those are the photos that outlive the moment and become history. I’m proud of Jack, not just for the images he delivers, but for the grit, artistry, and persistence behind them. And I’m grateful for the relationship we’ve built at SwimSwam.

Aussie sprinter Jamie Jack made noise at the 2025 US Summer Championships in Irvine last week. On day 1, he took victory in the 50 free over US Olympians Hunter Armstrong, Caeleb Dressel, and Brooks Curry, posting matching 21.63s in prelims and the final. But Jack still thought there was more in the tank. Taking a day of rest on Day 2, he time trialed the 50 free on Day 3, swimming a 21.43 to make him the 5th fastest Australian man in history and tie for 4th in the world this season. After returning home, Jack sat down with SwimSwam to discuss his season between Australian Trials, where he was 21.8, and US Champs. The SPW product said he discussed a plan with coach Dean Boxall that focused just on the 50 free (only for the rest of the season). That also included training with Cam McEvoy and his coach, Tim Lane, in the lead-up to Irvine.

Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi has been on a steady trajectory over the last year. He's gone from finaling in the 800/1500 in Paris to winning two medals (gold in the 1500, bronze in the 800) at the 2024 SC World Champs to now becoming a double world champ in Singapore. Jaouadi sat down with SwimSwam to discuss his ascent to the distance throne, when he learned how to put in hard work, and why he chose to come to Gainesville this fall to compete for the University of Florida.

South Africa's Pieter Coetze had a heck of a two weeks to round out the summer, competing at the 2025 World University Games in Berlin before heading to Singapore to race in the 2025 World Championships. In Singapore, Coetze became a world champion in the 100 back, touching for gold in 51.85, one of the fastest performances in history. He also earned silver medals in the 50 and 200 back, breaking African records in both.

GMM by @SwimOutletcom Let’s be blunt: if you own a swim club in the U.S. right now, this episode should punch you in the gut — and wake you up. Because today on the GMM Podcast, I sit down with Tom Ugast, CEO of Nation’s Capital Swim Club, a team that’s been at the top of USA Swimming’s rankings more years than it hasn’t. But Tom didn’t inherit a machine. He rebuilt one — from the turmoil of the Curl-Burke collapse — and turned it into one of the nation’s top-producing clubs with a long list of Olympic swimmers including the greatest female swimmer in history: Katie Ledecky. This conversation is part of a series I’m doing with club leaders who’ve built empires, not just teams. I’ve already talked with Mike Koleber of Nitro and Chris Davis of SwimAtlanta. Tom rounds out that trio — and he brings something different to the table. Tom didn’t come up through the traditional coaching ladder. He came out of the private sector, running a 200-person publishing business, moving millions of units for brands like Time and The Economist. When the 2008 crash hit, he pivoted — and brought every ounce of that business discipline back to the pool deck. The result? One of the most important club turnarounds in U.S. swimming history.