Jack Alexy has claimed a new world record in the men’s 100-meter freestyle. Representing the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Alexy achieved this feat on Saturday while competing for the California Golden Bears at the 2026 USA Swimming Short Course World Championship Trials in Westmont, Illinois.
Alexy touched the wall in 44.64 seconds, eclipsing the previous record of 44.84 seconds. As he glanced at the scoreboard, his excitement was palpable as he realized he had entered the record books.
In past events, Alexy has inched close to breaking world records, notably at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Budapest, December 2024. During that event, he clinched his first individual gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 45.38 seconds.
Fellow Team USA swimmer Chris Guiliano, representing the University of Notre Dame, followed in second place with a time of 45.22 seconds. Olympian Caeleb Dressel secured third place with a time of 45.65 seconds.
Alexy’s journey to this record was marked by his first gold medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He set an American and world championship record with a lead-off time of 45.05 seconds in Hungary soon after. Guiliano was part of that victorious relay team.
This record-setting achievement occurred just four weeks after Russia’s Egor Kornev matched the world record in the short-course 100-meter freestyle during a World Cup event.
“That felt pretty good,” Alexy shared with Swimming World Magazine. “The goal was to qualify for the 50 and 100 individually. I was pretty confident I could get that done after this morning.”
Alexy emphasized how he harnessed the crowd’s energy, acknowledging the pressure of competing against fellow U.S. swimmers. “It is a good thing to have that pressure because that is what we will be facing,” he noted.
Looking ahead, Alexy aims to surpass his records at the upcoming World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Beijing, scheduled for December 1 to 6.
Scott Thompson covers sports for Fox News Digital.
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