2025 Mare Nostrum Tour – Monaco
- May 17th-18th, 2025
- Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Meet Central
The first of three stops on the historic Mare Nostrum Tour has released a preliminary list of names that have committed to swim at the first stop of the tour. Taking place in Monaco, the first stop runs from the 17th to 18th of May, which is a change from last year, when Monaco served as the finale of the tour.
After breaking the meet record twice last season in the 200 free, Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey returns to the field, in 2024, Haughey claimed gold in the 200 free at all three stops, a feat she also matched in the 100 free. Using the tour as a launchpad, Haughey would go on to claim the Olympic bronze medals in both the 100 and 200 frees later in the summer. Since then, Haughey has kept up her dominance in the 200 free, claiming victory at all three stops of the World Cup and capping it off with a gold medal at the Short Course Worlds.
Haughey is not the only familiar face to return to the Mare Nostrum tour, as both Louise Hansson and Anastasia Gorbenko have committed to swim in Monaco. Hansson, a three-time Olympian from Sweden, swept the 100 fly at all three stops last season, winning in Monaco in a near personal best of 57.04. Like Haughey, Gorbenko, an Israeli Olympian, was lights out last year on the tour, setting multiple new national records on her way to sweeping both the 200 and 400 IMs at all three stops.
Haughey isn’t the only Olympian on the women’s side to have committed to the Monaco stop as 2020 Bronze medalist Sydney Pickrem will join fellow Canadian Ingrid Wilm in the entries list. Wilm is coming off a superb 2024, which saw her not only earn her first Olympic appearance but also saw her win her individual world medals, taking bronze in both the 50 and 100 backs in Doha as well as winning five medals at Short Course Worlds, including an individual bronze in the 100 back.
Fellow 2024 Olympian and World Record holder Benedetta Pilato will make a return to the tour after having won both the 50 and 100 breaststroke at the Barcelona stop last year. Pilato had a strong showing in Paris, tying for 4th in the 100 breast in a new PB of 1:05.60, just .01 out of the medals.
Other Female entrants (not an exhaustive list):
- Lana Pudar (Bosnia)
- Panna Ugrai (Hungary)
- Anastasiya Shkurdai (Neutral A)
- Arina Surkova (Neutral B)
- Sophie Hansson (Sweden)
While Pilato brings the breaststroke strength on the women’s side the men see two top-end talents as, Ilya Shymanovich and Kirill Prigoda will, go head to head again. The pair raced each other at the 2024 Short Course Worlds, which saw Prigoda claim the silver to Shymanovich’s bronze. The pair of World Record holders (in short course) did not compete on the tour last season but will look to use it as a stepping stone to qualification for Worlds this summer as each is competing under the Neutral Athlete banner.
The pair aren’t the only medalists from the 2024 Short Course Worlds to enter the meet as Italy’s Alberto Razzetti has committed to swim in Monaco. The Italian star had a good 2024, and while he failed to medal in the Olympics, finishing as high as 5th, Razzetti picked up two medals in Doha and four in Budapest.
The IM races won’t be easy, however, as 2024 World Champion Lewis Clareburt has also entered the meet. The Kiwi claimed gold in the 400 IM at the Doha World, beating out the likes of Razzetti and Hungary’s Balazs Hollo. Hollo is just one of a large contingent of Hungarians who have committed to the meet. Nandor Nemeth and Szebasztian Szabo will be joining him in Monaco, to name a few.
Other Male entrants (not an exhaustive list):
- Sam Williamson (Australia)
- Bernard Reitshammer (Austria)
- Ksawery Masiuk (Poland)
- Jakub Majerski (Poland)