The World Aquatics Swimming World Cup 2026 came to a dramatic close in Astana on Saturday after three nights of compelling racing, with South Africa’s Pieter Coetze and the Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen celebrating the overall men’s and women’s titles respectively.
In total, there were 22 Crowns clinched by 14 athletes in the Kazakhstan capital – each worth $10,000 in prize money. That is in addition to the sizeable $1.2 million on offer across the Swimming World Cup, ensuring a rewarding experience for the athletes whose incredible performances made it a memorable three weeks of racing.
The Tour will also be remembered for the warm hospitality and passionate crowds of fans across the host cities of Baku, Tashkent and Astana, strengthening the legacy of this year’s Swimming World Cup across Central Asia.
We look back at some of the key storylines and top moments from Astana, and look ahead to what promises to be an enthralling World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Beijing in just over six weeks.
Coetze holds his nerve as men’s race goes to the wire
Coetze took a hotly contested men’s World Cup title and the $100,000 grand prize after a thrilling finish to the Tour, leapfrogging American Luke Barr on the competition’s final day and holding off Russia’s Egor Kornev.
He had already broken the 50m Backstroke World Record in one of the Silk Road Tour’s standout performances in Tashkent. In Astana, he claimed Crowns in the 200m and 100m Backstroke, but his final race proved to be a winner-takes-all 50m Backstroke clash with Kornev.
Coetze said facing Kornev in the 50m sharpened his focus.
“In that 50, knowing Egor was there...it’s the only race I raced him in, so I saw what kind of form he was in at the first leg, so that definitely made me step up again,”
There were no prizes for guessing his highlight from the Silk Road Tour.
“It’s my first World Record ever, in the event I probably least expected it to happen. Nothing compares to that feeling,” he said of his 50m Backstroke feat in Tashkent.
Attention now turns to the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Beijing from 1 to 6 Decemberand the 22-year-old is hopeful of building on his Swimming World Cup success.
“It’s exciting to know that I can perform short course, because it’s not something I do often. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and it’s going to be tough,” Coetze said.
Steenbergen dominates the women’s standings
Marrit Steenbergen topped the women’s standings with four Crowns in the 50m Backstroke, 100m Medley, 100m Freestyle and 100m Backstroke.
She also broke her third European Record of the Tour in Astana, clocking 1:50.23 in the 200m Freestyle.
“I did not expect to do a 1:50, so really happy with that,” she said. “100 Free too, a PB last week. I’ve done a lot of best times, so I’m really happy with that at the start of the season.”
She also enjoyed racing across the programme.
“I really enjoy racing a lot of different events. It’s so much fun to be switching from Backstroke to Freestyle and then doing some Medley.”
Having never been to China, Steenbergen is relishing the prospect of competing there, and the potential for more success at the World Swimming Championships (25m) in December.
“I’m really happy with how I’m progressing through the weeks, and I’m really excited to see what I can do in Beijing.”
Records keep falling
Steenbergen’s 200m Freestyle was one of four continental records set in Astana. Singapore’s Gan Ching Hwee swam 15:38.41 in the 1500m Freestyle, and China’s Yu Yiting set marks of 55.17 in the 100m Butterfly and 2:02.63 in the 200m Medley.
Gan came into the Swimming World Cup at the end of a long season of preparation for the Asian Games, and treated it as a chance to learn.
“I just wanted to use this as a learning opportunity to get better, especially the small things like turns and execution. I think it all accumulates a lot more in short course,” she said.
Poland’s Katarzyna Wasick, meanwhile, achieved a remarkable third successive Crown in the 50m Freestyle, and reflected on her evolution to a specialist in that event.
“My whole career, coaches were telling me I’m a distance swimmer. I came back in 2018, and that was the time I decided I’m a sprinter. I’m happy I got a second chance, and I could follow my dream and my intuition,” she said.
“Something I’ve never experienced before” - Niewold
In addition to the Kazakh swimmers, there was one international star who stood out for the home crowd.
The Netherlands’ Sean Niewold has a strong connection to the host nation through his mother, who is from Kazakhstan, and the fans in the stands treated him as one of their own. He answered with bronze in the 100m Freestyle and fourth place in the 50m Freestyle, and was in demand wherever he went.
“It’s a massive honour. It’s the first time I’m racing here so the support has been immense. There are so many fans and people coming for autographs, pictures, cheering for me. I’ve received so many messages. This is something I’ve never experienced before. It’s such an amazing feeling. It really warms my heart,” he said.
The welcome gave him a lift in the pool.
“This feels more like a home event than I’ve ever had before. I guess you could say I’ve got a bit of an advantage, so maybe that helped me on the 100 Free to get that third,” he added.
The week showed how far swimming in Kazakhstan is growing, and Niewold said the messages he received showed what the event meant to local fans.
“This can act as a massive motivation for lots of swimmers. Lots of the messages I’ve received have been people saying it’s an inspiration to see me racing, to see the other guys race here, and it really brings up the level a bit in the country,”
“It just shows the Kazakh people they can do it as well. In the 100 Fly you’ve got two people coming out with the Kazakh flag and then me, the third one, so three out of 10 Kazakhs in the 100 Fly final. In the 50 Free as well we’ve got two of us, so it’s onwards and upwards from here.”