Dutch star swept four finals in Baku and enters the second stop of the Silk Road Tour as the clear women’s favorite.
Dutch swimmer Marrit Steenbergen arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as the outright favorite on the women’s side for the second stop of the 2026 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup. After dominating the series opener in Baku with four gold medals and one silver, she sits atop the overall standings with 58.2 points and already looks sharp in Thursday’s prelims.
In Baku, Steenbergen claimed victories in the 100 free (50.78), 50 back (25.75), 100 back (55.17) and 100 IM (56.82). Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk sits second overall with 54.2 points, while China’s Yu Yiting holds third with 53.7 after setting two Asian records (200 IM in 2:02.80 and 400 IM).
In the Tashkent prelims, Steenbergen and Vanotterdijk are already on a collision course. The Dutch star posted the top time in the 50 back (26.48), and the two will also face off later in the 100 IM. The Uzbekistan stop runs October 8-10 in a short-course (25m) pool and forms part of the pathway that can award wild cards to December’s World Championships in Beijing.
The women’s field remains deep and competitive. Beyond the top three, Ireland’s Mona McSharry and Canada’s Taylor Ruck also scored solid points in Baku and remain in the hunt for medals and series ranking points.