SwimSwam Braden Holloway Named Sole U.S. Head Coach At Worlds, Yu Zidi Posts Stunning Times At Chinese Nats

Holloway To Lead U.S. Team In Singapore: NC State head coach Braden Holloway has been tabbed to lead the United States at the 2025 World Championships, taking on the role as solo head coach as USA Swimming takes a different approach in designing its coaching staff this year.

Also: 12-year-old sensation Yu Zidi posts some mind-boggling times at Chinese Nationals, Ryan Murphy announces he won't compete this summer, Wisconsin hires Jack Brown as its new head coach, and the Enhanced Games make headlines with a swim under the world record in the men's 50 free.

Braden Holloway Named U.S. Head Coach For 2025 World Championships

Longtime NC State head coach Braden Holloway has been announced as the head coach for the U.S. squad at the 2025 World Championships, marking the first time he'll serve in the head coaching role at a long course World Championships.

Holloway, who has been the head coach at NC State for the past 14 seasons, will be the sole head coach for the American team in Singapore, a deviation from past editions for USA Swimming, as they've traditionally had separate men's and women's head coaches.

An assistant on the U.S. staff at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Holloway has previously served as the head coach for the United States at the 2022 Short Course World Championships and the 2019 World University Games.

“A seasoned leader with prior experience on Olympic and World Championship staffs, Holloway offers a proven track record in athlete development and a strong commitment to Team USA’s continued international success,” USA Swimming said in a press release.

USA Swimming National Team Director Greg Meehan said in a letter to National Team members that selecting Holloway as the only head coach for this year's team would allow them to "move forward with greater cohesion and flexibility, supporting both our athletes and coaches in more strategic ways."

He noted that the total number of coaches on the staff will go unchanged, with the rest of the coaches to be selected after the 2025 U.S. National Championships, scheduled for June 3-7 in Indianapolis.

Read more here.

12-Year-Old Yu Zidi Punches Ticket To World Championships At Chinese Nationals

Chinese sensation Yu Zidi delivered some otherworldly swims last week at the Chinese National Championships, qualifying for the World Championships in three events at the age of 12.

Yu first qualified for the Chinese team in the women's 200 IM, clocking 2:10.63 for a massive personal best and a runner-up finish behind Yu Yiting (2:08.67). Yu Yiting moves to 3rd in the world this season, while Yu Zidi ranks 15th with that swim, which, for context, was well under the 11-12 U.S. National Age Group Record for girls (2:18.69) and boys (2:13.52).

Yu followed up with an eye-popping swim in the final of the women's 200 fly, touching in 2:06.83 after her semi-final swim (2:08.52) sent shockwaves around the swimming community.

Yu now ranks 5th in the world in the 200 fly, with her swim not only faster than the U.S. NAG record for 11-12 boys (2:11.07), but also under the mark for 13-14 girls (2:07.01) set by Mary T. Meagher in 1979.

Yu closed things out in the 400 IM, throwing down a time of 4:35.53 to rank her 5th in the world this season and earn her spot at the World Championships in a third individual event. The swim puts Yu under the U.S. boys' 11-12 NAG (4:42.54), the girls' 13-14 NAG (4:39.76), and is nearly 15 seconds faster than current world record holder Summer McIntosh's Canadian 11-12 NAG (4:50.21).

See the full Chinese roster for the 2025 World Championships here.

Wisconsin Announces Jack Brown As New Head Swim & Dive Coach

The University of Wisconsin has hired Jack Brown as its new head swim & dive coach, taking over for Yuri Suguiyama, who left last month to join USA Swimming as the National Team Senior Director and Coach.

Brown joins the Badgers after spending the past six seasons at UNC, where he served as the associate head coach under head coach Mark Gangloff.

Prior to his time at UNC, Brown spent seven seasons at Missouri, serving as a volunteer and graduate assistant for four seasons before being promoted to assistant coach.

"I am honored to accept the position as head coach of swimming and diving at the University of Wisconsin," Brown said.

"The Badgers have a long history of success, and I look forward to building on the efforts of the previous staff and helping Wisconsin reach new heights. This place has it all: incredible facilities, comprehensive support services, a highly successful athletic department, at a world-class university in one of the best cities in the country. Wisconsin is committed to developing champions in and out of the water, and I know I can help our athletes grow and succeed.  I want to thank Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh, Senior Woman Administrator Marija Pientka and members of the search committee for this opportunity."

"Finally, I want to thank Coach Gangloff and everyone at UNC for the opportunity to develop and help build the Tar Heel program. Now it's time for my family to begin our next chapter, head to Wisconsin, wear red, and cheer on the Badgers. On, Wisconsin!"

In the 2024-2025 season, the Wisconsin men finished 6th at the Big Ten Championships and 22nd at NCAAs, while the women’s team placed 4th at Big Tens and 12th at NCAAs.

Read more here.

Olympic, World Champion Ryan Murphy Won't Compete For Team USA In 2025

Five-time Olympic gold medalist and seven-time LC world champion Ryan Murphy has announced he will not compete this summer, leaving a glaring hole for the U.S. men in backstroke at the World Championships.

Murphy, 29, has been a staple for the Americans in the backstroke events on the major international stage for the past decade, including winning the world title in the men's 100 back in 2023 and picking up three medals last summer at the Olympics in Paris, including an individual bronze in the 100 back.

Murphy will take some time away from the sport to spend time with his wife, Bridget, and their new baby, Eevi, while turning his focus to a new business career.

Murphy has joined the Growth Equity team at Norwest Venture Partners, a Menlo Park, California-based venture capital firm with “over $15.5 billion” in capital, according to their website.

Murphy called this a “break from competition,” but added that he still has “unfinished goals in the sport and will keep the door open for what’s next.”

In addition to Murphy, U.S. National Team member and former Georgia Bulldog Jake Magahey won't race this summer, announcing he's taking a break from competitive swimming for the foreseeable future.

Enhanced Games Launches As Kristian Gkolomeev Goes Under 50 Free World Record

The Enhanced Games made a series of major announcements last Wednesday, headlined by former Greek Olympian Kristian Gkolomeev going faster than the existing world record in the men's 50 free.

Gkolomeev, who hadn't been announced as someone who was joining the Enhanced Games previously, produced a time of 20.89 in the 50 free in a race video released online Wednesday, under the official world record of 20.91 set by Cesar Cielo in 2009.

Gkolomeev posted that time in a super-suit, which were banned in 2010, and said during the Enhanced Games launch in Las Vegas that he delivered that swim just a few weeks into taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Another race video showed the 31-year-old clock 21.03 in a textile suit, which he said came two months into taking PEDs, having gained 10 pounds of muscle during that time. That swim is under the fastest-ever done in a textile suit, which stands at 21.04 from Caeleb Dressel.

Australian coach Brett Hawke, who announced himself as the head swim coach for the Enhanced Games last week, posted a picture of Gkolomeev holding a $1 million check on Instagram, which he was awarded for going under the world record. According to the check, the swim was produced in February.

In addition to Gkolomeev, Australian Olympic medalist James Magnussen had previously committed to the Enhanced Games, while since Wednesday's launch, Ukrainian world record holder Andrii Govorov and Bulgarian Olympian Josif Miladinov have joined the Games.

During a live press conference, Las Vegas was announced as the host of the inaugural Enhanced Games, scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25, 2026, at Resorts World Las Vegas.

Both the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and USA Swimming have issued statements/warned athletes of the dangers and consequences of joining the Enhanced Games.

QUICK HITS

• Brazilian swimmer and NCAA Division II champion Rafaela Raurich has been suspended for four years after testing positive for six banned substances at the 2024 Brazilian Olympic Trials.
• Russian Olympian Valeriya Salamatina has been suspended for two years after testing positive for the banned diuretic Furosemide.
• A federal judge blocked the Trump Administration from withdrawing Harvard's access to international student visas on Friday, which came after Trump stripped the school of its ability to enroll foreign students by decertifying its eligibility for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. If this were to go through, several members of the Harvard swim & dive team would be impacted.
• Michael Andrew ripped a time of 8.56 in the 25-yard free at Arizona State, breaking the school's touchpad record.
• Leah Shackley cracked the 59-second barrier in the 100 back for the first time at the Martha McKee Charlotte Open in mid-May, clocking 58.53 to become the eighth-fastest American woman in history.
• LSU has parted ways with associate head swim coach Leah Stancil after three seasons.
• Concordia University Irvine has announced the elimination of four athletics programs, including its NCAA Division II men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams.
• Aussie superstar Kaylee McKeown announced she won't compete in individual medley events internationally moving forward, having won bronze in the women's 200 IM at the Paris Olympics last summer.
• Nyls Korstanje reset his Dutch Record in the men's 50 fly at the AP Race International meet, clocking 22.72 to rank #10 all-time in the event.
• Former UCLA assistant Karissa Kruszewski has joined the University of Kentucky as an associate coach of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving program.
• The Waterloo Swimming quartet of Ben Jaggers, Joshua Carmichael, Harrison Tater and Julian Rusk combined to clock 1:44.53 in the 200 medley relay, breaking the NAG record for 15-16 boys.
• Jack Alexy dropped a time of 21.94 in the men's 50 free and Ilya Kharun hit 50.66/1:55.42 in the men's 100/200 fly to highlight the Speedo Grand Challenge over the weekend. Full recaps here: Day 1 Recap | Day 2 Recap | Day 3 Recap

NC State’s Braden Holloway Chosen as Solo U.S. Head Swim Coach for 2025 World Championships

Another One: 12-Yr-Old Yu Zidi Fires Off 4:35.53 400 IM To Close Chinese Nationals

Kristian Gkolomeev Goes Under 50 Free World Record In 20.89 At Enhanced Games Showcase

Olympic Champion Ryan Murphy Won’t Compete This Summer, Focuses on Career in Investing

Wisconsin Swimming and Diving Hires UNC’s Dr. Jack Brown as New Head Coach

NCAA D2 Champion Rafaela Raurich Given Four-Year Ban After Testing Positive For Six Substances