“All I want to do is win,” said Dylan Carter in the mixed zone after his first race of the 2022 Swimming World Cup season in Berlin. And that is what he did in the German capital, taking the W in the 50m free, 50m back and 50m fly races. When the tour headed across the Atlantic for its North American swing through Toronto (Canada) and Indianapolis (Indiana, USA), the then-26-year-old was on a roll.
With nine events on his 2023 tour agenda, Dylan Carter’s win total was a perfect nine-for-nine, which was just enough to hold off breaststroke specialist Nic Fink of the USA for the men’s overall Swimming World Cup championship of 2022.
Along the way, the swimmer from Trinidad & Tobago picked up a cool USD 160,000 in prize money over the three event weekends to top the prize purse table, too.
This is 🇹🇹 Dylan Carter 🤩 Let’s get to know some of the stars who will join us in for the Swimming World Cup 2023 🤩 #SWC23 pic.twitter.com/1IZN4mrebP
— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) September 11, 2023
Carter carried his strong show of late season form into the World Swimming Championships (25m) in Melbourne (AUS), where he picked up his third career short course worlds medal, a bronze in the 50m free. Showing the rising force of swimming in his home region, Carter heard a national anthem from the Caribbean for the first time at the world championship swimming event as Jordan Crooks of the Cayman Islands took the win.
Fresh off the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka (Japan), don’t look for Carter to be weighed down by expectations from his stellar swims from the 2022 Swimming World Cup season. The affable and hard-working Trinidadian operates on Island Time. As a sprinter, Carter needs to match the free-flowing speed that only comes when an athlete is in tip-top shape while also being fresh and relaxed.
With just under a month until the 2023 edition of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup gets underway again in Berlin – though this time in a 50m pool – we caught up with the reigning overall men’s champ.
You were the absolute King of the 50m races last year, winning all nine of the 50m races across butterfly, backstroke and freestyle. Are you hungry to take some more crowns this year?
Yeah, I’m definitely hungry to take on some more 50s this year and maybe even throw a 100 in there. Will be a different format this year being long course (50m pool racing in 2023), but I’m excited for the new challenge.
How did your success in the 2022 Swimming World Cup aid you in other international events?
The Swimming World Cup is always a great training opportunity for me. I typically train alone so the racing gets me in great shape for the coming year, and it is always so fun to travel and compete with friends.
What’s it going to take for you to defend your overall Swimming World Cup title in 2023?
I don’t think at all about defending the title. With the World Cups being long course this year, I look at it as a whole new challenge. I know there will be great competitors at all competitions so I hope they will push me to some fast results.
Why are you so fast at swimming if you’re supposed to be living on Island Time?
Being on Island Time keeps me relaxed in the stressful moments. I think that helps a bit.
Contributing: Gunnar Bentz