American Men Showing Elite Relay Potential With 100 Free Early Season Times
Season-best times indicated that the United States had an enormous advantage in the men’s 400 freestyle relay entering the 2025 World Championships. Jack Alexy was the newest member of the 46 club for the 100 free, and it took a time of 47.58 to finish fourth in the event at U.S. Nationals. Of course, that’s not what played out in global waters as Kyle Chalmers used a stunning finish to propel Australia to gold while the Americans ended up with bronze behind Italy.
So was the show of U.S. success in the 100 free a total mirage? Hardly. Most swimmers on the team had been battling the effects of a severe gastrointestinal illness, preventing them from achieving their top results. Alexy’s leadoff was 47.24, four tenths slower than he would manage in the individual event days later, while Jonny Kulow struggled on the anchor leg in his first major relay final.
Moreover, the results since Worlds indicate that the American men have an assemblage of talent in the 100 free that stacks up well ahead of any other country in the world. The team’s composite time last year suggested that the team could threaten the world record of 3:08.24, which has survived since the Beijing Olympics, and early season markers from 2026 tell the same story.
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
So far this year, seven men have broken 48 in the 100 free, and four are Americans. Chris Guiliano leads the way after he posted three strong efforts at the Westmont Pro Series last month. His fastest time came in prelims at 47.38. Next is Brooks Curry, a two-time Olympian who went 47.51 over the weekend at the Swim Open in Stockholm. Alexy clocked 47.70 at the China Open while Patrick Sammon swam a time of 47.90 last month in Lausanne.
Alexy, a World Championships silver medalist in the 100 free in 2023 and 2025, has established himself clearly among the world’s best in the event. The other three on that list are continuing to build momentum. Guiliano has been part of American relays the past three years, and he was a 100 free finalist in Paris. Sammon broke out in 2025, going 47.47 for second place at Nationals before reaching the Worlds final. It was a somewhat down year for Curry, who did not qualify for Worlds, but he has been an American contributor in the 100 free going back to the Tokyo Games. He has also made an individual Worlds final in his career, in 2022.
Curry will not be part of this summer’s Pan Pacs team, which was selected based on results from major meets last summer. A roster cap of 26 means that only four sprinters were selected to compete in the 400 free relay, with Destin Lasco joining Alexy, Sammon and Guiliano. Shaine Casas and Henry McFadden, both of whom went sub-48 last year, are also options after qualifying for the team in other events.
Perhaps we’ll get a chance to see what this group can do when it faces off with Australia at Pan Pacs. Despite Australia’s world title, a healthy American group would be the big favorite. And if Curry fires off another best time over the summer, perhaps at U.S. Nationals weeks before Pan Pacs, then the Americans could have another card to play at the next global showcase in 2027 in Budapest.