US Swimming Team Was Suffering Heavily At World Championships With No Way Out, Says Olympic Star

“Is this the wake-up call USA swimming needed?” Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps questioned while US swimmers competed in Singapore at the 2025 World Aquatic Championships. The comment came as he shared a meme from fellow US swimmer Ryan Lochte. It was an AI-generated image of a tombstone reading: “In loving memory of United States Swimming. They set the bar high — until they stopped reaching for it.” All of this was to criticize the US team’s performance in Singapore. But now weeks after the championship is over, another Olympic star has some inside information.

“A bunch of people woke up sick, and then as the day goes on, people start dropping like flies. I feel my stomach inflating like a balloon, and I’m like, ‘Oh God, I’m next.’ Yeah, it was brutal,” said Katharine Berkoff on the SwimSwam Podcast, who won her first world title (50 back) in the 2025 World Aquatic Championships.

Ahead of the competition, USA Swimming held a training camp in Phuket, Thailand. There, a troubling number of athletes fell ill with what was later diagnosed as acute gastroenteritis. Causes ranged from suspected food-borne illness to viral or bacterial infections. SwimSwam reported that about 10 U.S. athletes were too sick to travel to Singapore with the rest of the team. Originally, all swimmers were scheduled to travel together on July 22. The infection took its toll in Singapore.

Olympic champion Torri Huske and rising star Claire Weinstein pulled out of their events, while Gretchen Walsh had to abandon the 4×100m freestyle relay at the last minute. Sixteen-year-old Luca Mijatović struggled through the 400m freestyle, finishing far slower than his qualifying time as he battled illness. Meanwhile, Australia capitalized on the situation, winning both the women’s and men’s 4×100m relays, leaving the U.S. off the top of the podium.

US Olympian Katharine Berkoff on how illness struck Team USA:

“A bunch of people woke up sick and then as the day goes on, people start dropping like flies. I feel my stomach inflating like a balloon and I’m like, ‘Oh God, I’m next.’ Yeah, it was brutal.” pic.twitter.com/g7kk20Yccy

— Swim Updates (@swimupdates) September 3, 2025

The post US Swimming Team Was Suffering Heavily At World Championships With No Way Out, Says Olympic Star appeared first on EssentiallySports.