U.S. Nationals: Shaine Casas Finally Thriving at Selection Meet, Ready For Central Role at Worlds
With Shaine Casas, talent has never been in question. But his history of performance at high-stakes competitions has been uneven, at best.
Considered a strong favorite for Olympic berths in both backstroke events at the 2021 Olympic Trials, Casas ended up third and sixth. Two years later at U.S. Nationals, Casas finished third and fifth in his first two finals and barely snuck into the top heat in his last event, the 200 IM, but he came through to qualify for the World Championships team.
Internationally, Casas has won 12 medals and two individual gold at Short Course World Championships. But in his lone Olympic appearance last year, he was more than two seconds behind his lifetime best in the 200 IM while finishing six hundredths away from a spot in the final.
Now, following a 2025 season in which Casas dominated USA Swimming’s Pro Series meets, Casas entered U.S. Nationals in prime position. Given the absence of numerous swimmers who have carried significant loads for American teams over the last decade, most notably Caeleb Dressel and Ryan Murphy, Casas had a chance to take his largest role to date on an in international team.
Casas came to Indianapolis cognizant of his past but feeling prepared to handle the moment.
“I’ve had a pretty big amount of times where I’ve not performed well or swum well compared to what was expected,” he said. “You kind of learn from that and remember how that feels and kind of what led to that, what you did do or what you didn’t do that got you that result. And I think that’s been what’s really taught me a lot. Two years ago at the same meet, I was having a completely different outcome. I knew if I could do then, I could always do it.”
Shaine Casas — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The results have been outstanding, perhaps not to the level of his undefeated Pro Series meets but sufficient to give him numerous chances at helping the U.S. cause in Singapore. Casas will race on the men’s 400 free relay after breaking 48 for the first time and finishing sixth in the final. After coming up just short in the 50 butterfly final, he won the 100 fly and placed second in the 50 backstroke in close succession Thursday evening.
“I thought my fitness kind of showed with how I was able to do the double plus the events the days before,” Casas said. “I thought that was really good for me because normally, any of the other year, I probably would have scratched either or and just focused on one of those. That was a huge improvement.”
Casas attributed much of his progress to his work under new coach Bob Bowman, who took over for legendary Texas mentor Eddie Reese last fall. Casas believes that Bowman’s training “really complements the swimmer that I am and want to be.” Bowman is known for expecting toughness from his swimmers, and Casas believes the lessons from one year in the system have prepared him to be successful this week.
“I’ve shown some grit and a lot of good things that he’s been teaching us in his practices, that hard work and kind of pushing yourself past where it’s comfortable,” he said.
As for the task Casas will undertake next month at Worlds, he is favored to step into the crucial butterfly leg of the men’s 400 medley relay, which is without the entire silver-winning quartet from the Paris Games. He enters as the world’s third-ranked swimmer in the 50 back and fourth in the 100 fly, not far away from times that will contend for medals.
Casas opted out of the 100 back Friday, even though he would have entered as a favorite for a top-two finish. He will instead focus on Saturday’s 200 IM, arguably his signature event and one where he ranks No. 4 in the world this year. When he swam season-best of 1:56.52 last month in Fort Lauderdale, Casas pulled away from Olympic champion Leon Marchand and moved to No. 4 in the world this year, less than two tenths away from the world-leading time.
Previously, Casas has finished as high as fourth in the event at the long course World Championships. He won the short course Worlds title in the medley last December, breaking an America record held by Ryan Lochte and becoming the second-fastest swimmer in history. In long course, his best time of 1:55.26 ranks seventh all-time and third among Americans behind Lochte and Michael Phelps.
With the American men’s roster for this year’s World Championships shaping up as one of the least experienced in years, the team will look to swimmers like Casas to perform and perhaps score some of the individual medals which were in such short supply at the Paris Olympics.
“It’s a very unfamiliar feeling and role because I remember my first trip, the 2021 Short Course Abu Dhabi World Championships. Right after missing (the Tokyo Olympics), I made that. I was the younger college kid that was on that team,” Casas said. “It’s crazy to think that now, four years later, I’m kind of the experienced vet.
“I don’t think I am by any means, not at all. I definitely have some experience and I kind of know how it goes, but I still don’t really see myself that way. I’m still learning quite a bit about myself and about the sport. From restarting after Paris to now, I feel like I’ve been learning every single swim meet, every single rest or shave period. It’s just been little things here or there that I’ve put it together.”
