The Vortex, May 2025: McEvoy Sets Sights Cielo's 20.9 WR & Sees "No Reason" To Rule Out Brisbane 2032 At 39
The Vortex, our monthly compilation of news, views & links to external coverage of the sport, is available as part of our offer of free content emailed to those who register as 'free' subscribers. Our weekly FORUM newsletter and a deeper dive in our coverage are available for paid subscribers
Cameron McEvoy is gunning for retired Brazilian Cesar Cielo's 20.91 shiny suit 50m freestyle record from 2009 at World Championships in Singapore this August.
The first textile sub-21 would be an astonishing feat: Cielo's record has stood almost 16 years because he was wearing a non-textile bodysuit of the kind banned since January 1, 2010.
McEvoy claimed Olympic gold by 0.05sec over Britain's Ben Proud, with France's 2012 champion Floren Manandou third, at Paris 2024 eight years after he entered the 100m final in Rio as a title favourite but emerged empty handed, which made it easier to hold the arm of his 18-year-old teammate Kyle Chalmers aloft as champion in an act of grace that spoke volumes about an olde man heading for a break from the sport.
And then a comeback that ended in his joining the Thirty-something club of champions:
Craig Lord
McEvoy revelled that he'd been following a path less travelled when it comes to preparing to swim faster than the rest, although all three podium placers in Paris had taken a "less is more" approach in one way or another:
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
In an interview with Tonya Turner for the Saturday Courier Mail and The Chronicle in Australia, McEvoy says:
“I’d love to be the first person to go under 21 seconds without one of the super-suits that got banned in 2009. That’s my biggest goal right now."
McEvoy grew up in the sport in traditional mode, with 4.30am starts and at least 40km a week of training in water (a fair bit more in his youth, when races of 400m and upwards were part of the foundation work that still stands him in good stead to this day. It's a part of the reason why he was able to break some of Ian Thorpe’s under-16 records (though not in the 400m free, of course, Thorpe already a World record holder at 15).
Water under the bridge in a life twice as long now, a new book, not just chapter, in the process of being written. McEvoy changed tack after a period in which he had taken a year out of the sport before making a comeback for Tokyo2020one, where he missed the cut for finals in the 50 and 100m.
Quit or rethink, reset? The physics and maths graduate from Griffith University, known as The Professor as a result, opted for the latter. McEvoy explains his sprint-approach epiphany to Turner after concluding that "the traditional training I was doing was absurd and there had to be a more efficient way."
He explains:
“Going through a physics and mathematics degree, it teaches you how to solve problems and develop a toolbox of things to use with respect to a given problem. I had the problem of ‘I want to get from A to B, that’s 50 metres, as fast as I can in the water. How do I do that?’ I basically used that skillset to go about figuring out how to learn from other fields and other sources, and then apply that to what I needed to do in myself."
It means he's down to 2km in the pool, much of it as close to race pace as possible, and spends a lot more time in he gym - up to eight hours a week of high intensity strength and mobility work.
McEvoy repeats the story of how his ideas got the cold-shoulder from several swim coaches engaged in more traditional approaches, and how that led him to Tim Lane, in what Turner describes as "a Casablanca moment – the beginning of a beautiful friendship and a bright new chapter".
Lane signed up with McEvoy and vice versa. The swimmer now says: “He is my main mentor, not only with training and with general sport advice, but life advice as well. He’s one of my best mates now, which is a privilege, because I never would have come across him if I didn’t take the risk to do this type of training."
McEvoy believes that "science in sport is really primitive, there’s a lot of progress to be made". He notes progress ahead in genetics testing that can help point an athlete in the direction of specific ways of training best-suited for that individual.
It touches on the approach of Aron D'Souza, head of the Enhanced Games, who points to a survey without noting he sample but confirming that he's talking track and field, in which "44%" of those blind-surveyed indicated that they had taken banned substances to enhance their Olympic sports careers.
Such statistics are used by D'Souza because he wants o show why it's ok in his project for the participants to take anything they want to show "what humans are capable of", or rather, in my view, 'what they are capable of if they are no longer natural humans':
My commentary on that:
Craig Lord
And - Times Radio with Henry Bonsu, with D'Souza and Me (at 1hr 36.10 in):
We will hear on May 21 whether McEvoy's old sparring partner and Dolphin teammate James Magnussen has signed up for enhancement (and no, he cannot break the same World swimming records McEvoy is gunning for because he would not be following the same Code and rules).
McEvoy fully intends to stay in the anti-doping for a while yet. He's asked about a home Games in Brisbane 2032:
“It’s on the radar. A lot can happen between now and then, but if I’m motivated enough and I’m in good health I see no reason why I won’t give it a crack."
He won't quite be 40, and while swimming in the fast lane may still be important to him, he notes his priorities: family first, love of swimming second. Perspective is all.
He and his wife Madeline are expecting their first child together and Turner's interview is well worth the read when it comes to McEvoy talking about the challenges his wife has faced during her pregnancy. He says his swimming achievements "pale in comparison to what Madi has done".
Mary-Sophie Harvey & Marrit Steenbergen At The Double
Canadian ace Mary-Sophie Harvey and Dutch sprint force Marrit Steenbergen grabbed a brace of gold medals each on the opening days of the Giant Open at the Olympic Aquatics Centre Métropole du Grand Paris, venue for the 2026 European Championships.
Harvey, on the back of a stellar 2024 season, posted a 4:35.73 in the 400IM for a career high 0.75 inside the 4:36.48 she has been waiting to crack since the Sette Colli meet in 2017. No getting close to the stunning early 2025 4:26.98 effort of Olympic champion and Canadian teammate Summer McIntosh but Harvey entered the season's global top 5 with her new high bar and is now fourth all-time from her country adrift McIntosh (4:24.38 WR), Emily Overholt (4:32.52), and Sydney Pickrem (4:32.88).
Harvey was back in later for 1:56.76 big-margin victory in the 200m free.
Steenbergen's races were much closer calls. She took the 50m free in 24.68, 0.06 ahead of France's Beryl Gastaldello, and then, in a rare appearance in the 100m breaststroke, topped her second final in a personal best of 1:08.86.
Britain's Ben Proud, part of that 50 free Paris 2024 podium in the story above, stopped the clock in 23.51 to win the 50 'fly in a final that went without local favourite Maxime Grousset, who got a DQ in semis. Redemption for Grousset saw him dominate the 100m free final, in 48.25.
The men's 50 back delivered a snap: France's Yohann Ndoye Brouard and American Michael Andrew on 25.18, with Austrian Bernhard Reitshammer close, on 25.26 for third.
Olympic 1500m silver medallist for France at Paris 2024, Anastasia Kirpichnikova topped the 800m free, while France's David Aubry took the 400m free in 3:51.14, Greek visitor Apostolos Siskos won the 200 'fly in 1:57.40, Antoine Marc the 200m breaststroke in 2:10.84, and Bertille Cousson the 200 backstroke in 2:10.89.
Scotland's Never Too Late campaign sees 152% increase in adult swimming programmes
Scottish Swimming has seen a 152% increase in adult swimming programmes as reported by National Learn to Swim Framework lesson providers across the country.
The federation issued the following on its heartening project:
On the back of the launch of #NeverTooLate last year – a campaign to get more adults learning to swim and taking up aquatic sports, lesson providers delivering the National Framework – a partnership between Scottish Swimming and Scottish Water, have reported a substantial increase in adult involvement from 729 adults in 2024 to 1840 in 2025.
John Nicolson aged 74 who swims every week at the University of Stirling, one of the Framework providers, is a real advocate of learning to swim.
"I nearly drowned when I was three years old in a pond and it put me off swimming for many years – my school experience was not great either. I came back to swimming later in life and now gain huge amounts from swimming every week. Once I came to the first class I found it really challenging. The whole coaching process was excellent and I began to realise I was doing things and it just clicked. It was an improving journey all the time and I’ve still got a lot to do, but the journey has been fantastic.”
Swimming enables me to be fitter, it enables me to have a sort of platform and that is my way of keeping fit, keeping healthy and being able to do all the things I couldn’t do when I was arthritic. I think if anyone’s got doubts about learning to swim because of age or capability or health, I think they’ve got to try it. They will find learning to swim will enable them to do other things as well that you want to do in life like getting about, and that I think is essential.”
Staggeringly 1 in 3 adults in the UK cannot swim the length of a pool yet 63% of Scots say it is important to them to have access to a swimming pool, the sea or a loch on holiday. Learning to swim is an essential life skill and never more so than in the summer months.
John Lunn, CEO of Scottish Swimming commented:
“The recent good weather makes water all the more appealing for a swim or paddle and this is when people need to be fully aware of the dangers. Our drowning statistics in Scotland are more than double those of the UK and our unique geography with 11800 km of coastline and 30,000 inland waters means that danger is never far away.
My hope is that the #NeverTooLate campaign continues to have an impact and persuades even more adults to learn this vital life skill. Swimming is a fantastic activity, when done safely, for family enjoyment, individual fitness and all round health. It’s great to see John and others like him gaining so much enjoyment from swimming as well as the important health benefits.”
According to the Scottish Household Survey in 2023, 13% of adults swim regularly – the highest participation sport after going to the gym and weight training. For women participation rates are even higher. 14% of women swim regularly – the same percentage who do keep fit and aerobics, and for adults with disabilities swimming is the highest participation sport.
Also in the May Vortex:
- Coach Matteo Giunta Defends Federica Pellegrini On "Zero Tolerance" Stance In Sinner Doping Case
- Great Britain Selects 20 For European U23 Championships
- ASU Boss Says College Sports Revenue-Share Announcement Close
- Jordan Crooks Takes A Break From Racing
- Gary Hall Jr's Medals Back From The Flames
- Jon Rudd's Time In Ireland Is Done As He Heads Off To Lead Saudi Performance Program
- Lukas Märtens Makes It 200-400 Double With 1:44.25 Victory At German Nationals
- Gretchen Walsh Joins Sjöstrom In Club Of Sub-25 'Fly Dashers; Irish & Danish Marks For Ellen Walshe & Tomas Koski
- Katie Ledecky Sweeps To Her 2nd Career Fastest 400 Free - 3:56.8
IN OTHER COVERAGE -
May 4:
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
