2025 Pro Swim Series — Sacramento
The 2025 Sacramento Pro Swim Series will kick off this evening with a single event on the schedule: the 800 freestyle. This event will be contested as timed finals, with the heats swum fastest to slowest, alternating between women and men.
Action will continue through Saturday, with preliminary heats of the 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 50 backstroke, 100 butterfly, and 400 IM set for tomorrow at 12pm (Eastern Time).
WOMEN’S 800M FREESTYLE — TIMED FINAL
Top 8 Finishers:
- Eve Thomas (CSC) – 8:39.32
- Vivien Jackl (HUN) – 8:42.49
- Ella Dyson (RICE) – 8:51.23
- Kingsley Rosevold (WAC) – 9:12.39
- Laura Kalmar (FRES) – 9:15.36
- Lelia Symington (PSC) – 9:16.46
- Addison Sala (LAKE) – 9:24.59
- Ellie Broughton (UN) – 9:25.74
New Zealand’s Eve Thomas claimed the first victory of the 2025 Sacramento Pro Swim Series, touching the wall in 8:39.32 to win the women’s 800 free. She’s been as quick as 8:22.27 in this event in her career, which she posted in April of last year.
Fun fact: Thomas is the daughter of British multi-Olympic medalist Sarah Hardcastle.
Hungary’s Vivien Jackl turned in a time of 8:42.49 to earn runner-up status in tonight’s race. She finished 4th at the Westmont Pro Swim Series stop last month with a time of 8:44.96, so her time tonight marks a new season’s best.
Jackl, just 16, was the 2024 European Champion in the 1500 freestyle and also won silver in the 400 IM in Belgrade. Those medals come in addition to three European Junior Championship medals in 2023 and 2024, among five total at that level. She also competed in the 1500m freestyle and 400m IM at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, finishing 15th and 14th, respectively.
Just this past February, Jackl announced that she would be training under the guidance of Shane Tusup, the coach who guided Hungarian legend Katinka Hosszu for the majority of her international career.
Rice University’s Ella Dyson hit the wall 3rd in tonight’s race with a time of 8:51.23, just over three seconds off her lifetime best of 8:47.88.
MEN’S 800M FREESTYLE — TIMED FINAL
- World Record: Zhang Lin (CHN) – 7:32.12 (2009)
- American Record: Bobby Finke (USA) – 7:38.67 (2023)
- U.S Open Record: Bobby Finke (USA) – 7:40.34 (2023)
- Pro Swim Series Record: Sam Short (AUS) — 7:45.02 (2025)
Top 8 Finishers:
- Sam Short (AUS) – 7:46.99
- Alec Enyeart (TST) – 7:54.38
- Ilia Sibirtsev (UZB) – 7:54.91
- Ian Gonzalez (PMM) – 8:19.40
- Devin Irons (PSC) – 8:28.08
- Larn Hamblyn-Ough (CSC) – 8:31.67
- Zach Power (LAKE) – 8:35.17
- Santiago Cuatido Alcantara (UN) – 8:36.50
It looked like Sam Short might break his own Pro Swim Series record for most of tonight’s 800 freestyle, but it wasn’t meant to be. The 21-year-old Australian won the event in 7:46.99, just under two seconds shy of his record from last month.
Short started strong, matching his pace through the first 100 meters, and continued to split under record pace through the 600-meter turn. However, he ultimately fell off the mark during the final four lengths. Notably, his cap fell off on the final lap of the race. See a full splits comparison between his two swims below.
Splits Comparison:
| Short’s Swim Tonight In Sacramento | Short’s Pro Swim Series Record From Westmont | |
| 100m | 55.48 | 55.41 |
| 200m | 1:53.23 (57.75) | 1:54.08 (58.67) |
| 300m | 2:51.77 (58.54) | 2:52.98 (58.90) |
| 400m | 3:50.61 (58.84) | 3:51.76 (58.78) |
| 500m | 4:49.65 (59.04) | 4:50.49 (58.73) |
| 600m | 5:48.90 (59.25) | 5:49.19 (58.70) |
| 700m | 6:48.54 (59.64) | 6:47.91 (58.72) |
| 800m | 7:46.99 (58.45) | 7:45.02 (57.11) |
Between Westmont and tonight’s performance, Short traveled with his coach, Damien Jones, and several fellow Australian teammates to an altitude training camp in Flagstaff, Arizona.
This is Short’s second meet since the 2024 Olympic Games, where he was 4th in the 400 free in 3:42.64, 14 one-hundredths shy of a medal, and settled for 9th in the 800 free (7:46.83) and 13th in the 1500 free (14:58.15). In September, he revealed that a “combination of illnesses and injuries” derailed his year and preparation for the Games, which included a reported gastro illness during the Australian Trials in June.
At the 2023 World Championships, Short won gold in the 400 free, producing a time of 3:40.68 which ranks #5 all-time in the event. He won silver in the 800 free in an Oceanian Record of 7:37.76, and added bronze in the 1500 free in another personal best of 14:37.28.
Short seems to be back on track to challenge for podium spots, particularly in the 400 and 800, at the upcoming Singapore World Championships in July. He’ll need to qualify first, but given the way he’s swimming, that will likely be a non-issue at the Australian World Championship Trials, which begin on June 9th.
Alec Enyeart, a 21-year-old from Tsunami Swim Team, touched 2nd in tonight’s race. The former Texas swimmer clocked a time of 7:54.38, taking down his previous best of 7:58.14 from the 2023 Phillips 66 USA National Championships.
Uzbekistan’s Ilia Sibirtsev took 3rd with a time of 7:54.91, the only other swimmer under 8 minutes. The 23-year-old competed for the University of Louisville in the NCAA system through 2024 and finished 22nd at the Olympic Games last summer with a time of 7:56.67, which he surpassed tonight. His fastest-ever time in the event is 7:48.05, set at the 2019 World Junior Championships.
