World University Games: U.S. Adds 7 Golds, Relay Sweep to Cap Competition
The United States’ team at the 2025 World University Games has delivered on its promise. Twenty gold medals and 37 total through six days at the Europe SportPark Aquatics Centre in Berlin was an impressive return.
And while the U.S. delegation fell short of a potential final-day sweep, they added seven gold medals for a total of 27 that is just shy of 65 percent of those on offer. After a stellar final set of prelims, the U.S. had a chance to run the table on the final day, but final-50 rallies by Portugal’s Francisca Martins in the women’s 400 freestyle and Japan’s Takumi Mori in the men’s 400 IM denied that.
Details from the final day of competition, and the final medal table from the 2025 World University Games.
Men’s 200 backstroke
First one down, with the only real question which American would get to the top of the podium. Daniel Diehl was looking for a gold to end the meet after two backstroke bronzes, while David King entered as the top seed.
Diehl got the job done, though with only .09 seconds to spare over his fellow American. Diehl went 1:55.91, leading at each wall but holding off the field coming home. King, who adds individual silver to three relay gold medals, was second in 1:56.00.
Diehl was first at each wall. His 30.14 on the final 50 was only the fifth-fastest in the race. King came back in 29.89, nearly getting him at the touch.
The fastest final 50 belonged to France’s Mathys Chouchaoui, who came home in 29.48 to vault from fifth to bronze in 1:58.08. Aleksei Tkachev of the Independent Neutral Athletes was fourth, with Australia’s Stuart Swinburn fifth. Diehl was the only medalist from the two shorter backstroke events to make this final in a sprint-heavy backstroke delegation.
Women’s 100 breaststroke
Emma Weber finished the 50-100 double, her time of 1:07.09 taking home gold for the U.S. The Paris Olympian was second at the turn, but she came back in 35.63, the fastest in the field.
She was .48 seconds ahead of Poland’s Barbara Mazurkiewicz, who went from fifth to the silver medal in the final 50 in 1:07.57. She was the bronze medalist in the 50. Shona Branton grabbed just the second medal of the meet for Canada in bronze in 1:07.75.
For Weber, it’s slightly slower than the 1:06.55 she tuned in at U.S. Trials in June.
Fourth was Aliz Kalmar of Hungary in 1:08.10. The leader at 50 meters, South Africa’s Lara Van Niekerk, faded to sixth in 1:08.30. She had won silver in the 50. Yuyumi Obatake of Japan, who won silver in the 200, finished eighth.
Men’s 50 freestyle
Make it three for the U.S, and make it four golds for Matt King at this meet. King blasted the field with a stellar time of 21.84 seconds. He completed the 50/100 double to go with two relay golds (and counting).
King bested Italy’s Giovanni Guatti, who went 22.01 in a massive best time out of Lane 7. Jokubas Keblys of Lithuania grabbed bronze in 22.02, the country’s first medal at these games. Ukraine’s Illia Linnyk was fourth in 22.10. The other American, Daniel Baltes, finished in a tie for fifth with the other Italian, Andrea Candela, in 22.17.
Women’s 200 butterfly
When Tess Howley went 2:05.20 in Tuesday’s semifinals, the only question was by how much she would win this event. The answer is just over two seconds.
Howley didn’t quit match her semis speed, but she was head and shoulders above the field, going 2:05.69 to win gold by 2.10 seconds over teammate Lindsay Looney. Howley was ahead at every wall to make quick work of the field in a breakout meet for her in this event of international weakness.
Looney was second in 2:07.79. She and Italy’s Paola Borrelli dueled the entire way, but Looney had enough to hold her off by .21 seconds, Borelli getting bronze in 2:08.00. Yu Liyan of China was fourth in 2:08.73.
Women’s 50 freestyle
The 50 free turned into an All-American battle, with Maxine Parker pulling a slight upset on top seed Julia Dennis by .04 seconds. Parker went 24.54 to get to the wall first. Parker gave a scare to her best time, which was 24.41 at U.S. Trials in June. She was also .01 quicker than Dennis’ time from semifinals that made her the top seed.
Dennis was second in 24.58. The 24.55 in semis was a best time.
The gold is the fifth of the World University Games for Parker, who got bronze in the 100 free. Dennis has two relay golds.
South Africa’s Olivia Nel finished third in 24.82. She was .02 ahead of Viola Scotto Di Carlo of Italy for bronze. Agata Ambler finished fifth for Italy.
Women’s 400 freestyle
Francisca Martins says not so fast on the U.S. bid to sweep golds.
The Portuguese swimmer, who won silver in the 800 free, spoiled the party by rallying past Cavan Gormsen for gold in the 400 free. Soares Martins went 4:07.50, edging Gormsen by .14 seconds. She came home in 30.06 seconds, seven tenths quicker over the final 50 meters than Gormsen to grab the win.
Gormsen, who won the 200 free, got silver in 4:07.64. American teammate Michaela Mattes held off the field in the bid for bronze, going 4:09.88 to get on the podium. Julie Brousseau of Canada was fourth in 4:10.14, with Japan’s Kanon Nagao fifth in 4:10.36.
Men’s 400 individual medley
It’s more final-50 heartbreak for an American, with Baylor Nelson sliding from first to third on the final 50 of the men’s 400 IM, leaving a race of Japanese swimmers for gold.
The win went to Takumi Mori in 4:12.54. He was fourth at 250 meters and third at the 300. He came back in 28.48, .11 seconds quicker than teammate Riku Yamaguchi, who got silver in 4:12.66. That sent Nelson, who was first at 350 meters, to third in 4:12.69.
Mason Laur, the American who was the top seed entering the final, finished fourth in 4:14.47.
Women’s 400 medley relay
The U.S. capped the meet with another relay gold medal, though it took a while to get there.
The quartet of Kennedy Noble, Emma Weber, Leah Shackley and Maxine Parker went 3:59.68. Ultimately, they were 1.65 seconds ahead of Poland.
But … Noble was third on the opening leg, a half-second slower than Poland’s Adela Piskorska. Weber fell further behind, Barbara Mazurkiewicz outsplitting her, putting Poland 1.13 seconds up at the midpoint. But Shackley clubbed nearly a second out of that lead with a split of 57.58 (second in the race to Italy’s Viola Scotto Di Carlo), but Parker delivered the only sub-54 split on the end to beat Poland’s anchor by nearly two seconds in 53.58.
The medals make it four (two gold, two silver) for Noble, three golds for Weber, five gold and a bronze for Parker and five gold and silver for Shackley.
Poland was second, with Italy third. They were more than four seconds clear of the field.
Men’s 400 medley relay
The U.S. completed the relay sweep at the World University Games, going 8-for-8 across the board, thanks to a great anchor leg by Matt King.
Will Modglin, Ben Delmar, Kamal Muhammad and King went 3:33.59, with a second of the meet record. They bested Italy by 1.11 seconds. The Americans had a bobble on fly, with Gianmarco Sansone of Italy 1.2 seconds ahead of Muhammad. But King split 47.47, nearly 1.5 seconds ahead of Italy.
The medal is the second gold and third total for Modglin and fourth overall and third goal for Delmar.
Italy got silver with Pietro Ubertalli, Alessandro Fusco, Sansone and Lorenzo Actis Dato in 3:34.70. Japan was third in 3:34.97.
